The Raid (1991)



	The Raid		Return to Review Archive - R
	Year:	1991	Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung and Joyce Godenzi
	Director:	Ching Siu-Tung
	Producer:	Tsui Hark
	Cast:	Dean Shek Tin, Jacky Cheung Hok-Yau, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Paul Chu Kong, Ching Siu-Tung, Fennie Yuen Kit-Ying, Joyce Godenzi (Ko Lai-Hung), Corey Yuen Kwai
	The Skinny:	Fun wartime action-comedy that's like a cliffhanger serial filtered through Tsui Hark's unique sensibilities.
	Review by Kozo:	This wartime action-comedy from Tsui Hark and Ching Siu-Tung is set in 1930s China during the occupation of Manchuria. Plot: Lt. Mong (Paul Chu) leads a rebel squad to derail some poison gas, but he gets unlikely help from old Dr. Choy (Dean Shek), a retired soldier whose wisdom and energy prove to be an inspiration to the downtrodden Chinese. Also, he tags along because he resents being called old. Along for the ride: a couple of gang bosses (Corey Yuen, Jacky Cheung), some kids, a feisty double agent (Fennie Yuen) and lots of shtick. The bad guys: Tony Leung Ka-Fai in a fun turn as a villain, and Joyce Godenzi as a sexy Kawashima Yoshiko. Based on some popular comics at the time, and the filmmakers make sure you know through their transitions: annoying animated page turning that looks like an Ah Ha video. This was probably a New Year’s Comedy of sorts, as the wacky comedy and all-star cast are earmarks of typical New Year fluff. A harmless and enjoyable film, it proves to be better than Ching Siu-Tung’s later, similar effort Dr. Wai in “The Scripture with no Words.” Strangely, some of the comedy is pretty funny instead of being annoying, and the whole cast is a delight. This is even true for Dean Shek, who overacted so miserably in A Better Tomorrow Part 2 that he threatened to destroy mankind. A Hong Kong product all the way. Fluffy but fun. (Kozo 1997)
	Availability:	DVD (Hong Kong) Region 0 NTSC Mei Ah Laser Widescreen Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 Removable English and Chinese Subtitles

		image courtesy of Mei Ah Laser Disc Co., Ltd.
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