Reviewed by Daniel Rutledge
Watching a film like this really hammers home the beauty of watching films made in a culture completely different from our own, especially one with a film industry as thriving as Hong Kong’s.
The weird, action-packed genre mash-up that is City Under Siege simply would not be made in Hollywood. Well at least not with the megastars, huge budget and earnest intentions this Far East gem possesses.
The Hong Kong film industry is stronger than ever and this, its latest offering, features superstar Aaron Kwok, the HK Tom Cruise. We get to enjoy it at the same time it opens in its homeland which is pretty special and makes Aucklanders very lucky indeed.
It’s about a small group of people who are infected with biological weapons the Japanese left in Malaysia in WWII, turning them into super strong mutants. Heading to Hong Kong, they form a gang of criminals the police are simply unable to stop.
But Sunny might be able to.
Sunny, played by Kwok, was also infected, but is only half mutant and fights for the power of good, not the power of evil.
He gets help from Angel, a struggling journalist who becomes his love interest, and two police superhuman specialists from mainland China, and together they try to stop the menacing mutant squad.
There’s action – the fight scenes and set-pieces are truly epic and most of them are filled with state-of-the-art CG effects and eye-popping stunts.
There’s comedy – including one long scene where Sunny is bloated into a huge fatty.
There’s drama – when characters die, other characters cry over them, there's emotional flashbacks accompanied by sentimental music and shameless tuggings at your heartstrings.
There’s romance – Sunny and Angel’s love story is quite heart-warming, despite the craziness going on around them.
There are life lessons – about exploiting others for your own fame and gain and being true to yourself.
This sounds like typical comic book movie fare, but is far from it. The Hong Kong sensibilities imbuing the whole thing make it a unique and rather insane cinematic experience.
Some of the special effects were actually a little disappointing at the beginning of the film, but rest assured the many action scenes that follow more than deliver.
If you rarely watch a Hong Kong film and want to see how different they can be, this is a great place to start. It’s far from a perfect film but it’s very entertaining, especially on the big screen.
Three stars.
This film is playing at the 2010 Hong Kong Film Festival.
City Under Siege
:: Director: Benny Chan
:: Starring: Aaron Kwok, Jacky Wu, Shu Qi, Jing Chu Zhang
:: Running Time: 90 mins
:: Rating: TBC
:: Trailer: Watch here
