Wonder Seven (Qi jin gang, 1994)
Ching Siu Tung
Hong Kong
90 mins, color, Cantonese (English subtitles)
You think you've seen it all? Think again. Ever seen a helicopter brought down? Yeah? With an exploding elevator? Didn't think so. Ever wanted to see Michelle Yeoh wear clothing that is ultra groovy but not the least bit practical? Even wondered where they stole from all the slick bike stunts in TOMORROW NEVER DIES? Wondered whether Michelle Yeoh could possibly look any better on one of the bikes? Ever seen tons of bad guys, who look like exact clones of each other, get mowed down while shooting a hail of blanks at the invincible heroes? Well, I know you have, but this is always fun. Ever wondered about how stupid a plot could become before it ruins a film? You will, and the film that will bring it to you: WONDER SEVEN.
I take that back. You won't find out about the plot thing. It can apparently sink pretty low but the film is still fine. What is it with the number 7? Here's another take on the classic story. Take seven people, give each some special powers (that they could yell out during the stunts and increase the cheese factor tenfold), then kill off at least one, wound several badly, spice with romance and unlikely suspense, don't forget the requisite lunatic evil guy, and you have the basic ingredients of an average film that has been done to death. Add cool stunts, and you have an average film that has been done to a near death experience. This time, the seven are top secret Chinese undercover agents. They bust criminals in Hong Kong but things go wrong during their latest mission and they become simultaneous targets of internal investigation and disgruntled mafia workers. A bunch of fights and explosions later... you get the idea.
There are two quirks to the story. First, they added a female heroine, Hilary Tsui, to the group of seven. I haven't seen her anywhere else, but I sure liked her performance here. Obviously, it does not hurt that she's a looker. Second, Michelle started out on the wrong side but, having been attracted to Fei (Li Ning), switched sides in a hurry. The problem with Michelle is that she's too good to be bad. I did not believe she was bad from the very beginning. This ruins the suspense a bit (ha-ha-ha). The protagonist Fei, on the other hand, is a loser. Maybe he is a great gymnast, but so what? First he shot (accidentally) one of his buddies. Then he fell for the enemy. Then he continued to fall for the enemy. Finally, he could not hold a candle to his teacher (the larger-than-life, wearing-shades-at-night, bald, cool, and deadly Coach). Why did Michelle like him? It's the script bit, you know. She had to. No choice.
The stunts, as mentioned, are incredible, but what else would you expect from a Ching Sui Tung film? Story? What really ruined it for me, was the overindulgence in slow motion shots during the action scenes. There were just too many of those. If the director is not careful, they can become boring, distracting, and annoying. Since they disrupt the pace, he needs to be even more careful. But whoever thought Tung could do anything in moderation is a moron. So, as usual, his film bounces wildly between the two extremes: great entertainment and amateurish cinematography. The wide angle lenses don't help either. They should ban those in Hong Kong.
The Universe DVD is crummy. The picture is washed out, there is a lot of ghosting, and the sound is uneven. Mercifully, there isn't much pixelation, but with the blurred images, the consolation is hollow. The English subs were at their usual hilarious best, with misspellings, funny word choices, and absolute nonsense at times. There's really nothing to recommend, except neat action, gorgeous Michelle Yeoh, and classic stunts all over the place. The soundtrack sucked big time.
April 25, 2001. BLS