Burning Ambition (1988) Yukari Oshima, Simon Yam, Kara Wai
3968DVD
A
Brilliant Cast in a Smart Martial Arts Actioner
Original Chinese Title:
LUNG CHI CHANG AN [Dragon's Fight For Supremacy]
Also known as THE DRAGONS and ANGEL'S RETURN
director: Frankie Chan
starring: Eddy Ko · Yukari Oshima · Simon Yam · Kara Wai · Frankie Chan
· Roy Chiao
This
is Frankie Chan's unofficial remake of the Kinji Fukasaku/Sonny Chiba
film SHOGUN'S SAMURAI. The setting is modern day Hong Kong with
Triad gangsters battling each other for control, instead of the familiar
samurai motif.
At an elaborate dinner, a Triad boss announces his successor. He by-passes
his oldest irresponsible son Wai for the levelheaded younger brother
Hwa. Moments later, as the group leaves the restaurant, the boss is
killed in a drive-by shooting (secretly orchestrated by his ambitious
brother Hsiong). This causes a major rift in the family with Hsiong
and the 'rightful' heir on one side and the widow with younger Hwa on
the other. Two daughters and an exiled son also join the battle as it
escalates into a family war.
Action
and martial arts does not take a backseat despite the character-driven
narrative. It is spread evenly throughout the film, complementing the
plot. The excellent choreography (by Fung Hak-On) allows for a variety
of skilled fighters to shine. But the best segment belongs to the dynamite
duo of Yukari Oshima and Kara Hui as they fight barefooted on broken
glass against in a relentless army of goons in a parking garage.
A Hong Kong/Chinese
production with English and Chinese subtitles;
widescreen format (16:9), 97 minutes, encoded for ALL REGION NTSC,
playable on any American machine.
Extras include trailers. Yukari * Oshima