MANHATTAN CHASE is technically a Hong Kong movie, though only as much as director Godfrey Ho's previous US-set features HONOR AND GLORY and UNDEFEATABLE are Hong Kong movies. While stylistically similar, MANHATTAN CHASE does not share any of the joyful goofiness that made those films cult classics, and is actually pretty dark. This is Ho's "serious" action-drama, and while substantially better than his worst work, this one scrambles for an average rating. It gets it, mostly due to the scrappy strength of its action content, but I have a hard time recommending this one.
The story: After being released from prison, an ex-gangster (Loren Avedon) finds himself on the opposite side of crime when he becomes involved in a matter of stolen heroin.
A king of unintentional surrealism like Godfrey Ho probably had to restrain himself considerably to film a story as "normal" as this. The closest we get to a taste of his trademark buffoonery is a scene wherein a boy on rollerblades is kidnapped by two thugs, also on rollerblades, and costar Cynthia Rothrock chases after them on a motorized scooter. A ton of poor acting will give cheese-lovers reason to chuckle, but overall, this is clearly supposed to be a serious crime story and I have to admit, I hate it. The depressing portrayal of female characters crosses a boundary of taste. Though Rothrock co-leads and remains as cool as one would expect, the film's world is excessively antagonistic towards women otherwise: if female characters are not being terrorized, assaulted, or murdered with abandon, they're scapegoated for the story's dumb turns. Additionally, minority characters face a fierce rate of mortality. These trends come across as dramatic shorthand for "this is gritty and realistic," but their gratuitousness pushes the film into exploitation territory and tarnishes the viewing experience.
The action content is this feature's saving grace, and a few more additions to the seven full-length fights would probably have pushed this one to a higher score. The filmmakers are clearly working with little more than the skill of the stunt ensemble, and luckily, this is conducive to the Hong Kong-style of action. Coordinator and costar Steve Tartalia does very well in maximizing his resources, and though Avedon and Rothrock have had better fights against flashier opponents, they personally look close to their best, here. A scene wherein Cynthia chases down a couple of purse-snatchers probably could not have been done much better even in Hong Kong in 1986, and a mid-movie brawl between Loren and Tartalia is particularly satisfying. The feature also introduces Roberto Gutierrez to the screen, who has not done any film work since but whose wushu moves are especially eye-catching.
I'm pleased that Loren Avedon is given a chance to flex his acting muscles a bit, even if his Brooklyn accent is as evasive as anything Kevin Costner has ever attempted, but the movie he's in just isn't that great. Fluctuating production values add to the list of detriments chipping away at the film's quality, and even though nothing bearing the name of Godfrey Ho should be regarded with more than modest expectations, this one still falls short. For die-hards, only!
The story: After being released from prison, an ex-gangster (Loren Avedon) finds himself on the opposite side of crime when he becomes involved in a matter of stolen heroin.
A king of unintentional surrealism like Godfrey Ho probably had to restrain himself considerably to film a story as "normal" as this. The closest we get to a taste of his trademark buffoonery is a scene wherein a boy on rollerblades is kidnapped by two thugs, also on rollerblades, and costar Cynthia Rothrock chases after them on a motorized scooter. A ton of poor acting will give cheese-lovers reason to chuckle, but overall, this is clearly supposed to be a serious crime story and I have to admit, I hate it. The depressing portrayal of female characters crosses a boundary of taste. Though Rothrock co-leads and remains as cool as one would expect, the film's world is excessively antagonistic towards women otherwise: if female characters are not being terrorized, assaulted, or murdered with abandon, they're scapegoated for the story's dumb turns. Additionally, minority characters face a fierce rate of mortality. These trends come across as dramatic shorthand for "this is gritty and realistic," but their gratuitousness pushes the film into exploitation territory and tarnishes the viewing experience.
The action content is this feature's saving grace, and a few more additions to the seven full-length fights would probably have pushed this one to a higher score. The filmmakers are clearly working with little more than the skill of the stunt ensemble, and luckily, this is conducive to the Hong Kong-style of action. Coordinator and costar Steve Tartalia does very well in maximizing his resources, and though Avedon and Rothrock have had better fights against flashier opponents, they personally look close to their best, here. A scene wherein Cynthia chases down a couple of purse-snatchers probably could not have been done much better even in Hong Kong in 1986, and a mid-movie brawl between Loren and Tartalia is particularly satisfying. The feature also introduces Roberto Gutierrez to the screen, who has not done any film work since but whose wushu moves are especially eye-catching.
I'm pleased that Loren Avedon is given a chance to flex his acting muscles a bit, even if his Brooklyn accent is as evasive as anything Kevin Costner has ever attempted, but the movie he's in just isn't that great. Fluctuating production values add to the list of detriments chipping away at the film's quality, and even though nothing bearing the name of Godfrey Ho should be regarded with more than modest expectations, this one still falls short. For die-hards, only!