Site Features
- Asian Film Awards
- Site Recommendations

- Reader Poll Results

- The Sponsor Page
- The FAQ Page
 
support this site by shopping at
Click to visit YesAsia.com
Asian Blu-ray discs at YesAsia.com
 
 
 
 
 
The Legend of Speed



Ekin Cheng takes his Young and Dangerous act to HK's street racing culture.

Chinese: 烈火戰車2極速傳說  
Year: 1999
Director: Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
Producer: Manfred Wong
Action: Bruce Law Lai-Yin
Cast: Ekin Cheng Yee-Kin, Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi, Kelly Lin (Lam Hei-Lui), Patrick Tam Yiu-Man, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Jerry Lamb Hiu-Fung, Moses Chan Ho, Stephanie Che Yuen-Yuen, Ha Ping, Yuen Wai-Ho, Yu Ka-Ho, Samuel Leung Cheuk-Moon, Michael Lui, Blackie Ko Sau-Leung, David Chiang, Hong Man-Lei
The Skinny: Entertaining flick from the Young and Dangerous team that makes good use of the robot that is Ekin "Noodle" Cheng Yee-Kin.
 
Review
by Kozo:

Despite the cheesiness of story and the formulaic Rocky plot, this commercial actioner from Andrew Lau and alter ego Ekin Cheng is an enjoyable, entertaining ride. Cheng is Sky, a spoiled brat who races cars illegally on HK’s city streets. He receives his comeuppance when his girlfriend Moon (Kelly Lin) dies during an important race with the top underground racer (Simon Yam).

When he’s framed for various crimes, Sky flees to Thailand and searches for his dad (Blackie Ko), a legendary racer who disappeared when Sky was just a youngster. Once in Thailand, Sky learns hackneyed life lessons and Karate Kid metaphors which allow him redemption and passage back to HK just in time to win the big race.

If only life were as simple as a BOB production. This is a tried-and-true formula that’s been done to death in Lau and Cheng’s previous Young and Dangerous movies. Nothing new here, just enjoyable commercial fluff which should be enough to please most of the fans. This is a welcome return for Andrew Lau, who brings back some of the stylish verve that he couldn’t use in such earnest epics as A Man Called Hero

Furthermore, the presence of blazing new star Cecilia Cheung as Sky’s biggest admirer can only help things. With her rough voice and appealing innocence, she brings a freshness to the movie that Lau’s usual starlets Shu Qi and Kristy Yeung would be hard-pressed to match. 

That said, Lau reuses some of his more familiar faces, such as Jerry Lamb and the aforementioned Blackie Ko. This movie is basically Young and Dangerous on wheels, which isn’t such a bad thing when you consider Ekin Cheng’s limited dramatic range. As commercial HK Cinema goes, this is a better-than-average effort. (Kozo 1999)

 
Availability: DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 3 NTSC
Kam & Ronson
16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks
Dolby Digital 6.1 / DTS 6.1
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles
*Also Available on Blu-ray Disc
Find this at YesAsia.com

image courtesy of www.chinastar.com

back to top
 
 
LoveHKFilm.com Copyright ©2002-2017 Ross Chen