The Shootout (1992)

Director: Michael Mak (Dong Git)

Producer: Jackie Chan

Cast: Aaron Kwok (Fu Sing), Fennie Yuen Kit-Ying, Leung Kar Yan, Lau Ching Wan, Elvis Tsui Kam-Kong, Ngai Suet, Yuen King-Tan, On Tak Juen, Ng Ching Mau, Timothy Zao

Running Time: 90 min.

Plot: See Gwailo's review below.

GWAILO'S REVIEW: Wait a minute? A modern day cops and robbers action/comedy produced by Jackie Chan, directed by Michael Mak (Sex and Zen), and starring Lau Ching-wan, Aaron Kwok, Tsui Kam-kong, and Leung Kar-yan! How come i've never heard of it?! Answer: because it's awful.

The plot concerns four police officers (Lau, Kwok, Leung, and Fennie Yuen) tracking down a 'ruthless' gang who heisted $ from an armored car in the films opening action sequence. The next 85 min. constantly runs into walls, spending too much time on uninteresting subplots that embarrass itself and make it drag it's feet. There's also a crappy love story thrown in to make sure nausea coincides with our hatred for the film. Also too many unnecessary scenes played for comedy lending nothing but a twitch in your eject finger. The entire production seems over-produced and underdeveloped. The script by long time Chan collaborator Edward Tang doesn't seem to gel. Maybe it was the filmmaking. Scenes jump from one to the next rather abruptly, making for an uncomfortable, uninvolving watch.

A scene in a karaoke bar where the cops think the baddies are hiding is 15 minutes long and adds nothing to the story. 15 minutes! Nothing happens. Now, a karaoke bar packed with drunk, unsuspecting patrons is an excellent set piece for for flying bullets, boots, and bar stools. Alas, boredom. The bits of dumb comedy don't add anything but awkwardness and are overplayed making the film feel like it may have been written with Chan in mind-Chan smartly passing. The lack of action may also be a reason for Chan declining. Though these scenes are few and far between, they are slam-bang and receive my only praise for the film.

On a technical level, most Michael Mak films are a bit too polished for my tastes, again, pointing to the 'over-production'. His films have a surface gloss about them and lack that sweatyness-or low budgetness- of most HK films. An aspect of the cinema that this film could have used. Substituting for Chan is Aaron Kwok. He tries to illicit the Chan-like comedy, sans the stunt work, that the script writes him, but comes off looking foolish. The only funny scenes are the ones that are unintentional or just crude-Lau Ching-wan's history lesson on AIDS, where we learn that eating canned food breaks down the immune system, thus causing AIDS. He goes on to tell that AIDS was caused by promiscuous gorillas. Gotta love those AIDS jokes! Jeeez.

At the film's end you will be teary eyed, rushing to your DVD player to replace The Shootout with a good film, hoping to strike it from your memory. Needless to say, a lesser film for all involved and better left unheard of.

GWAILO'S RATING: 2.5/10