cityonfire.com | Killers from Beijing

	Killers from Beijing "Bowie Lau crafts a swift, good looking, no brainer, time waster in the vain of the early 90's heroic bloodshed pics." - Gwailo Killers from Beijing (2000) Director: Bowie Lau Bo Yin Producer: Lee Siu-Kei Cast: Patrick Tam Yiu-Man, Chin Kar Lok, Michael Tong Man-Lung, Duen Wai Lun, Ma Tak Chung, Ho Ka-Kui, Wai Lit, Samuel Leung (Cheuk Moon), Man Chung Han Running Time: 91 min. Plot: A rascal discovers that his wife and his "big brother" are having an affair. He pretends to be ignorant of the situation, while at the same time hiring four killers from the mainland to set up them up. After completing their task, the killers from Beijing soon find the man who hired them has betrayed them and they must stay together and fight their way out of Hong Kong. Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com Reviews GWAILO'S REVIEW: Chick (Joe Ma) makes it home one afternoon to find his slutty wife in the sack with his Dai lo. Seething, he is then ordered by his Dai lo to trek to the mainland and hire mercenaries to 'fix' a botched gangland matter. Chick obeys, finds his patsy's and flips the script, planning his boss' demise. Chick's killers are four ex-Chinese Army soldiers Cat, Wing, Mui Choi, and Pigskin (Patrick Tam, Chin Kar Lok, Michael Tong, and William Duen respectively). All four are having a heck of a time adjusting to civilian life because of their former military affiliation with the Chinese government. All are treated like dirt by the society they now inhabit. Respect for their lives is squashed and they begin to feel the pressure. So when Chick arrives with promises of enough money to choke a donkey, seeing no other alternative and contemplating the power of the almighty dollar, they accept the mission. Their subsequent trip to Hong Kong brings about hopes of freedom, which, the film portrays as consumerism. Money makes them go ballistic and there new profession as guns for hire seems natural as they blaze their way through the twists and turns of the Hong Kong underworld in attempts to get back to the mainland. Bowie Lau (Resort Massacre, Electrical Girl) crafts a swift, good looking, no brainer, time waster in the vain of the early 90's heroic bloodshed pics. I'm not quite sure how much heroism is on display but there definitely is a mess of bloodshed; sure signs of good HK entertainment. The performances are uniformly fine and the camerawork is crafty and mobile lending the cliché ridden script vitality. Killers From Beijing is laughable in parts but worth a look. GWAILO'S RATING: 7/10

Killers from Beijing

"Bowie Lau crafts a swift, good looking, no brainer, time waster in the vain of the early 90's heroic bloodshed pics."

- Gwailo

Killers from Beijing (2000)

Director: Bowie Lau Bo Yin

Producer: Lee Siu-Kei

Cast: Patrick Tam Yiu-Man, Chin Kar Lok, Michael Tong Man-Lung, Duen Wai Lun, Ma Tak Chung, Ho Ka-Kui, Wai Lit, Samuel Leung (Cheuk Moon), Man Chung Han

Running Time: 91 min.

Plot: A rascal discovers that his wife and his "big brother" are having an affair. He pretends to be ignorant of the situation, while at the same time hiring four killers from the mainland to set up them up. After completing their task, the killers from Beijing soon find the man who hired them has betrayed them and they must stay together and fight their way out of Hong Kong.

Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com

Reviews

GWAILO'S REVIEW: Chick (Joe Ma) makes it home one afternoon to find his slutty wife in the sack with his Dai lo. Seething, he is then ordered by his Dai lo to trek to the mainland and hire mercenaries to 'fix' a botched gangland matter. Chick obeys, finds his patsy's and flips the script, planning his boss' demise. Chick's killers are four ex-Chinese Army soldiers Cat, Wing, Mui Choi, and Pigskin (Patrick Tam, Chin Kar Lok, Michael Tong, and William Duen respectively). All four are having a heck of a time adjusting to civilian life because of their former military affiliation with the Chinese government. All are treated like dirt by the society they now inhabit. Respect for their lives is squashed and they begin to feel the pressure. So when Chick arrives with promises of enough money to choke a donkey, seeing no other alternative and contemplating the power of the almighty dollar, they accept the mission. Their subsequent trip to Hong Kong brings about hopes of freedom, which, the film portrays as consumerism. Money makes them go ballistic and there new profession as guns for hire seems natural as they blaze their way through the twists and turns of the Hong Kong underworld in attempts to get back to the mainland.

Bowie Lau (Resort Massacre, Electrical Girl) crafts a swift, good looking, no brainer, time waster in the vain of the early 90's heroic bloodshed pics. I'm not quite sure how much heroism is on display but there definitely is a mess of bloodshed; sure signs of good HK entertainment. The performances are uniformly fine and the camerawork is crafty and mobile lending the cliché ridden script vitality. Killers From Beijing is laughable in parts but worth a look.

GWAILO'S RATING: 7/10