Chinese Box was without a doubt, one of the most interesting films I've seen for quite a while. That said, it's not for everyone, and it's the kind of film that I am always surprised to see in a cinema release, because I can see little or no mainstream market for it. Regardless of this the film is worth seeing even if only for the extraordinary performance of Maggie Cheung. Jeremy Irons, as usual, plays Jeremy Irons and Gong Li, from whom we were expecting a virtuoso performance, seems to fade in and out of the background. She does have a few shining moments, but... perhaps it's the role she's been given. Maggie plays a young woman with an unexplained facial scar and a tragic past (which I won't detail,) and she does so with an air of charm and vulnerability, and even leaves us with an impression of genuine innocence. It's hard not to like Maggie, and the film leaves the viewer wanting more. Speilberg has reputedly cast her in Memoirs of a Geisha - in production in 2000. Watch out for HK film veteran Michael Hui (The Private Eyes, Teppanyaki etc.) as the man unable/unwilling to marry Gong Li because of her past.
Reviews
2 Reviews
The Hammer of God
(1970)
Classic old style Chop Socky
15 March 1999
The Chinese Boxer, unsurprisingly bears some similarity to Jimmy Wang Yu's other popular franchises- The One Armed Swordsman and the One Armed Boxer. This time Jimmy takes on the baddies with both arms. It's a simple morality play, he's good, they're bad and after inflicting pain upon him, his family and his village, they're going to have to pay. What makes it so damn entertaining, is the style, and dare I say it, the passion that has gone into it. Ignore the bad dubbing (the Australian version has an atrocious British accented soundtrack) the panning and acanning, and sit back and enjoy a true classic of HK cinema. You'll also enjoy learning traditional Chinese medicine and philospohy in the manner with which it was intended. Take note of the traditional themes of Chinese cinema- Honour, family values, retribution. Listen for the quick sample of one of John Barry's Bond themes in some of the action sequences.
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