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First
Option |
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review | awards | availability | |
Michael Wong rides into battle |
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Year: |
1996 |
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Director: |
Gordon
Chan Car-Seung |
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Writer: |
Chan
Hing-Kai |
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Action: |
Bruce
Law Lai-Yin |
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Cast: |
Michael
Wong Mun-Tak, Gigi
Leung Wing-Kei, Damian
Lau Chung-Yun |
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The
Skinny: |
Exceptionally
well-mounted action drama that crumbles beneath a poor script
and questionable acting. Michael Wong was nominated for Best
Actor for this film, which could qualify as a possible sign
of the Apocalypse. |
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Review
by Kozo: |
This popular prequel to Gordon Chan’s Final Option
finds Michael Wong as Mike Wong, the SDU captain who’s a damn
man at his job. Despite psychiatric evaluations to the negative,
he’s the ideal leader for an SDU squad linked to the Customs
Department as part of a special task force. Their mission:
apprehend nasty drug dealers, led by the “Ice Queen.” Mike
is teamed with Gigi Leung, who’s so wooden in her role as
customs cop Minnie that she threatens to snap like a matchstick.
Despite their clashes, the two learn to understand each other,
but not before things get bad.
The Caucasian actors in this
flick are a step up on Jackie Chan movies because they’re
halfway decent and not embarrassingly bad. Michael Wong actually
shows some presence (despite his usual English/Cantonese acting)
and Gordon Chan provides his usual capable direction. The
action sequences are decent and the story feels authentic.
Still, the whole exercise is shot at the end when they’ve
captured the turncoat bad guy and Mike actually says to Minnie,
“He was seduced by the dark side.” Bwah hah hah hah!! Lacking
a soul, this film succeeds at being mildly entertaining. A
lot of Hong Kong people like this movie, but its appeal eludes
me. It's actually pretty awful, when you think about it. (Kozo
1996) |
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Awards: |
16th Annual
Hong Kong Film Awards
• Nomination - Best Actor (Michael
Wong Mun-Tak)
• Nomination - Best Editing (Chan Kei-Hop)
3rd Annual Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
• Winner - Best Director (Gordon
Chan Car-Seung)[tie]
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Availability: |
DVD
(Hong Kong)
Region 0 NTSC
Mega Star/Media Asia
Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks
Dolby Digital 5.1
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles |
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image
courtesy of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society
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Copyright ©2002-2017 Ross Chen
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