R E V I E W

Sharp Guns

Mei Ah  |  2001  |  86 minutes
Directed by Billy Tang Hin Shing
Written by Felix Chong Man Keung and Cary Cheng

With Alex Fong, Ken Chang, Anya

B A C K G R O U N D
director, in cinemas, recent and related films

Billy Tang Hin Shing probably secured his reputation with the nasty Cat III thriller Run and Kill in 1993. He's also directed films like Street Angels, Sexy and Dangerous, and Dial D for Demons. Co-writer Felix Chong Man Keung also wrote Tokyo Raiders, Gen-Y Cops, and Final Romance. Co-writer Cary Cheng (AKA Jeng Kim Fung) has written four other low-budget features, including Tang's previous film, Raped by an Angel 5: The Final Judgment.

The film was released in Hong Kong cinemas in September 2001.

M O V I E

plot
The daughter of Macau mob boss Ban has been kidnapped. Ban calls in his old friend Tricky On from Holland to find her. On hires two assistants: the sharpshooter Wood and the deadly assassin Rain. They track down the girl, and discover deceit and danger along the way.

performances
Alex Fong is the epitome of cool as On. He's completely relaxed and utterly confident. Ken Chang displays a good sense of timing as Wood (much of the time he's around for comic relief). It's unfair and sexist to reduce a performance to what an actress is wearing, but it's hard to avoid the stereotypes when Anya as Rain makes her first appearance in a red leather jacket, yellow midriff-baring halter top, and low-slung, snug red pants. Mostly she's just nasty -- not much acting ability, perhaps, but I was too distracted to notice.

Lee Wai-Sheung did not have much to do as Kangaroo, the driver that Rain brings into the gang. Lam Lap-Sum was suitably bad as Ban; Wan Tin-Chiu played Ban's assistant, Leo; Lok Tat-Wah did well as the hapless Lau, Leo's assistant; Danny Summer portrayed the gangster Sergeant; Wong Hop-Hei was the frustrated cop Cook; Chan Ho was George, who provided assistance to On; and Po Sai-Yee was the kidnapped daughter.

production
Maybe it comes from watching too many romantic comedies and sensitive dramas emanating this year from Hong Kong, but I really liked the very simple action and clever script of Sharp Guns. Billy Tang provides plenty of stylish direction, but he also knows when to hold back and let scenes play out. The film has a superb sense of pace and the forward momentum never slackens. That means the characters are given short shrift and the film does not rise above its b-movie origins. But when the twists and turns are handled so expertly and knowingly (without making the tongue-in-cheek conceits too obvious), it seems petty to complain.

This is a crowd-pleaser that evidently didn't find much of an audience upon its release in cinemas. Was it blitzed by its competition (La Brassiere and Funeral March) or simply ignored because it appeared to be 'just another triad action movie'? Probably a little of both. Still, it has charm and jazzy punch and humor and Alex Fong in a powder blue suit (perhaps an homage to a certain Japanese cinematic assassin from the 1960's?). Not to mention Rain's outfits…

Ma Yuk-Shing (The East is Red, Big Bullet) choreographed the action scenes. The DVD credits Wai Kai-Leung as director of photography, although the HKMDB credits Tony Mui King Fai (Billy Tang's last two films). One and the same person? Cheuk Man-Yiu provided the art direction (the settings are very colorful indeed), Choi Hung (many many films) was the editor, and Tommy Wai Kai-Leung (Bullets Over Summer, Time and Tide) composed the enjoyable musical score.

rating
Category IIB for profanity and plenty of bloody violence (gun shots, knife trauma, and the like).

D V D

look
The letterboxed presentation is very good. Surprisingly for a Mei Ah release, the colors are sharp and vibrant, and the black tones are deep. The source print is extremely clean.

sound
The DD 2.0 Cantonese audio track sounded open and dynamic. A true DD 5.1 soundtrack would have been more satisfying for a film stuffed with so much action. The dialogue was post-synched. Also included is a DD 2.0 Mandarin dub.

subtitles
The white removable English subtitles are easy to read and well timed, although littered with numerous misspellings (along the lines of "quite" for "quiet"). Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

features
Nine chapters can be selected from a still-frame menu. The "databank" consists of a brief synopsis and cast and crew listing. The disk is not time-coded.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
buy, rent, or pass?

Buy. A crackling good Saturday night B-movie of the highest order. Not to oversell it, but, uh, miss it at your peril.

(Reviewed 12/06/01)

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