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Cast:
Jet
Li
Jacky
Cheung
Chingamy
Yau
Kelvin
Wong
Billy
Chow
Charlie
Yeung
Valerie
Chow
Ben
Lam
Action:
Yuen
Kwai
Producer:
Wong
Jing
Director:
Wong
Jing
Score:
 
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HIGH
RISK
AKA:
Meltdown
Year:
1995 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
When
the S.D.U. is called in to deal with a bomb planted on a
school bus, one of the operatives, Kit, (Jet Li) is faced with
the prospect of trying to save his own wife and daughter.
Unfortunately the outcome is tragic and the distraught
operative is left to spiral into depression. Years later, Kit
now works as the secret stunt double of action superstar
Frankie (Jacky Cheung) and takes all of the knocks that his
employer gets credited for. With memories of the terrible loss
of his wife and son continually torturing him, Kit survives
one day to the next with little interest. A chance at
redemption is provided when Frankie and Kit are invited to the
grand opening of an illustrious jewellery showcase that is
subsequently taken over by a band of expert thieves. Also
trapped in this critical situation is Frankie's entourage,
scores of V.I.P. guests and an undercover reporter (Chingamy
Yau) desperate to expose Frankie as a fraud. When the security
services and authorities prove to be ineffectual, Kit is
forced to draw on his past training to save the guests and
thwart the robbery. However, the past comes flooding back when
he realises that the mastermind behind the daring raid is the
same man who was responsible for the event that destroyed his
life years earlier.
'High
Risk' is essentially a 'Die Hard' clone that doubles as a Jet
Li vehicle, managing to succeed in both departments. That
isn't to say that 'High Risk' doesn't have its problems
though, as will be discussed. The main thing that grates here
is the cowardly, awkward figure of Jacky Cheung's annoying
character Frankie. Coming from myself - a self-confessed
Jackie Chan fan - this may be sour grapes as it's clearly
intended as a parody of Chan after director Wong Jing had
fallen out with him during the filming of 'City
Hunter'. However, there seems to be a sizeable dose of
unintentional irony in Wong Jing portraying Frankie as a
crude, skirt-chasing buffoon; aren't these the exact flaws
that Wong seems to pride himself on? Aside from this, there is
a tendency to drift towards inappropriate humour when the
tension is building. Therefore some of the film's overall
excitement is lost, though not to a detrimental degree.
This
action comedy is undoubtedly at its best when Jet Li is given
centre stage and allowed to show off his smooth physical
moves. Alongside his usual physical presence, Li also
impresses with his general performance, managing to flesh out
his character more than was expected. His command in the role
of Kit also has a positive effect on co-star Chingamy Yau who
makes an appealing sidekick after an initially frustrating
start. Though it's easy to commend various performances in
'High Risk', its main objective is to excite and this it does
well. There are a series of tightly designed set-pieces that
give the film its spark, culminating in a solid climax. Even
Jacky Cheung is partially redeemed during a cleverly
choreographed battle with Billy Chow. 'High Risk' highlights
much of what is wrong with Wong Jing's work, but also some of
what is right; although Yuen Kwai's influence is clear, Wong
Jing holds the film together reasonably well. This isn't a
masterpiece nor is it among Jet Li's finest productions, but
there's enough to enjoy here to scrape a four star rating.
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