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Starring
:
Okamura
Takashi
Yuen
Biao
Sakai
Wakana
Won
Jin
Ngai
Sing
Sam
Lee
Candy
Lo
Lai
Yiu Cheong
Action
:
Chin
Kar Lok
Yuen
Biao
Wong
Wai Fai
Yik
Tin Hung
Producer
:
Sam
Leong
Director
:
Chin
Kar Lok
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NO
PROBLEM 2 (2001)
A.K.A.
- Moumentai 2
Reviewed
by Tony Ryan
Most
Westerners got into HK action movies as a result of the now
dubbed "80's Golden Age", whereby a plethora of
young and talented individuals could create a dozen hugely
exciting and expertly crafted action movies every year –
usually on a shoestring budget. A brief, but crowded,
"new-wave" of wirework films flooded the
market in the 90's before the industry itself almost appeared
to die. A number of factors have been identified the cause
(such as Hollywood influence, exodus of stars, lack of stunt
talent, public demand etc…) but ultimately, for me and
countless others we had to make do with searching out every
last "golden age" film as our desire for quality
action was no longer being catered for.
But
all is not lost. There are still some people that value 80's
style action and work hard to keep it going. Most of these
people are not actually from Hong Kong anymore (such as the
AAC and Alpha Stunts Team) but nevertheless the thread of hope
remains for a return to the "good old days". As
mentioned, it is commonly felt that the young performers and
stunt guys of today are not up to the standards required to
perform in the old style, so MTV hack editing and less
intricate choreography have become the norm. Fortunately, some
of the old guard can still kick it, and in the instance of 'Moumentai
2' wanted to prove it.
To
me, 'No Problem 2' (although a joint Japanese production) has
a hint of the old 'Aces
Go Places' about it, combining typically overt HK humour
with any excuse thrown in for an OTT action sequence. Many of
the old Lucky Stars/Aces Go Places favourites make an
appearance here in one form or another, including Yuen Biao,
Chin Kar Lok and even Eric Tsang. The comedy elements are of
the same old style and may not be to everybody's taste but I
will clutch at anything that shows threads of the
aforementioned Golden Age. The action sequences are grounded
and well choreographed, if a little too short. And it is often
apparent that some of the performers are getting on a bit.
However, they are still good fun, while added to the mix are
numerous parodies of classic & contemporary action scenes
from 'Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and 'The Matrix' - including a
couple of "bullet-time" sequences - to the bus chase
in 'Police
Story'.
The
plot, while threadbare and generic, sees Okamura Takashi fly
to Hong Kong to pursue his dream of becoming an action star.
He gets mistaken for a hired killer (played by the still
incredible Won Jin) and is expected to kill a Japanese girl
who just inherited a huge business. Unfortunately, he falls in
love with the girl, who is subsequently kidnapped before Yuen
Biao steps in to teach Okamura kung fu and assist in her
rescue.
There
may not be much here that we haven’t seen before, but it's
certainly been a while since we’ve seen most of it done so
well. The fight scenes might not beat anything from the 80's
but they go someway to reminding us they could still be done.
At the same time it’s nice to see a production that isn’t
aiming itself more at the American audience than its own.
If,
like me, you are a huge fan of Yuen Biao or the old 80's
action comedies, then do yourself a favour and buy a copy of
this DVD. Hell, buy 2 and show the producers that we want more
of these kinds of films!
On
a side note, Collin Chou (Ngai Sing) appears here and has
certainly buffed himself up a bit - possibly in
preparation for the Matrix sequels - and is one of the guys I
place my hopes on to keep the martial arts genre alive in HK.
And while I hope he is successful, I also hope he doesn’t
join the exodus West.
Rating:
 
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