Four, The (2012) Review

“The Four” Theatrical Poster

Director: Gordon Chan
Co-director: Janet Chun
Cast: Colin Chou, Ronald Cheng Chung Kei, Crystal Liu Yi Fei, Anthony Wong, Sheren Tang Shui Man, Deng Chao, Jiang Yiyan, Waise Lee Chi Hung, Cheng Taishen, Bao Bei Er, Ryu Kohata, Michael Tong, Wu Xiubo
Running Time: 117 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Back in 2012 director Gordon Chan decided that China needed its own superhero franchise, the result of which saw the release of The Four, which he’d co-direct with Janet Chun. The timing was understandable, and with the burgeoning Marvel Universe still in its relative infancy (The Avengers would be released the same year), it was the X-Men that frequently got brought up whenever a comparison was called for. In fairness the proposition was an attractive one – like its western comic-book counterparts, The Four’s origins lie in a series of wuxia novels published in the 1970’s by Woon Swee Oan, and similarly this isn’t the first time for them to be adapted for the screen (with the most well-known being the 1984 ATV series, The Undercover Agents, which featured Bruce Leung).

It is the first time for them to be re-imagined with superpowers though, and with a cinema going audience that was being charmed by the output of what we now call Phase 1 of the MCU, it there was ever a time to make a superpowered wuxia then 2012 was probably it. The wuxia setting was a smart movie, since local audiences at the time were likely still reeling from 2010’s City Under Siege, the late Benny Chan’s attempt to make a contemporary set superhero flick involving Aaron Kwok as an inflatable clown and a latex covered Collin Chou. Gordon Chan must have found Chou’s performance to be a forgivable one though, since he’s back in action as one of The Four of the title, playing a character named Iron Hands, who can emit power blasts from his palms and create forcefields.

Joining Chou is his Forbidden Kingdom co-star Crystal Liu, here still several years away from being cast as the titular Mulan in Disney’s 2020 live-action remake. Liu plays Emotionless which, while it’s a cheap shot, is also the best way to describe her performance. Her wheelchair bound constable switches the original novels character from male to female, and here she’s basically a wuxia version of the X-Men’s Charles Xavier. Able to read peoples intentions with her mind and control objects with telepathy, the one thing Liu has over her counterpart (apart from hair) is the companionship of a CGI bird called Skywings (who she’s able to see through the eyes of when its inflight). Both members of the Divine Constabulary who are led by Anthony Wong (Infernal Affairs, The Untold Story 2), at one point he explains “Emotionless analyses our cases and directs our investigations, and Iron Hands has connections all over the underworld.”

Looking to recruit two other members, they eventually come in the form of Ronald Cheng (Special ID, Sifu vs. Vampire) who plays Life Snatcher, although his only power seems to be the ability to leap and run across rooftops, as we curiously never get to see any abilities that could explain his character’s name. Last up is Deng Chao (The Mermaid, Shadow) who gets the most superhero-esque name with Coldblood, and is essentially the teams Hulk, turning into a bulked up, fang toothed monstrosity whenever someone makes him angry. Chao’s presence also explains the decision to make the character of Emotionless a female one, since it allows for a romantic sub-plot to develop as Chao becomes quietly smitten with Liu, and of course thanks to her powers, you better believe she knows it.

I say sub-plot, but in reality an overwhelming amount of the unnecessarily long runtime (which clocks in just shy of 2 hours) is dedicated to the pining glances of Chao and Liu as if it’s the most important aspect of The Four. Allegedly it’s not, with the real plot supposedly about the dastardly villain played by Wu Xiubo (The Assassins, Sky Hunter), who’s flooding the market with counterfeit money while simultaneously harvesting the “soulreaper orchard” to create an army of frosted, slime covered undead to get rid of the Prince. The Divine Constabulary should be all over the case, however they also have to contend with another crime solving team in the form of Department Six, led in the field by Jiang Yi-Yan (Reign of Assassins, Sword Master). It turns out Chao also used to work for Department Six, and he and Ji-Yan used to have a bit of a thing going on.

While Chao probably expected transferring wouldn’t be a big deal, the fact that the Divine Constabularies existence is only known to a few rattles Department Six’s main man, the amusingly named Sheriff King played by Cheng Taishen (Drug War, Line Walker), who becomes determined to undermine them. In fact he becomes so blinkered to orchestrating their downfall, he fails to realise that his own team’s constable Ji-Yan is actually in cahoots with the big bad Xiubo. What does this all mean? Well, if the way the narrative plays out is anything to go by the biggest question is who will Chao ultimately end up with? Is it the traitorous Yi-Yan, who Liu constantly tries to warn her team about, only for it to fall on deaf ears because everyone just thinks she’s jealous. Or will it be Liu, who may have realised her feelings for Chao when it’s already too late? Love triangles, the number one cause of unnecessary complexity.

I’ve always considered Gordon Chan a hit and miss director, with many of his most well-regarded productions remembered for almost everything apart from the direction. In his films with Stephen Chow (Fight Back to School 1 and 2, King of Beggars) it’s his stars comedic talent. In his Jackie Chan vehicles (Thunderbolt, The Medallion) its, well, Jackie Chan, and in Fist of Legend it’s the pairing of Jet Li and Yuen Woo-Ping’s action choreography. He still has some solid work under his belt, like Beast Cops and 2000 A.D., however here there’s a distinct feeling that too much has been left underbaked. It’s a cool concept to give The Four superpowers, but where exactly did they get them from? We don’t even get so much as a throwaway line to explain why they have these special gifts that nobody else has. Perhaps the biggest crime that The Four commits though, is that it’s actually quite boring.

As much as the inspiration may have come from superhero movies, there’s also a distinct feeling that The Four wouldn’t exist where it not for the success of Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame from a couple of years prior. However Chan has neither Hark’s grasp of creating an engaging mystery or the visual flair, so instead the plot just kinds of plods along in the most pedestrian way imaginable. Chan misses a pretty fundamental element in the fact that, for the audience to be engaged in solving a mystery, we need to be kept in the dark as much as the characters are onscreen. But instead it’s revealed who the villains are and what they’re up to far too early, meaning that when The Four catch up to what we know a lot later, we’ve already been twiddling our thumbs for an hour.

That leaves the action to pick up the slack, which is choreographed by frequent Yuen Clan collaborator Ku Huen-Chiu, here coming off the back of helming the fight choreography on the previous year’s wuxia 14 Blades. While serviceable most of the fights fail to get the adrenaline pumping, and it seems like a wasted opportunity that the only 2 times we see Chao go all Hulk mode are during misunderstandings with characters he’s acquainted with. The action scenes also see more logic defying moments that lack any kind of explanation, such as when Liu suddenly reveals she can float around while telekinetically controlling a seemingly endless supply of shuriken’s. Although considering I’m a fan of Once a Thief perhaps I really shouldn’t complain about wheelchair related plot devices.

The Four is one of those productions that has all the right ingredients to create an entertaining slice of popcorn cinema, however ultimately it takes itself far too seriously, spending more time on love triangles than it does on superpowered wuxia constables battling legions of kung-fu powered undead. At one point a character tells Liu, “Real love doesn’t need you to do anything”, and if you’re thinking of what to do if you’re still tempted to check out The Four, I’d give you the same advice.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4/10