|
Starring
:
Kent
Cheng
Simon
Yam
Danny
Lee
Melvin
Wong
Esther
Kwan
Writer
:
Bryan
Chang
Producer
:
Kimmy
Shuen
Ng
Kwok Kuen
Director
:
Billy
Tang
|
RUN
AND KILL (1993)
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
For
Cheung, his life is a relatively normal one which revolves
around taking care of his wife and child as well as the day to
day running of his own shop. However, behind the happiness
its clear to everyone that Cheung's wife is using him
for his money but his ability to find the good in every
situation prevents him from seeing what is right under his
nose. That is until he comes home from work one day to
find his wife cheating on him but even this fails to ignite
any real spark in his personality and he deals with it by
finding the nearest bar and crawling inside a tequila
bottle. Whilst under the inebriation of alcohol he
begins to recount his woes which normally wouldn't be a
problem but when he is accidentally introduced to a man who
can "fix" all his problems, things
go horribly wrong. With the alcohol doing the talking,
Cheung agrees to anything which results in the brutal murder
of his wife. Pleading his innocence, Cheung doesn't have
a clue what has happened until some men turn up on his
doorstep to remind him
of the debts he now owes and show that they intend to make
his life a living hell.
At
first glance, one might be forgiven for thinking
that 'Run And Kill' is little more than a routine revenge
tale, the likes of which has
been played out on numerous occasions (often with mediocre
results) on
the Hollywood screen. However, being a Hong Kong film
within the Category
III bracket, one can usually expect a seemingly average affair
to break away from the
norm and often delve into depths of the human psyche that most would never dare. Thankfully this is exactly the
tract that 'Run And Kill' follows as 'Dr.
Lamb' director Billy Tang
weaves out an horrific tale of how an ordinary man's life can
be turned on it's head by one very fatal drunken mistake. It's
this "cause and effect" style of storytelling that
makes this film such a riveting ride as Tang keeps Cheung's
predicaments on a constant downward spiral and no matter how
hard he tries to rectify the situation, he only seems to dig his
hole deeper and deeper. Added to this, Tang chooses to add
moments of bloodcurdling gore and uncomfortable surprise that keep
the film rattling along at breakneck speed, barely giving the
audience a chance to catch their breath before it finally
culminates in it's bloody and chilling finale. Its perhaps not
filmmaking at its most artistic and it is ultimately flawed in
places but it certainly drags you in
and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
One
of the other major factors that makes 'Run And Kill' stand out
is the decision to cast Kent Cheng in the leading role. Cheng
is perhaps the perfect choice to play a "normal guy"
as he doesn't possess superhuman physical attributes nor does
he look like a supermodel, he's just a happy fat guy who could
quite
easily be the man next door. Its this ease in which he slots into any role that means Cheng
could easily be considered the
ultimate acting chameleon, moving seamlessly from martial arts
epics such as 'Once Upon A Time In
China' to modern day
thrillers like 'Crime
Story'. His opposite number here
is played by Simon Yam (a favourite within this genre) who,
much like Cheng,
seems capable of adapting his acting style to suit any film.
However, he is never more enjoyable than when at his most
maniacal and despite the odd tendency to overact, he does
always seem to be spot on and very capable of intimidating the
audience. Danny Lee also pops up from time to time as
the stereotypical police officer but his role is so peripheral
and lightweight here that he doesn't really warrant a mention
alongside the two leads.
It's
highly likely that 'Run And Kill' will not be to everybody's
taste as its not always the most pleasant experience and the
film's low budget is evident throughout. However, its
the sheer pacing that makes it such an easy watch as poor
unsuspecting Cheng jumps out of the frying pan and into the fire at every turn. If you fancy a break for the
norm then 'Run And Kill' is certainly it and I guarantee it will
make an impact of some kind.
Rating:
  
|
