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Starring
:
Karl
Maka
Eric
Tsang
Brigitte
Lin
Paula
Tsui
Mark
Cheng
Liu
Chia Liang
Action
:
Karl
Maka
Producer
:
Karl
Maka
Director
:
Karl
Maka
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THE
THIRTY MILLION RUSH (1987)
A.K.A.
- Thirty Million Dollar Rush; 30 Million Rush
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
Daily
in Hong Kong, old and now useless bank notes are taken to a
secret location to be destroyed, lest they get into the wrong
hands. One of the main workers there who, for the most part,
is a loyal and honest worker, notices a few of the many money
bags fall short of the furnace. This accident persuades him to
turn thief and, after carefully working out a strategy, he
groups together a team who can help him break into the
compound at night and steal the bags. One of this band of
thieves is a recently released expert thief who agrees to help
after hearing of the substantial cash pay out. However, he is
followed by his suspicious arch-enemy - an eager and slightly
dishonest cop who wants to put him back behind bars. Naturally
when he discovers the plans that are hatched, he too wants a
share of the wealth. Into this confused blend enters a
vigilante nun who decides to stop the various parties in their
scramble for the dubious stash.
'The
Thirty Million Rush' is the kind of cinematic free-for-all
caper that is made within a very confident film industry. The
80s saw the local product gain the commercial rewards of the
golden age of Hong Kong cinema and allow a number of very
different efforts get released. This enjoyable comedy mixes
the familiar ingredients of fast-paced comedy, spurts of
action and thin plot, alongside a cast of welcome faces.
Effectively, the strength of Karl Maka's slice of
entertainment is its wilful exuberance and obvious intention
of creating a fun atmosphere. These goals aren't always
achieved. At times there's a tendency to slip into the common
Hong Kong malaise of over-the-top farce with the performers
become annoying stereotypes rather than amusing characters.
Once again Karl Maka's skill as a director is shown to be
limited and far too prone to slip into a general lack of
order; as the film nears its end, this glaring problem becomes
more and more pronounced.
Although
this doesn't warrant any strong commendations, there are
aspects which make it worthwhile viewing. It's refreshing to
see a few very popular stars playing against type here:
Brigitte Lin stands out as the determined nun while kung fu
legend Liu Chia Liang plays his usual hardman figure strictly
for laughs. 'The Thirty Million Rush' also has a strong
nostalgic quality to it and, though only 15 years old, it's
clear that this is the kind of production that wont be seen in
the current film industry. Whether this is a good or bad thing
depends very much on the viewer and their expectations.
Rating:
 
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