Original Hong Kong Title: LIE PAO XIANG DONG
[Lies to the East]
director: Ridley Tsui with Ishii Hisatoshi
starring: Jade Leung · Yukari Oshima · Roy Cheung · Rongguang Yu · Jimmy Lung Fong
A Hong
Kong female police squad investigates a criminal organization with ties
to a powerful Triad family in the Philippines. This is a hidden gem
among the ton of actioners released during the explosion of Hong Kong's
golden age of cinema, an explosion that brought International notoriety
to some but buried many others in the shear outpour of product. It was
shot mostly in the Philippines by filmmaker Ridley Tsui who also shared
the director's chair with Yukari * Oshima's personal Japanese action trainer
Ishii Hisatoshi.
The
villain, Fang Kuo Ho, is played by legendary stuntman-turned-actor Wah
Yuen, a man who has appeared in almost 200 films since his debut as
Bruce Lee's stunt-double in CHINESE
CONNECTION (1972). Over the years,
he has made movies with all the greats - from Jackie Chan to Sammo Hung,
Donnie Yen to Stephen Chow - but he's probably best known for his roles
in DRAGON
SQUAD, HERO,
and, of course, his tour de forceKUNG
FU HUSTLE. For PANTHER HUNTING, Wah Yuen
plays the villainous role to the hilt, chewing up every scene with his
cigar- chomping enthusiasm.
But obviously the main attraction is the double star power of the two
female leads. Jade Leung receives top HK billing here due to the popularity
of her BLACK
CAT series, but she has also thrilled genre enthusiasts with
other projects including Ivan Lai's PEEPING
TOM, DANGER
ZONE and PHANTOM
OF SNAKE. Ms Leung is currently working in Beijing as Jay Leung
Jing (SPECIAL
FEMALE FORCE).
Her
co-star, Japanese Yukari Oshima [born Yukari Tsumura, December 31 1963]
decided to be a stuntwoman at an early age. She joined Sonny Chiba's
JAC (Japan Action Club) in 1980. Some minor roles in Japanese TV followed
but Yukari was disappointed with the Industry's glass ceiling. She changed
her name Tsumura to Oshima and relocated in Hong Kong for a small part
in Sammo Hung's Shanghai Express (1986).
That marked the beginning of her acting career, resulting in another
25+ projects (including KUNG
FU WONDER CHILD, IRON
ANGELS, DEVIL
GIRL 18, RIKKI-O
and DREAMING
THE REALITY) and a high-profile marriage to actor Mark Cheng.
After a messy divorce five years later, Ms Oshima moved to the Philippines
where she established herself as Cynthia Luster and made another 20+
films, including this one. She has since gone into semi-retirement,
now residing in her hometown of Fukuoka, Japan. Ms Oshima is actively
involved in television advertising to promote tourism for her city.
A Hong Kong/Filipino
film with English and Chinese subtitles; fullscreen format (4:3),
92 minutes, encoded for ALL REGION NTSC, playable on any American machine.
Extras include original selected trailers.
Graphic Violence/Sexual
Brutality/Diva Gun Action
for Adult Audiences
