“The Adventurers” Chinese VCD Cover
Director: Ringo Lam
Writer: Ringo Lam, Sandy Shaw
Cast: Andy Lau, Rosamund Kwan, Wu Chien Lien, David Chiang, Paul Chun Pui, Philip Ko Fei, Nam Yin, William Ho Ka Kui, Georges Kee Cheung, Four Tse Liu Shut, Ron Yuan, Victor Wong Chi Keung
Running Time: 109 min.
By Mighty Peking Man
The story should have been simple, but Ringo Lam’s The Adventurers has a plot that’s a convoluted cluster-f*ck to the max. As many unnecessary twists and turns it has, it was very easy to follow, but way too feeble to appreciate. They could have made 3 or 4 separate movies from everything they cobbled together (heck, 20 minutes of it could have been another entry in the Moment of Romance saga). I’m not sure if it was intentional to make a simple “revenge” so long and winding. If it was, they definitely took the wrong approach.
It does have some notable action scenes including: a Rambo-like sequence that has Andy launching some heavy firepower from the helicopter he’s flying (minus Stallone’s trademark yelling) and a more comedic shoot-out that involves a half-naked Wu Chien-Lien lying on top of Andy while he caps off the enemies around and between her legs.
Considering Lam’s impressive filmography and some serious Hong Kong talent, which includes Andy Lau, Rosamund Kwan and the very lovely Wu Chien-Lien, The Adventurers fails. But if you’re in it just for some quick, bloody action as well as some major explosions, then, you can’t go wrong. Just don’t expect that gritty, raw, realistic, intense sh*t we’ve known to love in a Ringo Lam film.
By the way, I have no idea why they call this film The Adventurers – perhaps, that’s the title they should have gave Ringo and his film crew for being so “adventurous” while making it.
Mighty Peking Man’s Rating: 5.5/10
