Young Anddangerous
(GUWAK TSAI TSIYAN TSOI GONGWU) ((HONG KONG))
An Art Top Movie Prods., Jings Prod. production. (International sales: Wong Jings Workshop, H.K.) Produced by Wong Jing. Executive producer, Manfred Wong. Directed by Andrew Lau. Screenplay, Manfred Wong, from a story by Cow Man and Dickey Yau, based on the comic strip Guwak tsai (Triad Kids).
First movie starts with the rise to power of a group of Wanchai street punks led by the cocksure Chan Ho-nam (Cheng Yee-kin). After knocking off a rival hood in a bathhouse, Nam & Co. assume a higher profile in the Hung Hing triad but exacerbate an internal war between their immediate superior, Uncle B (Ng Chi-hung), and a psychotic fellow gang member, Kwan. Kwan discredits Nam during a job in Macau, has him kicked out of the triad, and later deep-sixes Uncle B. Its left to Kwan, hooking up with his old buddies, to teach Kwan a terminal lesson. Second pic opens with Nam marrying his g.f., Smartie (Gigi Lai) , and chewing over old times with his buddy Chicken (Jordan Chan). A 30-minute flashback fills in a period from the first movie when Chicken went off to Taiwan , took up with a triad bosss woman (Chingmy Yau), and rose up through the ranks. Back in the present, Chicken is used by the Taiwanese boss to get to Hung Hing godfather Chiang (Simon Yam), with whom he wants a cross-straits linkup. Meanwhile, Nam, now back in Hung Hing, faces competition from another aggressive colleague, the longhaired, beer-sozzled Tai-fei (Anthony Wong). Though made by virtually identical crews and casts, the two movies are slightly different in feel, with the first (which includes drawings from the original comic strips) far looser and the sequel much more of a cinematic piece. Director-lenser Andrew Lau, best known for shooting the slick buddy-cop movie Curry & Pepper (1990) and helming the darker psychodrama To Live and Die in Tsimshatsui (1994), deliberately ignores the heroic coding familiar from John Woos movies, or the structured setpieces from Ringo Lams, in favor of a style in which street cred and individual charisma are everything. Though 2 is the better movie, it still lacks any kind of sustained tension or sense of character development. And for a film directed by a d.p., it has a surprising lack of visual personality. Cheng makes a handsome lead in both pictures, with a kind of Travolta-ish poise and arrogance, but hes immediately put in the shade whenever more experienced thesps (Yam, Wong) move into view. Of the distaffers, Lai, as his stammering, street-trash g.f., holds her own in the first pic, and Yau turns in one of her patented sex bombs in the second. Tech credits are OK, with 2 the better looking. Derek Elley
Camera (color), Lau; editor, Marco; music, Clarence Hui; art direction, Lee Pik-kwan; associate producer, Cow Man; consultants, Chi Hung, Siu Kay. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival, Sept. 5, 1996. Running time: 99 MIN.
With: Cheng Yee-kin, Jordan Chan, Gigi Lai, Simon Yam, Ng Chun-yung, Ng Chi-hung, Lam Hiu-fung, Michael Tse, Tsu Wing-tong, Chan Sau-yu. (Cantonese dialogue) YOUNG ANDDANGEROUS 2 (GUWAK TSAI YI TSIMANG LUNG GWO GONG) (HONG KONG) A Bob & Partners Co. production. (International sales: Wong Jings Workshop, H.K.) Produced by Manfred Wong, Andrew Lau. Executive producer, Wong. Directed by Andrew Lau. Screenplay, Manfred Wong, Sharon Hui. Camera (color), Lau; editor, Marco; music, Clarence Hui. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival, Sept. 5, 1996. Running time: 100 MIN. With: Cheng Yee-kin, Jordan Chan, Gigi Lai, Anthony Wong, Chingmy Yau, Simon Yam , Ko Shou-liang, Li Chik-lee, Lui Tsan. (Cantonese & Mandarin dialogue) Hip and amoral, and possessed of a raw, FTW-ish energy, these first two entries in the Young and Dangerous series that has set Hong Kong wickets clicking this year are passably enjoyable but lack a strong enough stylistic signature to make much impression in western markets. One of several recent items based on comic strip characters, the series has so far grossed a combined HK$ 63 million ($ 8.2 million) with its three pics to date, as well as a more comedic femme version, Sexy & Dangerous.
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