Kai San is an amoral man with a short fuse whose main interest in life is sex.
This is a very simple character and the whole film revolves around him, so you can guess what the other characters are like.
But there is no big need for character development here, for this is an exploitation film through and through. Expect to see plenty of bloody murders, vomitting, gore, urination, detached body parts, animal carcasses - you name it.
Yet this is no Cannibal Holocaust. It's a silly movie that only takes itself seriously enough to set up a "straight" scene for the next hilariously outrageous scene. The director is well-aware of this and directed it in a quick and active style, reminiscent of Kung Fu movies.
Moreover, the choice of making it span continents and long periods of time makes the film more interesting in grand than if it just took place in a single locale. Kai goes from Hong Kong to South Africa and back. As such I would classify this as an Exploitation Epic.
There's clearly some social commentary in the film. While I can't say it's deep or broadly symbolic, I would say it does it better than most other Chinese films (at least those that are wont to be exported and consumed outside of China). Chinese kung fu or gangster films tend to involve grandiose but often unrelatable themes, such as revenge for honor, family feuds, or self-sacrifice.
Here we have a working man (mostly a poorly paid line cook) who's frustrated over many mundane and relatable grievances in his life. He's poor. Men of higher wealth or social status disrespect him. The female characters in the film either disrespect him or let him down. He not only witnesses but experiences racism from white society.
I'm not saying his actions are justified or that he's a sympathetic character, mind you. I solely say that this is a more humanized and relatable character from Chinese cinema than what we're used to getting from the likes of, say, Jackie Chan, whose characters, even when they're just cooks or delivery boys, have magical martial arts powers, boundless positivity, and unwavering luck that makes everything turn out well from them in the end.
Honourable Mentions: Falling Down (1993) about a frustrated racist white guy who blows a fuse and goes on a rampage.
This is a very simple character and the whole film revolves around him, so you can guess what the other characters are like.
But there is no big need for character development here, for this is an exploitation film through and through. Expect to see plenty of bloody murders, vomitting, gore, urination, detached body parts, animal carcasses - you name it.
Yet this is no Cannibal Holocaust. It's a silly movie that only takes itself seriously enough to set up a "straight" scene for the next hilariously outrageous scene. The director is well-aware of this and directed it in a quick and active style, reminiscent of Kung Fu movies.
Moreover, the choice of making it span continents and long periods of time makes the film more interesting in grand than if it just took place in a single locale. Kai goes from Hong Kong to South Africa and back. As such I would classify this as an Exploitation Epic.
There's clearly some social commentary in the film. While I can't say it's deep or broadly symbolic, I would say it does it better than most other Chinese films (at least those that are wont to be exported and consumed outside of China). Chinese kung fu or gangster films tend to involve grandiose but often unrelatable themes, such as revenge for honor, family feuds, or self-sacrifice.
Here we have a working man (mostly a poorly paid line cook) who's frustrated over many mundane and relatable grievances in his life. He's poor. Men of higher wealth or social status disrespect him. The female characters in the film either disrespect him or let him down. He not only witnesses but experiences racism from white society.
I'm not saying his actions are justified or that he's a sympathetic character, mind you. I solely say that this is a more humanized and relatable character from Chinese cinema than what we're used to getting from the likes of, say, Jackie Chan, whose characters, even when they're just cooks or delivery boys, have magical martial arts powers, boundless positivity, and unwavering luck that makes everything turn out well from them in the end.
Honourable Mentions: Falling Down (1993) about a frustrated racist white guy who blows a fuse and goes on a rampage.