Director: Wu Ma
Cast: Yuen Biao, Donnie Yen, Irene Wan Pik-Ha, Lily Lee Lee-Lee, Wu Ma, Lam Wai, Woo Ying-Man, Ken Lo Wai-Kwong, Bey Logan, Yuen Miu, Bei Lou-Kam, Yuen Miu
Running Time: 109 min.
By Paul Bramhall
In 1994 Wu Ma brought together 3 of the best kickers of the era – Yuen Biao, Donnie Yen, and Ken Lo – to feature in the tale of a circus troupe that find themselves looking for a new life, after their travelling show is blown away by the invading Japanese forces in 1942. This all takes place in the opening minutes, which consist of an extended circus acrobatics routine (prominently featuring Biao doing his thing), before the big top tent is blown away in an impressive explosion, the kind that makes you weep for the CGI explosions that dominate current HK cinema. The movie in question is the decidedly bland sounding Circus Kids (seriously, out of all the Hong Kong movies distributors re-titled for their western release, they chose this one to stick with the direct translation!), however the blandness of the title is sadly nothing compared to the movie itself.
For a second in the mid-90’s it looked like Wu Ma and Yuen Biao were going to become a successful director and star pairing. They made Kickboxer together in 1993, a Once Upon a Time in China inspired tale that pacified Biao’s grievance at only playing a supporting role in Tsui Hark’s 1991 masterpiece, so when they reunited the following year for Circus Kids it seemed like a cause for celebration. However by 1994 it was clear Biao’s popularity was on the wane, and while he would feature opposite Brigitte Lin in the wuxia Deadful Melody the same year, the following year he was reduced to featuring Continue reading
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