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Starring
:
Stephen
Chow Sing Chi
Chan
Hui Man
Vivian
Chow
Shing
Fui On
Danny
Lee
Action
:
Lam
Moon Wa
Wong
Ming Sing
Producer
:
Danny
Lee
Director
:
Parkman
Wong
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THE
UNMATCHABLE MATCH (1989)
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
It's
fairly well-documented that Chow Sing Chi's career wasn't
always rooted in the comedy genre. Before his early comic
box-office successes with 'All
For The Winner' and 'Fight
Back To School', the Canto-star was taken under the wing
by established actor Danny Lee and given a few serious roles
to test his mettle. Although some of these performances did
make the critics sit up and take notice, Lee quickly
discovered that Chow's ability was in a very different area of
cinema. 'The
Unmatchable Match' is one of the straight-forward action
thrillers made prior to the landmark 'All For The Winner' and
it provides Chow Sing Chi with a serious and meaty role.
When
dangerous criminal 'Big Mad' (Shing Fui On) pulls off a
considerable jewellery robbery in the heart of the city, his
first aim is to find an underworld dealer who can sell the
goods. He picks Lee (Chan) for this task, but Big Mad's
violent temper means that the two cannot get on and the
animosity is obvious. Big Mad sees Lee as a betrayer and so
decides to wipe out this one-time ally; Lee is innocent,
however, and decides to go on the run with the proceeds from
the robbery. With Lee attempting to disappear out of Hong Kong
and escape the situation, the police assign undercover cop
Long (Chow Sing Chi) to quickly befriend him and find out more
about the event. Thrown together due to circumstance, the two
initially fail to get on, but soon a bond is formed that sees
them through a few hair-raising moments. As Long gets to know
more about Lee and his innocence in the situation, he feels
the pressures of his double-life increase and his loyalties
divided. The truth is in danger of forcing its way out though
as Big Mad is closing in on the pair, intent on getting hold
of his ill-gotten gains and avenging his loss of face.
An
over-used plot is recycled once more with the predictable
ambiguity of friendship once more taking place. The twists and
turns have also been seen in a whole series of other films
about undercover cops and so the film offers few surprises.
What does make the film a slightly above-average one is the
two worthy performances of Chow Sing Chi and notably Chan Hui
Man; both leads are more than adequate in roles which were in
danger of becoming over-familiar. The developing relationship
between cop and crook is handled well by director Parkman Wong
who allows the film to move along briskly. 'The Unmatchable
Match' is a good example of an unremarkable synopsis getting
better as the film takes hold. For a pre-comedy Chow Sing Chi
vehicle, this is nothing for the Cantonese superstar to be
ashamed of.
Rating:
 
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