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Starring
:
Yuen
Biao
Pat
Ha
Charles
Chin
Yuen
Wah
Idy
Chan
Lee
Heung Kam
Action
:
Sammo
Hung
Yuen
Wah
Producer
:
Sammo
Hung
Director
:
Alfred
Cheung
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ON
THE RUN (1988)
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
Police
officer Hsiang Ming (Biao) is having marital problems with his
wife. When the two meet in a restaurant to try and
resolve things, Ming's wife is brutally gunned down by a
mysterious assassin (Ha). Ming is furious and
immediately sets about trying to track down the killer.
As he begins to uncover more pieces of the puzzle, his enemies
become aware of his presence and he is framed for murder in an
attempt to keep him quiet. On the run with no one to
turn to, fate dishes up an ironic set of circumstances as Ming
finds himself thrust together with the woman responsible for
the death of his wife. However, he soon realises that
she too is just a pawn in a much bigger game that leads all
the way up to the notorious gangster Lu (Chin). Now the
only option is for both sides of the law to team up in an
attempt to put a stop to Lu and his ruthless organisation.
'On
the Run' represents a significant departure from the usual
martial arts orientated films that we are used to from Yuen
Biao, and is in fact more akin to the heroic bloodshed movies
that were dominating the box office at the time. Some
may view this as a disappointment considering Biao's
outstanding physical talents but this turns out to be one of
the finer examples of the genre. With a story
reminiscent of 'The Killer', 'On The Run' offers Biao an
opportunity to show off his acting skills which he appears to
relish, exuding an extreme sense of realism into his role and
forging a fine on-screen chemistry with Ha. Charles Chin
is also cast against type as he undertakes the role of main
villain which he pulls off with some aplomb, displaying all
the necessary maniacal traits. Director Cheung assists
in making the production more believable by keeping the film
extremely dark with no room for comedy or intricately
choreographed action sequences. Instead, the few fights
that do occur drift more towards an element of panic as
combatants reach for anything they can get hold of to defend
themselves.
'On
The Run' is a superb effort from Biao and a welcome change of
pace for an actor who is so often seen as just the
"little brother" of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
What's nice here is that he doesn't just get recognised for
his acrobatic abilities and gets the chance to act in a very
stylish and gritty thriller.
Rating:
 
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