Mubi Monday: Shanghai Blues (1984)

It's 1937. War is beginning. One man (Kenny Bee) decides to leave his performing arts job to become a soldier, but he still has a joyful meeting with a woman (Sylvia Chang) as they shelter together under a bridge during an attack on Shanghai. They agree to reunite in ten years, which will be proof of their commitment to one another. Life has other plans though, of course, and Shanghai Blues shows us the struggle as these two try to reconnect, often not realising their close proximity to one another. And things are further complicated by another young woman (Sally Yeh) who takes a shine to our male lead.

Directed by the legendary Tsui Hark, who has an eclectic filmography full of superb hits and fun misses, Shanghai Blues is a strange blend of melodrama and slapstick moments. The comedy sequence generally don't work, although I am saying that as someone who has never warmed to the particular style of comedy often found in films from Hong Kong and China, but there's a light touch throughout that proves to be surprisingly effective as it allows viewers to watch things play out with the feeling that things don't have to end in disaster. 

Writers Chan Koon-Chung, Szeto Cheuk-Hon, and Raymond To work together well, each one apparently bringing their own "specialty" to the mix (romance, action, and comedy) to craft something well-paced, full of energy, and jumping from one comedic beat to the next. While I should note that this is not an action film, it has a number of individual moments and elements that make use of choreography and threat in line with some action movie set-pieces, not least of which is the returning soldier who is there to step in when a young woman is being harassed by grabby potential rapists.

Bee, Chang, and Yeh all do well in their roles, although they're hampered by a screenplay that forces them to remain oblivious to crucial developments until everything is set up for the big finale. There are a number of other characters revolving around, and affecting, our leads, but they always feel like nothing more than temporary roadblocks to be moved out of the way by the third act.

The 103-minute runtime helps, as do the score and cinematography. It may be far from perfect, but this is a romantic drama that feels lush and grandiose throughout, as well as being well-balanced between moments of peril and a feeling of safety and cosiness. If you don't mind the particular style of comedy displayed in numerous scenes then you'll like it a lot more than I did, but I can still say that I had a good enough time with this, thanks mainly to the likability of the leads and the fun and frantic events unfolding around them to ensure that things don't go smoothly en route to a fine romance.

6/10

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June-Claude Van Damme: Knock Off (1998)

Knock Off doesn't know what it wants to be. That is the first problem it has. It also pairs Jean-Claude Van Damme up with Rob Schneider. That is the second problem. The fact that the action sequences aren't all that good doesn't help either.

Here's the plot. In fact, no. The plot is so cringe-inducing and risible that I can't bring myself to detail it here. Let's just say that Schneider and Van Damme run a business that sell knock off jeans and they get involved in a scheme that involves the CIA, murder, treachery, and dangerous jeans that have been laced with powerful explosives. Yes, this is a film based around exploding jeans.

Director Tsui Hark obviously thought that he could put things together in a way that would recreate the messy fun of Double Team but he ends up misfiring. There's one pretty good action sequence at about the halfway mark, the rest of the film is a damp squib. Visually ugly, never as amusing as it thinks it is, and lacking any character that you could care for.

Writer Steven E. de Souza should take a large portion of the blame. His script is consistently awful from start to finish. Not only does it lack decent dialogue and characterisation, it devolves into an utter mess after the first 20 minutes or so. It's hard to believe that this is penned by the man who gave us so many other modern action classics.

Van Damme flashes his smile here but it feels, in line with the film, lazy and insincere. He's selling a screen presence that isn't there, sadly. As for Schneider, I won't automatically dismiss him from movies because I don't mind him in the right role. This isn't the right role. Nobody here is in a role that feels right for them, not even Paul Sorvino as a stern CIA agent, and that's the kind of thing that Sorvino could probably do in his sleep. Wyman Wong does okay with his small role, and Lela Rochon tries her best, but this is not a film designed to showcase the talents of the actors involved.

If you want to see one action movie about exploding jeans then I can heartily recommend this as being the film for you. Otherwise, avoid it at all costs. It's STILL not the worst film in the Van Damme filmography (that one is still to come, from the many I have already seen) but it's definitely a contender.

2/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can pick up this pack.

June-Claude Van Damme: Double Team (1997)

There are so many things that you could mention about Double Team that would (correction = SHOULD) make me nod in agreement with you as we conclude that it's a fairly terrible film. Let's face it, just the fact that it pairs Jean-Claude Van Damme up with Dennis Rodman gives you enough ammunition, and that's just the sprinkling of hundreds and thousands on top of this action comedy knickerbocker glory.

Van Damme plays an anti-terrorist agent named Jack Quinn, a man reluctantly brought back into duty when an elusive criminal named Stavros (Mickey Rourke) reappears and starts to cause no small amount of trouble. Things go sideways, a child dies, and Quinn is knocked out in an explosion. He comes to in a facilty named "The Colony", he's informed that his pregnant wife has been told that he is dead, and he also finds out that the place is nearly impossible to escape from. So he escapes. Which leads him to Dennis Rodman, a handy dealer in dangerous goods who might be the key to helping him track down Stavros and putting an end to his criminal plans.

Although they might not be the best people to watch onscreen, Double Team has one hell of a cast. As well as Van Damme, Rourke, and Rodman, you also get Paul Freeman as a fellow agent/"guest" at The Colony. And, well, those are the only names worth mentioning, I suppose, but what other film can you say features that particular quartet of actors? AND features a scene that has JCVD delivering a sidekick to a tiger? No other film delivers such goodness.

Written by Don Jakoby and Paul Mones, this is enjoyably over the top from start (with Van Damme driving a huge truck through a building as we see him end a successful mission) to finish (a showdown that involves that tiger, a motorbike, and a number of mines). It mixes in elements of James Bond, some buddy comedy moments, and a very entertaining turn from Rourke as the crazy villain.

Tsui Hark may not want to remind anyone that he directed this but he's got nothing to be ashamed of. Okay, I hated this the first time I watched it. I somehow ended up revisiting it and ended up not hating it. Now I quite like it for what it is. Nobody involved is taking things too seriously, with the possible exception of Rourke, and it rattles along at a cracking pace to ensure viewers are never bored.

I still think that someone - anyone - else in the Rodman role could have improved things, and I would have relished the thought of seeing Van Damme interact with someone more naturally funny or cool (imagine if this had been made with a quirky performance from Nicolas Cage in place of Rodman - GOLD), but I am going to be one of the few people nowadays who doesn't think that this is deserving of half of the disdain it seemed to receive when released back in 1997. It's a fun, disposable, action flick.

6/10

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