License to Steal (1990) Review

“License to Steal” Chinese Theatrical Poster

Director: Billy Chan
Writer: Johnny Lee
Cast: Joyce Godenzi, Collin Chou Siu Long, Richard Ng, Yuen Biao, Agnes Aurelio, Lam Chung, Billy Chow, Chui Jing Yat, Michael Dinga, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung
Running Time: 90 min.

By Martin Sandison

One of the most rare Hong Kong movies ever made, License to Steal was given a Laserdisc release back in the day, but never made it on VCD or DVD, even in Hong Kong. I managed to get my hands on a copy converted to DVD some years ago, and relished revisiting it for this review. What’s so ironic about this movie is in a simple stunt at the end of the film a stuntman lost his life, one of the only times in Hong Kong film history – and you can’t even own the film! It’s a shame, because this is classic early 90’s fare, enlivened by superb fight scenes and that anything-goes energy.

Hung (Joyce Godenzi, She Shoots Straight), Hsiao Yen (Alvina Kong, Forbidden City Cop) and Ngan (Agnes Aurelio, She Shoots Straight) are professional thieves whose lives are fraught with danger, but they love living on the edge. When Ngan goes against them and their master, leaving the other two for dead, so begins a deadly game of cat and mouse. Swordsman (Yuen Baio, Knockabout) pops up to help the duo and two cops (Richard Ng, Winners and Sinners, and Collin Chou, Red Wolf) get involved as the plot descends in to OTT silliness.

Interestingly, License to Steal is directed by Billy Chan Lung, whose brother Peter Chan has a cameo. The latter is known for his acting roles in classics such as Prodigal Son and Odd Couple, and was on the receiving end of Bruce Lee’s first explosive kicks in The Big Boss. Billy Chan was also a veteran stuntman and Assistant Action director for such luminaries as Sammo Hung. He directs with a sure hand, and has a knack for characters introductory scenes: Both Yuen Baio and Richard Ng’s are masterclasses of framing and atmosphere. The lighting and compositions are of a high standard throughout the film, especially the action and burglary scenes. It’s a bit odd that Billy Chan didn’t really break through as a director for major productions, seeing as his ability is evident.

Yuen’s character seems to be an extension of the one he played in Dragons Forever, with not as much screen time. His character is from Mainland China, which lends a bit of depth to what otherwise is a very one-dimensional film. There seems to me to be a commentary on the idea of a Mainlander lost in Hong Kong being a country bumpkin, but depicted as a morally upstanding man with great kung fu skills; at once a criticism and a compliment. That his name is Swordsman is no joke, with his old school values like a Wuxia character. Seeing as at the time Hong Kong movies were wildly popular in the Mainland, it keeps both the local and Northern markets happy.

Now to the action: The opening Kendo fight and the end one-on-one between Godenzi and Aurelio are so beautifully crafted that, I’m just gonna say it, they top the face-off between the two in She Shoots Straight. Perhaps that film is better overall than License to Steal, but the action in this movie is top class all the way. Both Godenzi and Aurelio have never looked better, which is interesting as the action director is King Lee. A protege of Lau Kar Leung, with whom he worked on classics such as My Young Auntie, here he proves himself in the same league as that Master. Unfortunately despite working on later films such as Deadful Melody again with Yuen Baio, he never emerged as a top choreographer. Another rematch in the film is between Yuen and Billy Chow (they had previously fought in Dragons Forever), and yes I’m gonna say this too, for pure choreography it tops the scene in Dragons Forever. In fact the last half an hour has endless rewatch-ability. Collin Chou’s form and technique never looked better, as he takes on a bunch of heavies, and we are treated to a match between Yuen and him early in the film. While it’s a bit short, there’s no doubt we are seeing two of the greatest screen fighters go toe to toe.

While Sammo Hung serves as presenter of the movie and has a strange cameo as a Frenchman, that’s about the extent of his involvement. Godenzi was his wife at this point, and coming off the back of two major productions wherein she proved her worth as a screen fighter, it’s a shame she didn’t make many more movies. Especially because her natural aptitude for the art is so obvious; she couldn’t have had a better teacher than Sammo Hung. I was in her company two years ago when I interviewed Sammo, and let me tell you, she has aged well.

While a hell of an entertaining 90 minutes, License to Steal misses out from being an absolute classic because a lot of the humour falls flat (the only laugh out loud moments for me come from bad subtitling, such as “Grimace at her like an onion”), and just how silly the film becomes towards the end, giving credence to the idea that Hong Kong movie scripts at the time were written on the set. The tonal shifts, which become part of the charm of Golden Age Hong Kong cinema, are here jarring because the laughs don’t work and parts of the film are a bit dead when there’s no action going on. However if you’re looking for a film from the left field that contains action up there with the best from its actors, look no further.

Martin Sandison’s Rating: 8/10