ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602260003
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: It came from the video store
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO
This week, video goes international with a new release from Hong Kong, an older Taiwanese-American production, another from Canada and a far-flung martial arts flick. A little traveling music, please...
OK, the title lacks a certain grace, but "Organized Crime & Triad Bureau" is the best Hong Kong action import since John Woo's "Hard Boiled." Comparisons between Woo and director Kirk Wong may not be completely fair, but the filmmakers do have similar styles and they certainly know how to spin an entertaining yarn. If this film is representative of his other work, Wong takes a more lyrical and somewhat less violent approach to crime stories. He can also create moments of incredible beauty, many of those involving rain or water.
The good guys here are a squad of cops led by Inspector Lee (Danny Lee, featured in Woo's "The Killer"). He's relentless in his pursuit of gangster Tung (Anthony Wong) who has a highly placed informer in the ranks of the police. Lee's toothless superiors are almost as bad. The film is structured as a chase, with Lee on the trail of Tung and his mistress Cindy (Cecillia Yip), but it's not a simple story.
Wong moves back and forth in time without losing any of his narrative drive, and despite the fast pace, he takes time to develop his characters. These are not simple stereotypes. The relationship between Tung and Cindy is so complicated that they become surprisingly sympathetic characters.
Perhaps a more useful comparison is a recent theatrical release. Take Michael Mann's "Heat," crank up the speed about three times and give it a great ending. That's "Organized Crime..." It's due in stores on March 11.
To anyone who's seen Ang Lee's "The Wedding Banquet" or "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman," his first feature, "Pushing Hands," will be instantly familiar. He's handling the same themes and conflicts, and his star is the graceful, gray-haired Sihung Lung, who was so effective in the other two films.
In "Pushing Hands" he plays Mr. Chu, a retired tai chi master who moves from Beijing to the home of his son Alex (Bo Z. Wang) in suburban New York. It's left to Alex's wife Martha (Deb Snyder) to take care of the non-English-speaking Chu during the day while she's trying to work on her novel.
The house is small and, in a deft introduction, Martha and Chu are presented as two people sharing the same physical space but who are, in all other respects, poles apart.
Chu's presence does disrupt the family, but his own problems go deeper. His Taoist goal is to attain "carefree nothingness," and he finds himself moving farther and farther away from that as he haltingly adapts to life in America. Lee's story builds to an inevitable confrontation. It's so carefully constructed that when the moment arrives, viewers will understand and identify with the emotions and actions of all three people involved.
That's the mark of a good family story. It's not about heroes and villains. These are sympathetic characters who are trying to work their way through the same problems we all face. The film was made on a limited budget, so it's not as polished as Lee's more recent work, including "Sense and Sensibility." But Sihung Lung has a confident, crowd-pleasing charm not unlike Paul Newman, and his performance is the key to the film's success.
"Northern Passage," a well-meaning Canadian wilderness adventure, is fair entertainment for kids, but most adults will probably be put off by the standard-issue production values and cardboard characters.
The central story is about young Nepeese (Neve Campbell) and the wolf-dog she befriends. Lorne Brass is the wicked Taggart who wants to buy her daddy's land and to marry her; Jeff Fahey is the hero. The forest looks great and so do the animals, but the film is so grainy, they're less effective than they might have been. Scenic outdoor videos have to look good enough to pull you into their stories. This one doesn't.
Finally, we have "Spitfire," a larky little Bond spoof starring gymnast Kristie Phillips as - natch - a gymnast who has the missing microdisc with the secret launch codes that a bunch of semi-comical spies are after. Veteran Albert Pyun directed the globetrotting tale. He made sure that he got lots of local color and energetic action sequences. With her physical grace and athleticism, Phillips could have a real future in action films.
Next week: Video love stories!
Have a question about home video or film? Contact Mike Mayo at P.O. Box 2491; Roanoke, Va. 24010, or by email at 75331.2603compuserve.com.
THE ESSENTIALS
Organized Crime & Triad Bureau *** 1/2 91 min. Tai Seng Video. Unrated, contains strong language (subtitled), violence, some sexual material.
Pushing Hands *** Triboro. 100 min. Unrated, contains some strong language (partially subtitled) and mild martial arts violence.
Northern Passage * 1/2 Vidmark. 96 min. Rated PG-13 for violence, brief long-distance nudity.
Spitfire ** Vidmark. 95 min. Rated R for violence, strong language, brief nudity.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 linesby CNB