Hot War (1999)

Director: Jingle Ma

Producer: Jackie Chan

Cast: Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan, Kelly Chen

Running Time: 93 min.

Plot: Two CIA researchers undergo VR Fighter training, a project they had been working on, in order to save a kidnapped colleague. The training is designed to change an unskilled agent into a magnificent combat agent.

REEFER'S REVIEW: Stories about regular people being transformed into something extraordinary are always intriging to me. Maybe it goes back to childhood fantasies about having super powers and fighting crime. In order to rescue a kidnapped colleague, CIA research agents Tango and C. S. (Cheng and Chan) decide to take part in an experiment that will do just that.

The training sequences show the agents wearing VR masks and participating in drills with guns that look like expensive video games. They learn martial arts and combat tactics in the same way.

Alien, the international terrorist, is the kidnapper they are hunting. Played by Terrence Lin in a dopey-looking blonde wig, Alien possesses all the charisma and screen presence of a JC Penny clothes mannequin. He constantly smirks and delivers his lines (mostly in English) like he really doesn't understand what he is saying. Maybe his irritating characterization isn't exactly a bad thing for a villain. Afterall, whenever he was onscreen, I did want to punch him in the face.

Unfortunately, the story soon abandons the VR Fighter premise and turns the film into a study of CIA betrayal but not a very good one. The film too quickly accepts them as combat agents and dismisses the idea that they were ever normal scientists. The VR Fighter training portion of the film could almost be lifted from the movie without causing any story problems in the end.

The action scenes are really the redeeming factor here. Director Jingle Ma (love that name) put together some very tight and thrilling sequences for this movie. There are several shootouts that are definitely Woo-influenced, but are not rip-offs. Plus, some hand-to-hand combat scenes that are perfectly choreographed to fit the actor's abilities. It would be a mistake to double the actors in favor of complex roundhouse kicks and gravity defying mayhem.

Finally, let me say that this film has made me a Jordan Chan fan. His performance as the revenge-seeking C. S. is a highlight even though the overall movie has some major flaws. His battle on a raft against scuba divers with harpoon guns and circling jet skis is simply hard to forget. The shootout in the skyscraper is also exciting. He conveys the perfect mixture of rage and intensity in all his scenes. I will look for more good things from him in the future.

REEFER'S RATING: 6/10

KLOTERA'S REVIEW: This is a stylish sci-fi adventure that has many things going for it and many things that detract from it. It is a very interesting story about the use of subliminal signals to "suggest" things to people. An interesting idea, and no surprise that in the movie, its the CIA who has their hands all over this stuff (its always the CIA, isn't it?). They also make use of VR technology with these subliminals to train agents. I should mention, though, that despite the VR and its depiction in previews and descriptions, this is not a "Matrix-y" movie and the VR training is only one small part of the film. So those looking for that should look elsewhere, those looking to avoid that don't have to dismiss this film.

The film is directed by Jingle Ma, so you know it is gonna be stylish and have some spiffy camera effects and such. It doesn't go crazy with the effects, like in Tokyo Raiders, but is still similarly stylish. One unfortunate aspect, though, is much of the acting. First of all, all the white actors are just god-awful. I mean, real bad. Second, some of the English dialgoue (of which there is a lot) from the Chinese characters comes out very stiff. While Kelly Chen handles hers reasonably, you need the damn subtitles to catch what Ekin is saying in English. I should also note, for those that might be picking up the DVD, the sound quality on the DVD doesn't help. Dialogue sounds like its coming through a tin can and bullet shots have zero impact.

Anyway, proceeding onward. The story itself is a mixed bad, too. I actually could rate the first half and the second half of the film differently. The first half of the film is okay. It sets up the story, but really drags at times. I personally was afraid it would be a boring film at times. But, once we hit the sequence where Ekin and Jordan go to rescue Kelly (screw it, I'm using their real names), the film picks up. Not just because of the action, but it is after this that we see more character come through. I don't want to give anything away, but there are some major events that will hit you like a brick and you see the characters deal with these events. By the end of the film, I was quite satisfied and, in particular, the last scene really makes the film. We see a monologue from Kelly Chen (the context of which, I will not reveal) and it drives home the characters and relationships and makes the situation at the end of the film have an impact on the viewer.

Action itself is pretty solid, although not particularly memorable. Ekin is no Jet Li or Donnie Yen, but he gets the job done for this film. The action is fast paced and Jingle Ma's stylish touch adds that extra air of excitement to the action. The one thing that was a drawback in my experience, was, again, the poor sound of the DVD which made punches, kicks, and bullet shots lose almost all their impact.

It's hard to say who will and won't like this film. Some people are going to hate it. I personally, found it flawed but was fully entertained by the end of the film. Give it a shot, is all I can say.

KLOTERA'S RATING: 7/10 (6/10 for the first part and 8/10 for the second part, if I could break it up).