Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
George Lazenby | ... | Joshua Stoner | |
Angela Mao | ... | Angela Li Shou-Hua | |
Betty Ting Pei | ... | Agnes Wong Yen-Yen (Guest star) | |
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Ing-Sik Whang | ... | Mr. Big (Guest star) |
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Jôji Takagi | ... | Mr. Chin |
Sammo Kam-Bo Hung | ... | Chen Chin (as Chin-Pao Hung) | |
Lu Chin | ... | Helen | |
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Romanolee Rose | ... | Melanie |
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Samuel J. Peake | ... | Cult Leader |
Wei Yang | ... | Shrine Priest | |
Lan Sun | ... | Gangster (as Luan Sun) | |
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Hsing Chung Hung | ... | Inspector Feng (as Shin-Chung Hung) |
Chi Chu Chin | |||
Wah-Lung Szema | ... | (as Hua-Lung Ssuma) | |
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Chiang Su | ... | Kuan Te-Jen |
Stoner, an Australian cop, has been investigating the spread of a mysterious addictive drug that acts like an aphrodisiac and a hallucenogen on anyone who takes it. When his own sister falls under its influence, he travels to Hong Kong to hunt down the man behind the drug trade, the evil billionaire Mr. Chin. At the same time, a Taiwanese officer has also been sent to stop Chin's drug empire. Together, She and Stoner battle the drug kingpin's dealers and henchmen. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>
...perhaps I ought say "distilled" rather than refined - this film embodies the concentrated essence of the trashy 70s action flick, a heady brew for the irony-poisoned minds of today's trash conisseur's minds (e.g. mine).
"Stoner" (as it was labelled at my local rental store) opens with a shot of an urbanely smug 'Asian drug lord' kicking back in his office. The walls are all red, his desk perpetually rotates, and there's a big map on the wall covered in flashing lights. The mere shock of the decor alone sets the tone for the remainder of the movie - jerky fight scenes, needless sexploitation, and pornstar swaggering all drenched in polyester and enveloped in a funky soundtrack punctuated with some very strange moog.
Needless to say, it's hilarious. George Lazenby, incidentally, proves himself pretty useless throughout the film, both in-character and out-. The real star is Angela Mao, rolling her eyes about furiously and kicking arse in the surprisingly good final fight scene. I guess George's role was played up for Western release so we'd have a strutting, obnoxious white guy to relate to.