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Capsule Reviews

Hong Kong Bronx    (2008)
A talented cast cannot save this generic genre title from falling below even mediocre standards due to an under-developed script, muddled directing, bad special FX, and no worthwhile outcome. It’s unfortunate because if it had been fashioned from the right creative mould, this could have at least been an entertaining new chapter in the triad / gangster genre and, while not contributing anything new, would have provided a simple but stylish popcorn movie. Unfortunately, Hong Kong Bronx falls below even this standard, making it a disappointing outing from a team of people who are capable of far better.

The story follows Neil (Jordan Chan), an ex-gang boss who has recently been released from an eight-year prison sentence. Upon arriving home, he has vowed to take care of his two younger sisters and lead a clean and law-abiding life. Along with his best friend, Fai (Timmy Hung, Sammo Hung’s kid), a former brother in the triad who has also gone clean, they slowly develop a renovation company, dreaming of success through legitimate business and looking forward to the quiet life ahead. At the same time, Johnnie (Ricky Chan), an up-and-coming local gang boss, attempts to demonstrate his tough hand in order to sway the triad elders to vote for him as leader in the forthcoming election. One method he adopts is to intimidate, bully and generally make life miserable for Neil, who had previously been highly respected in the triad prior to his prison sentence. He‘s now passive and uninvolved and will not retaliate against Johnnie’s actions. A secondary plot follows Neil’s sisters becoming involved with the gang element in their new high school, which acts as an ironic reminder every time Neil attempts to discipline them, as they throw his criminal past right back in his face. A parallel story shows the dilemmas of a local working class man (Kenny Wong) whose girlfriend has a gambling addiction and is deeply in debt to Johnnie and his associates. He also has a son who is bullied at the same school that Neil’s daughters attend, and is subsequently bullied into becoming a low-level errand boy for the local gang. Eventually these stories collide, entirely as a result of Johnnie’s sadistic and evil ways and so a heap of category III content builds into a highly predictable revenge partnership between Jordan Chan and Kenny Wong.

As one could easily tell from the plot, this is hardly the most original or ground-breaking concept put together under this done-to-death genre. There are countless examples in other films that show even without deep content or innovative ideas, the simplest execution can still hit all the right buttons with fans of the genre. The main problem with Hong Kong Bronx is that it tries to be too many different things at once and doesn’t successfully engage with any of them at all. The opening credits and subsequent action scenes later in the film use anime-style action slides interspersed with the real action of the live actors. This appears a little too close to the introduction sequence in Young and Dangerous, but even in that example, was not over-done as it was here. The action scenes in Hong Kong Bronx are cartoonishly violent, with CGI blood spraying in every direction – some of the gratuitously over-the-top execution highlights include Jordan Chan cutting off a gangster’s head with a homemade sword, hacking off someone’s arm which flies at a group of screaming girls, and cutting someone in half, straight down from head to waist. What is unclear for the majority of these scenes is how seriously an audience is meant to take all this. For scenes such as these, which feature a pounding rock soundtrack playing over this comical blood-splattering retribution, a darker, more comedic tone would seem obvious. Yet there are other scenes involving rape and child violence that are treated with sentimental slow-motion camera work and sad, orchestral music. In short, the film switches between fast-paced pop promo, dark gangster thriller and category III exploitation picture. This lack of distinction in the style and target audience, more than anything else, seems to suggest an indecisive approach as to the type of film the creative minds were trying to put together.

Without doubt, Jordan Chan is the centrepiece for the film, but even he is far from being at his best. Then again, a better project would undoubtedly serve him better, and for those who have seen him in recent titles such as Escape From Hong Kong Island and Wo Hu, he is clearly one of the most versatile young actors today. This fact further emphasises how he is unfortunately let down here. The only other actor who demonstrates some degree of charisma in this film is Ricky Chan, who manages to turn in a loathsome performance as Johnnie, an exceptionally evil villain. He is a relatively new actor but seems to have the look and acting style to take him far. Despite other notable faces appearing elsewhere, including Kenny Wong and Wong Tin Lam as a triad elder, the lack of any real direction in the story and the underwritten script don’t allow a great deal of substance or development to take place. The best portions of dialogue are found in the light-hearted, humorous banter that takes place between the two ex-criminal friends, played by Jordan Chan and Timmy Hung. Unfortunately; this alone cannot save a title which feels like it was created by a team of first-time amateurs.

Arguably, director Billy Chung would do far better to strip an old-fashioned genre down to its bare-bones and expose the key elements of the formula, rather than blow it up into something as loud and over-the-top as to resemble a 90-minute music video rather than a feature film. Fans of both the triad genre and any individual herein are advised to avoid Hong Kong Bronx as it contributes nothing worthwhile in either innovation or entertainment. Substantially better work can be found elsewhere on the filmographies of anyone involved with this film.
Mike Fury 10/22/2008 - top

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 10/22/2008 Mike Fury

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