Asian Connection (1995)



	Asian Connection		Return to Review Archive - A
	Year:	1995	Chan Chung-Yung and Danny Lee
	Director:	David Lam Tak-Luk, Yuen Tak
	Producer:	Danny Lee Sau-Yin
	Action:	Yuen Tak
	Cast:	Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Michael Chow Man-Kin, Chan Chung-Yung, Jean Wang Ching-Ying, Jack Gao (Ko Kin), Blacky Ko Sau-Leung, Yi Fan-Wai, Jackson Lau Hok-Yin, Nick Cheung Ka-Fai
	The Skinny:	Danny Lee's usual politics are quieted for this satisfying cop action thriller that takes place mostly in Taiwan.
	Review by Kozo:	This above-average cop actioner succeeds thanks to good characterization and pacing. Danny Lee, the "Man who Plays Cops", and Michael Chow are two HK cops sent to Taiwan after botching a sting operation and losing five million bucks. They’re supposed to get info in Taiwan, but somehow Chow ends up going undercover in the investigation, leaving Lee to haggle with the Taiwanese over his maverick attitudes and questionable crime-fighting methods (as usual, he’s a cop that “breaks all the rules!”). Meanwhile, Chow gets closer to drug kingpin Jack Gao, who has a nasty habit of using knives to kill people. Asian Connection seems to be the latest in a series of HK cop movies advocating police illegalities (i.e. brutality) to achieve justice. As you'd expect from a Danny Lee-produced film, the "right makes might" argument wins hands down. He's able to win over the local Taiwanese with his go-getter attitude and uncompromising results. That's essentially the flaw with all Danny Lee films: never has this guy screwed up with his questionable methods, thus making him invulnerable to criticism. Lee always manages to brutally assault the correct bad guy, so nobody can tell him he's actually a fascist. Politics aside, this film is satisfying entertainment that manages to come off as your typical B-movie actioner. Lee's politics are actually near invisible in this film, as the storyline moves quickly and leaves little time for undue reflection. Both Lee and Chow are surprisingly likable. (Kozo 1996)

		image courtesy of Star Laserdisc Co.
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