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E D I T O R I A L
Thursday, April 19: A Tale of Three Directors
The earliest connection I could find between Sammo Hung and Tsui Hark was 1983. Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain came out that year; it was directed by Tsui Hark and featured Sammo Hung in a small supporting role. Two years later, Yes, Madam! was released; the film was made by Sammo Hung's production company and featured Tsui Hark as an actor in a small supporting role. The next time they worked together (as far as I can tell from examining the invaluable resource HKMDB) was in late 1996 and early 1997, when Hung directed and Tsui produced Once Upon a Time in China and America (OUATIC VI).
Tsui's first credit as a producer, however, came about a year after the release of Yes, Madam! - A Better Tomorrow. That film sparked the stagnant directorial career of John Woo to life. Reportedly, Woo wanted to make a prequel to the story, but Tsui wanted to focus on different characters. The generally poor result (A Better Tomorrow II, released in December 1997) also may reflect the two filmmakers' fighting over the editing.
More details can be found (among other places) at the excellent hardboiled.de site.
The Killer was released in July 1989 and grossed HK $18 million. The success of the film evidently exacerbated the differences between the two men, as each wanted the bulk of the credit. Tsui decided to make the next film in the ABT series himself, and Woo moved on with his partner Terence Chang. A Better Tomorrow III was released in October 1989 and grossed HK $18.4 million.
What's fascinating to me is that ABT III seems to be made in the style of John Woo! The style is especially noticeable in the excessive use of slow motion, but also in the choreography of the gun battles. The quick pace of the editing is also similar to ABT I & II and The Killer. (As a whole, the film is not on the same level as Bullet in the Head; on the other hand, the strong role for Anita Mui is entirely typical of Tsui and missing from Woo's canon.) Of course, one of the bones of contention between the two was the editing of the first two ABT films. So who was more responsible, Woo or Tsui?
Woo is in danger of becoming a parody of himself. Consider his American output: the briskly paced and entertaining Hard Target and Broken Arrow led to the sometimes overwrought and generally ridiculous Face/Off (with, it must be admitted, some genuinely touching moments, but also egregious overacting by both Nicholas Cage and John Travolta) and the turgid and bloated excesses of Mission: Impossible 2 (a film I am guilty of overpraising upon its initial release). And let's simply shake our heads in wonder (was he doing someone a favor?) that Woo left his name on the truly wretched Canadian television films Once a Thief and Blackjack. Comparing the past decade's worth of movies from both Woo and Tsui (whose career is not exactly mistake-free), I conclude that Tsui helped Woo improve his style. Woo had a couple of stories to tell - and what great stories they were - and then ran out of ideas. He is now apparently content to direct blockbuster action movies for American studios. There's nothing morally evil about that. He still displays a bit of style and flourish, and if his success encourages viewers to seek out the work of other HK filmmakers, so much the better. If he ever again makes a movie as poetically beautiful and emotionally moving as A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, or Bullet in the Head, it will be a shock, but a pleasant one.
On the other hand, I think Tsui Hark is entirely capable of making another great movie. He's done it too many times in too many different genres in the past to think that he's finished creatively - no matter how many mixed reviews I read of his latest, Time and Tide!
Getting back to Sammo Hung, the point I wanted to make is that, like Tsui Hark, he was faced with the task of making the latest film in a series whose creative signature had been forged by another director. In Tsui's case, it was John Woo; in Hung's case, it was Tsui Hark.
The first three films in the Once Upon a Time in China series were incredibly well received by audiences and critics alike. Jet Li, however, did not return for the fourth or fifth films, which had greatly diminished box office returns. Tsui Hark had returned to helm OUATIC V, but that still didn't help. Tsui let the franchise lay dormant for a couple of years, then brought in Sammo Hung as both director and action choreographer. Jet Li also returned as the legendary Wong Fei Hung.
The resultant film, Once Upon a Time in China and America, is wildly uneven but also madly entertaining in a goofy, b-movie sort of way. Hung's directorial style remained his own - the camera often veers crazily, whiplash fashion, not cutting within a scene, following the action. Rather than trying to imitate the first three films' style in an attempt to repeat their success, Hung seemed to do it his own way, with little apparent interference from Tsui (who can be seen on the set and occasionally consulting with Hung in the "making of" feature on the DVD). OUATIC VI was released in February 1997 and grossed HK $30 million. No doubt Jet Li's return to the role that made him a star was the main selling point.
Is there a moral to this story? No. I just wanted to talk about these three directors . . .
As long as I've mentioned Jet Li, I also saw his last HK film, Hitman. I liked it way more than I should. It's really not that good, story-wise or action-wise, but I liked the humorous tone and the interplay between Li and Eric Tsang, as well as Simon Lam's performance. I recommend it as a low-priority rental. The more I see of Jet Li, the more I like him; the sad thing is that I'm running out of movies to see!
If time allows, I'll post my reviews of Option Zero and Hit Team later today or tomorrow. In brief, Option Zero was excellent and is a recommended purchase; Hit Team was less successful but is worth a rental (unless you have an aversion to weapon-worshipping movies).
I also watched First Option (run-of-the-mill action, distinguished by its jungle-like setting in the latter scenes) and Beast Cops (extremely brutal, bloody, and memorable, with a great performance by Anthony Wong). Both are recommended as rentals; Beast Cops may be a purchase possibility but it's more of a (harrowing) drama than an action film.
Please feel free to e-mail me your comments, whether positive or negative.
peter
Editor / Reviewer / Webmaster
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Supermodels of the HK Film World (4/12/01)
What are you prepared to do? (4/6/01)
Academy Awards Special (3/26/01)
The Price of Success (3/19/01)
Is Jackie Chan Still the Man? part 1 (3/12/01)
Great Expectations (3/7/01)
In the Mood for Change (2/26/01)
Bronchitis on the Brain (2/12/01)
Hong Kong Sequel Blues (2/5/01)
Better or Best? (1/29/01)
To Dub or Not to Dub (1/22/01)
Scenes From a Fractured Skull (1/15/01)
Year-End Round-Up (1/7/01)
Briefly noted (12/31/00)
Wuxia Fantasies and the Black-and-White Western (12/24/00)
Raiders of the lost heart (12/17/00)
The movie week in review (12/10/00)
Redesigning A Better Tomorrow (12/3/00)
The fantasy begins again (11/26/00)
A return and a shortened work week, hurrah! (11/20/00)
That blasted job! (11/12/00)
Hollywood, Jet, Jackie, Fred, and Gene (11/6/00)
Did you want blood with that? (10/30/00)
Do you like cold pizza? (10/24/00)
Preparing for the Legend (10/16/00)
The pauper must pay (10/10/00)
A visit to Five Star Laser (10/05/00)
A brief vacation (9/25/00)
The editor's plea (8/20/00)
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