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Cast:
Chiu
Man Cheuk
Anthony
Wong
Gigi
Lai
Sam
Lee
Lung
Fong
Action:
Ma
Yuk Sing
Producer:
Wong
Jing
Director:
Aman
Chang
Score:
 
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FIST
POWER
AKA:
N/A
Year:
2000 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Wong
Jing protégé Aman Chang helms this unremarkable yet
watchable Chiu Man Cheuk vehicle that attempts to do for the
Mainland star what modern-day action films like 'My
Father Is A Hero' did for Jet Li. The plot follows a
retired military general (Wong) forced into an unpleasant
situation when his beloved son is taken away from him by his
ex-wife and her new tycoon's boyfriend. This conniving pair
have the backing of the law and decide to take the child to
the U.S. where the tycoon is coincidentally in line for a
sizeable payout from a will should he produce a son within a
designated time. Without any hope of getting him back through
the legal channels available to him, the boy's father decides
to hold a local school hostage until his son is brought to
him. In the school though is the nephew of a Chinese security
expert (Chiu) who decides to take the law into his own hands
and find the boy before any hostages are harmed. However, the
tycoon also sends men out to delay the operation and make sure
that he reaps the benefits of the lucrative will his eyes are
fixed on.
Director
Aman Chang follows his well-known formula of film-making with
this action film i.e. an inexpensive and quickly made film
that sidesteps storyline in favour of action. For those who
care to look, 'Fist Power' is full of lapses of logic, but
this never attempts to be a thinking man's action film.
Instead the film serves as a reasonable platform for the
definite talents of Chiu Man Cheuk and gives the star a few
fight scenes in which to shine. When Chiu is in action the
film's lack of excitement is brushed aside and the real reason
for watching is quickly revealed: the balletic grace of his
superb fighting skills. Anthony Wong and Sam Lee are
hopelessly underused in their respective roles; Wong in
particular is given little chance to show off his thespian
skills and instead sleepwalks through the film. What certainly
doesn't help is the lack of a truly menacing villain for him
to play; as the audience knows that Wong is a caring father,
they know he will not harm the hostages and therefore any
threat that a villain should normally display is turned into
sympathy. 'Fist Power' is a very thin framework onto which a
few interesting action scenes are hung and should not be
treated as a classic of the genre; taken on its own minor
aspirations, the film is watchable and reasonable
entertainment. It is hoped, however, that Chiu Man Cheuk will
be given bigger and better quality productions in which to
star in the future.
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