The Twins Effect (2003)

It's a high-kicking battle on the dark side when an ace vampire slayer and his beautiful sidekicks wage the ultimate martial-arts showdown with one of the most dangerous of the undead.

Director:

Dante Lam

Writers:

Wai Lun Ng (screenplay) (as Jack Ng), Hing-Ka Chan (screenplay) (as Chang Hing Kai)

Stars:

Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong

10 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ekin Cheng	...	Reeve
Josie Ho	...	Lila
Mickey Hardt	...	Duke Dekotes
Edison Chen	...	Kazaf
Anthony Chau-Sang Wong	...	Prada
Mandy Chiang	...	Momoko
Chapman To	...	Man Keung
Charlene Choi	...	Helen
Gillian Chung	...	Gypsy
Jackie Chan	...	Jackie Fong
Spencer Lam	...	Jackie's Father
Tat-Ming Cheung	...	Jackie's Best Man
Karen Mok	...	Ivy
Matt Chow	...	Matt
Maggie Lau	...	Nurse Maggie

Storyline

It's a high-kicking battle on the dark side when an ace vampire slayer and his beautiful sidekicks wage the ultimate martial-arts showdown with one of the most dangerous of the undead.

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Plot Keywords:

showdown | vampire | martial arts | beret | combat | 

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Taglines:

A new age of darkness is dawning

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the final scene when Gypsy and Helen are fighting Duke Dekotes, Helen gets hit by the Duke's mechanical claw. When Helen falls down, there are three scratches on her stomach. When she stands up, the scratches are gone.

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Alternate Versions

The Region 2 UK DVD is cut by five minutes this includes:

• A short fight sequence between Reeve and Helen in which she tries to borrow some money from him
• A short dialogue scene between Prada and Miss Momoko in which Prada tries to bite her only to have her think he is trying to seduce her ending in her falling for him.
• A moment when Kasaf sticks his hand in a beam of sun light only to have it burnt.
• The cut fight sequence and the scene with Prada and Miss Momoko are shown during the end credits along with some out takes from co-star Jackie Chan.

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Connections

References Amélie (2001)

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Soundtracks

Change, Change, Change
Composed and arranged by Kwong Wing Chan
Lyrics by Xi Lin
Performed by Jackie Chan, and Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung as The Twins
OP Click Music Limited / EEG Music Publishing Limited
SP Music Nation Publishing Co. Limited

User Reviews

A pretty tight, entertaining martial arts film.

I think a strength of this film is that it never takes itself too seriously. The subject matter is fairly dark, a love "square" revolving around a Vampire Hunter, his new assistant, his sister, and a vampire prince who is being hunted by his fellows so that a vampire lord may ascend and become a daywalker.

The love story between the Sister and the Prince is cute and touching at times. He falls for her instantly, and pursues her with vigilance and charm, not falling on the very clichéd vampire seduction. How does a girl resist a guy who risks his life just to see her during the day?

The movie does a good job foreshadowing the action. The hunters use an equalizer that quickly plays into the Hunter/Assistant relationship. The story shows us right away what the girls are capable of with a hilarious fight over a stuffed bear. Even Jackie Chan's bit part ends up being more than a cameo, as his characters reappears to help the heroes out.

The choreography was refreshing to me. I watched "Hero" recently, and while the story was excellent, the fights were laughable with people spinning around in the air like they just had a major stumble in zero gravity. In Vampire Effect the action ranges from, car chases, tug a war with a stuffed bear, a tight roof top chase with capoeria involved, an excellent all out brawl between the girls and the legions of vampires, and extensive use of grappling techniques which I rarely see in movies.

The use of caucasian actors for most of the vampires was clever, it fit into the plot as these type of beasts were supposed to be from out of town. They also looked tall, pale, and alien against the mostly Asian cast.

If you like good choreography, a bit of angst, and a nice dose of humor. I would recommend it. Don't expect Hero.

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Release Date:

24 June 2003 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Vampire Effect

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,804,916

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG), Goldpeak, Million Channel Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1