Pik lik feng (1995)

Director:

Gordon Chan

Writers:

Gordon Chan (writer)
Hing-Ka Chan (writer)

Release Date:

5 August 1995 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action

Tagline:

Oddsen kan inte bli mycket högre än så här

Plot:

In order to release his kidnapped sister, sports car mechanic Jackie Chan has to beat a super-criminal street racer.

Plot Keywords:

Car | Mechanic | Street Racing | Kidnapping | Revenge

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Chan Foh To (Alfred Tung in US version)
Anita Yuen	...	Amy Yip
Michael Wong	...	Steve Cannon
Thorsten Nickel	...	Warner 'Cougar' Kaugman
Yuen Chor	...	Foh's father (Alfred's father in US version) (as Yun Chor)
Oi-Yan Wu	...	Dai Mui (Daphne in US version) (as Daisy Wu Oi-Yan)
Chung-Han Man	...	Sai Mui (Sammi in US version)
Yûzô Kayama	...	Coach
Kenya Sawada	...	Saw
Ken Lo	...	Kong (as Houi-Kang Low)
Chi Wah Wong	...	Mr. Lam (as Tze-Wah Wong)
Kar Lok Chin	...	Assistant to Coach (as Ka-Lok Chin)
Corey Yuen	...	The Doctor (as Cory Yuen)
Marie Eguro	...	Miss Kenya (as Mari Eguro)
Kam-Cheong Yung	...	Cheong, mechanic (as Peter Yung Kam-Cheong)

Also Known As:

Thunderbolt (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title) (USA)
Pi li huo (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Finland:K-16 | Australia:MA (2008) | Germany:16 | UK:15 | Spain:13 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

Golden Harvest Company

Trivia:

Because of the injured ankle Chan had sustained in Rumble in the Bronx a year before, a stunt double was used for most of the the fight scenes.

Goofs:

Plot holes: In the beginning of the race, Foh enters the pitlane. Krugman has already passed the pit entry. Foh gets a 30 second penalty, and has to stay in the pit for 1 minute 31 seconds. At 1 minute 15 or so, Krugman comes in, which means he did a very fast lap (q-time was 1:39). During his part of the race, Krugman laps Foh, but Foh is never seen relapping him, while winning the race.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Tuxedo (2002)

Delivers nothing new, but the action is brilliant

Jackie Chan goes back to his roots in this exciting, martial arts, car racing drama. I was kept interested by the film throughout and I rarely got bored due to the adrenaline pumping fight scenes and fairly captivating plot.

Jackie Foh's (Jackie Chan) sister's are kidnapped by a criminal racing driver and Jackie must beat him in a race to get them back. What the plot lacks is intelligence and justification of the ideas. Why did the racing driver kidnap the sister's in the first place? Why does he want to race Jackie? These are things that are never really developed and don't really make much sense. However, what the plot lacks in intricacies it makes up for in intensity and entices the audiences with 'Rocky-esque', uplifting scenes where we see Jackie train to become the best racer there is. It is done in a typical, feel-good way and gets the viewer behind Jackie throughout.

The acting is actually very good and Jackie Chan, Michael Wong and Kar Lok Chin are particularly impressive in their roles as Jackie Foh, Steve Cannon the attorney, and Jackie's racing trainer respectively. However, as usual in Hong Kong films, the Western actors are pretty poor, most notably Cougar (the kidnapper) played by Thorsten Nickel.

As far as the action goes, we see a familiar style reminiscent of Jackie's 'Police Story' days, with some of the best fight scenes you are ever likely to witness, especially a scene where Jackie uses a sledgehammer to fend off his adversaries. The action is presented in such a way where the viewer can actually 'see' what is happening, as a result of clever camera-work, so it is made that more exciting because we know it is real. This is where Chan films always excel; we feel the danger for the character, because we know the stunts are real and not computer generated effects; this adds so much to the exhilaration.

There is not much character development, plot depth or originality, but it achieves to entertain the audience and even at times 'move' them. Definitely a 'must-see' for all Jackie Chan fans and worth taking a look at for those even slightly interested.

A good, exciting, film.

7/10