Red Wolf (1995)

AKA: The Red Wolf; The Red-Wolf

Director: Yuen Woo Ping

Producer: Victor K.O. Yeung, Robin K.W. Yeung

Cast: Kenny Ho (Ga Ging), Christy Chung Lai-Tai, Elaine Lui (Siu Ling), Cho Wing, Ngai Sing, Ng Sin Si, Wu Fung, Mary Hon (Ma Lee), Michael Lai (Siu Tin), Mandy Chan, Tam Suk Mooi, Yuen Cheung Yan, Baan Ma Chai

Running Time: 91 mins.

Plot: A gang of thieves decides to transport stolen uranium aboard a highly populated cruise ship. Only a disgraced security officer (Ho) and a feisty pickpocket (Chung) can save the day.

Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com

REEFER'S REVIEW: After the Bruce Willis action film Die Hard stormed the theaters and be came a monster hit in 1988, films have been constantly sampling its winning recipe. First you take one specialized environment (skyscraper, ice arena, battleship, etc). Add one hero (disgraced or cocky, you choose) and an accomplice for assorted comic relief. Mix in a truckload of bad guys (don't worry about spilling. They are expendable.) and some helpless victims (i.e. cannon fodder). Let it cook for about an hour and a half. Viola! You have yourself a popcorn movie to . . . uh. . . .Dieâ¤|Hard for! (sorry, couldn't resist)

Dumb jokes aside, Red Wolf falls right into the formula and only stumbles during its minor attempts at slapstick comedy. Kenny Ho is more than up to the challenge as Dragon, a security officer trying the thwart the attempts of Ngai Sing, Elaine Liu and their legion thugs from smuggling some uranium off from a cruise ship.

Cruise ship? Uranium? Nevermind. The details don't really matter. What matters is that this widely under-rated, if not totally unknown, 1995 Yuen Woo Ping directed film is just about wall-to-wall action and some of it is quite spectacular. Countless fights are sprinkled throughout, featuring knives, axes, explosives, guns and not least of all fists. A few of the bouts are also pretty creative and involving some decent Gwailo talent. For example, one scuffle takes place in a weight room and makes interesting use of dumb bells and treadmills while another takes place on a well-soaped up floor.

The performances are what you would expect for this genre. Kenny Ho is a likable and physically capable hero which is all you really need here. Christy Chung, while nice to look at, tries her hand broad comedy and ultimately fails. But hey, you can still look at her! Elaine Liu portrays just about the most beautiful sadistic bitch ever put onscreen. Her scenes of torturing and ultimately executing passengers, though cartoonish, are almost difficult to watch. Ngai Sing plays the main bad guy with the relish that made his fight scenes with Jet Li in the Bodyguard From Beijing so effective. By the end of the movie, you really want to see the crap beat out of these two baddies.

Yes, Red Wolf eventually lapses into bad taste by endangering easy targets like children and old people to create tension. Yes, they trade corny threats over walkie talkies. And Yes, the bad guys hire someone to break into a safe that features multiple locks and must announce it to main bad guy every time he breaks one. Furthermore, every time someone is hiding from a bad guy and is about to slip by safely some incredibly unfortunate noise happens (a cell phone, the dropping of an item, a sneeze, etc.). Rest assured, this only happens 5-6 times in a 90 minute film! Corn and cheese nonetheless are required ingredients.

Cartoonish violence. Cool kung fu. Evil bad guys. Good good guys. Needless story. Extra cheese. MMMMMMM . . . still tastes good!

REEFER'S RATING: 7/10