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Review
by Kozo: |
In the latest HK attempt at big-budget action filmmaking,
director Teddy Chan (Downtown Torpedoes) brings us
something unheard of: a story. Purple Storm tells the
tale of Todd (Daniel Wu), a Khmer Rouge terrorist working
for legendary evil bastard Soong (Kam Kwok-Leung). Soong’s
plan is to wipe out much of Southeast Asia with a lethal poison
which, when seeded into the rain clouds, will liquefy people
in a bloody purplish-red mess (hence the title Purple Storm).
Soong’s plan goes awry when Todd
is injured, gets amnesia, and is promptly captured by HK’s
anti-terrorist unit. Headed by a dour and surprisingly effective
Emil Chow, the HK do-gooders go the morally questionable route
of brainwashing Todd. They give him a new identity and a new
past as an undercover working for the government. Joan Chen
makes a dubbed and welcome appearance as Todd’s psychologist,
who takes it upon herself to make Todd not just an effective
undercover, but a good person to boot. That’s the key to Todd’s
eventual path, and the saving grace of this effective action
thriller.
In comparison to its predecessors Gen-X Cops and Downtown Torpedoes, Purple
Storm relies far less on pop-star good looks and in-your-face
attitude. Most of the actors play against type with surprising
effectiveness. Emil Chow and Josie Ho are particularly good,
and Daniel Wu manages to carry the film decently. The action
from ace Stephen Tung is up-to-standard, but somewhat sporadic.
There is far more plot and narrative than one would expect
from an HK action film, but it makes the film better if not
more palatable to mass audiences. Ultimately this is an event
picture that succeeds at being far more well-rounded than
one would expect for a Hong Kong film. (Kozo 2000) |
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