|
Starring
:
Yuen
Biao
Anita
Mui
George
Lam
Sammo
Hung
Meng
Hoi
Action
:
Yuen
Tak
Dion
Lam
Producer
:
Yuen
Kwai
Director
:
Teddy
Robin
|
SHANGHAI,
SHANGHAI (1990)
A.K.A.
- The Shanghai Encounter
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
The
ever charismatic Yuen Biao takes the lead role in this
diverting, but unexceptional period action film. Biao plays a
young man thrust into the danger and corruption of 1930's
Shanghai as he looks for his older brother who is a prominent
policeman. Soon after finding his sibling, Biao becomes
unwittingly embroiled in a local gang battle as he intervenes
in a nightclub fire and befriends a travelling opera troupe.
With these new found friends, Biao soon gets a reputation as
someone whose fighting skills make him a tricky customer and
he forms an uneasy alliance with Shanghai's main crime head (Sammo).
Conflict soon arrives though when Biao's brother reveals his
own plans to oppose the resident powers oppressing the people
and wipe away the corruption from the city of Shanghai; this
leads to an inevitable showdown between the honourable and the
corrupt of the vibrant city.
For
those looking for another 'Pedicab
Driver', 'Shanghai, Shanghai' will be a disappointment as
the two films are quite a distance apart in terms of quality.
The film could have done with the steady-handed direction of
Sammo as Teddy Robin - who has undoubtedly shown some skill in
features like 'Three
Against The World' - fails to fully integrate the drama
and the action of the film. The dramatic aspects are perhaps
the weakest part of the film as the chemistry that should
exist between George Lam and Anita Mui is not really evident
and tends to derail the film's pacing. Yuen Biao and
especially Sammo Hung are underused and only really come into
their element in the well-choreographed final fight that sees
these two face up to one another; the film would have
benefited from scenes like these rather than concentrate on
the mundane. Criticisms aside, 'Shanghai, Shanghai' features
some splendid period settings and absorbing production design
- fully evoking 1930's Shanghai and the cosmopolitan nature of
the city. The film also features an excellent
dance-fight-interrogation scene between Yuen Biao and Anita
Mui, a definite highlight that is another example of the
invention of Hong Kong cinema.
If
you're a fan of Biao or Sammo, this will make an unremarkable,
but enjoyable addition to your collection; if you're
indifferent to either, the chances are you will feel the same
about this film.
Rating:
 
|
