cityonfire.com | Leopard Hunting

	Leopard Hunting "Leopard Hunting's minimal action keeps it from being a classic and is probably why you haven't heard of it." - Gwailo Leopard Hunting (1998) Director: Lam Chin Wai Producer: Chung Wai Shing Writer: Lam Chin Wai , Lam Wa Fan Cast: Jade Leung Chang , Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung, Yuen Wah, Yu Rong Guang, Oshima Kali, Chung Faat , Chow Yuen Miu Running Time: ? Plot: See Gwailo's review below. Reviews GWAILO'S REVIEW: As the Asian stockmarket begins to tumble, patriarch Yuen Wah decides it's time to close up shop. Bringing his 'financial' team together, which includes butt-kicking sons Roy Cheung and Yu Rong-guang, to access the fresh damages the market has spanked his company with, they decide to try and persevere against a group of businessman who want to buy them out. To do so they need to borrow a large wad of cash to make a counter offer. Wah employs help from his gwailo friend Karl, also head of a big company. Karl's company is involved in the low down and in exchange for the $, Yuen and co. must help captured colleagues caught by Interpol, retrieve a cd-rom and a prototype narcotic in one of the prisoners possession and break into a Japanese bank that's withholding money from his company. Of course badass bros. Roy and Yu are up to the task and this turns out to be a good excuse for some decent action scenes. Now that we have some kick ass villains, a police force is for hire. In come the best officers from various Asian Interpol(Japan, Hong Kong, manila, etc.): dubbed "Leopard Hunters". A cool aspect to LH is that most of our Interpol gun-totters are women- a nod to 'gals-with-guns' action films. What sounds like a corker, though, quickly changes gears. The film becomes one big setup to the finale-nary an action scene. After the films half hour mark, it takes another half hour off from any type of explosions in favor of garbage exposition. Leopard Hunting is a star stacked action production that misses the mark almost entirely. I don't blame Lam Chin-wai's direction, but the script. The script sets itself up for some big action set pieces but wastes them all in a 5 minute montage, leaving the viewer waiting for fireworks that never come. A bunch of missed opportunities and 'what if's' pile up. Included in the newly formed 'super-interpol' are yummy Jade Leung and kicker Yukari Oshima, both almost wasted until the flying fist and feet finale that involves 5 of our Interpol chicks sticking it to Yuen Wah. Don't get me all wrong, the film isn't totally void of action, but considering the action talent involved, it should have been much better. Leopard Hunting's minimal action keeps it from being a classic and is probably why you haven't heard of it. GWAILO'S RATING: 5.5/10

Leopard Hunting

"Leopard Hunting's minimal action keeps it from being a classic and is probably why you haven't heard of it."

- Gwailo

Leopard Hunting (1998)

Director: Lam Chin Wai

Producer: Chung Wai Shing

Writer: Lam Chin Wai , Lam Wa Fan

Cast: Jade Leung Chang , Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung, Yuen Wah, Yu Rong Guang, Oshima Kali, Chung Faat , Chow Yuen Miu

Running Time: ?

Plot: See Gwailo's review below.

Reviews

GWAILO'S REVIEW: As the Asian stockmarket begins to tumble, patriarch Yuen Wah decides it's time to close up shop. Bringing his 'financial' team together, which includes butt-kicking sons Roy Cheung and Yu Rong-guang, to access the fresh damages the market has spanked his company with, they decide to try and persevere against a group of businessman who want to buy them out. To do so they need to borrow a large wad of cash to make a counter offer. Wah employs help from his gwailo friend Karl, also head of a big company. Karl's company is involved in the low down and in exchange for the $, Yuen and co. must help captured colleagues caught by Interpol, retrieve a cd-rom and a prototype narcotic in one of the prisoners possession and break into a Japanese bank that's withholding money from his company. Of course badass bros. Roy and Yu are up to the task and this turns out to be a good excuse for some decent action scenes. Now that we have some kick ass villains, a police force is for hire. In come the best officers from various Asian Interpol(Japan, Hong Kong, manila, etc.): dubbed "Leopard Hunters".

A cool aspect to LH is that most of our Interpol gun-totters are women- a nod to 'gals-with-guns' action films. What sounds like a corker, though, quickly changes gears. The film becomes one big setup to the finale-nary an action scene. After the films half hour mark, it takes another half hour off from any type of explosions in favor of garbage exposition. Leopard Hunting is a star stacked action production that misses the mark almost entirely. I don't blame Lam Chin-wai's direction, but the script. The script sets itself up for some big action set pieces but wastes them all in a 5 minute montage, leaving the viewer waiting for fireworks that never come. A bunch of missed opportunities and 'what if's' pile up. Included in the newly formed 'super-interpol' are yummy Jade Leung and kicker Yukari Oshima, both almost wasted until the flying fist and feet finale that involves 5 of our Interpol chicks sticking it to Yuen Wah. Don't get me all wrong, the film isn't totally void of action, but considering the action talent involved, it should have been much better. Leopard Hunting's minimal action keeps it from being a classic and is probably why you haven't heard of it.

GWAILO'S RATING: 5.5/10