Sky Hunter (2017)

Plot summary (story synopsis): Chinese pilots from the elite Sky Hunter air base must rescue Chinese military and civilians who are taken hostage by terrorists in the (fictional) central European republic of Mahbu.

***

So is Sky Hunter more Top Gun or Iron Eagle? Well, it's both but that's not the problem. The problem is that there is no character development or character arc, and the military tactics are nonsensical.

It looks like the filmmakers wanted to have an action movie glorifying the Chinese air force but didn't want the complexity of filming a full scale war. So they chose a terrorist takeover of an air base. The problem is that jet fighters don't have much to do with rescuing hostages in such a situation, it's more about special forces infantry.

So the plot gets twisted to highlight the air force instead of the soldiers. For example, in order to have an "exciting" showdown between the terrorist leader and Wu Di, the terrorist leader is made to be an ace pilot. Come on guys, what the hell? The terrorists also take control of an ICBM silo (yes, little Mahbu has ICBMs) so that Wu Di can bomb the hell out of it. 

Sure, Top Gun was a recruitment poster for the US Navy but Tony Scott still put the story before anything else. And Top Gun really was about the fighter pilot school. Sky Hunter has some training scenes but these are not core to the story and act more as filler.

Character arc? There are none. There's some half hearted attempt at a love triangle between fighter pilot Wu Di (Chen Li) and rescue helicopter pilot Zhao Yali (the gorgeous Fan Bing Bing), and either fighter pilots Gao Yuan (Leon Lee) or Ba Tu (Guo Mingyu). I was confused.

Now for a list of the movie's military sins (warning - I'm a military nut/armchair general):

• American 4 engined propeller plane thinks it can outfly Chinese jet fighters? 
• Rescue helicopter pilot has to exit the helicopter to rescue people? There should be dedicated crew for that.
• Why initially send 2 jet fighters without any special forces or rescue helicopter?
• Then for the second attempt, okay, you have special forces and a rescue helicopter. But why send only 2 fighters and 1 helicopter?
• Jet fighters need air-to-air refueling but helicopter doesn't? Jet fighters way outrange any helicopter.
• Sky Hunter base happens to be within helicopter range of the air base under attack?
• Wu Di uses his jet fighter to strafe a terrorist machine gunner. How does he know the machine gunner is not a friendly? Aircraft, especially fast moving jet fighters, are notoriously blind to what is going on on the ground and need to be directed by friendlies on the ground or a slow moving Forward Air Controller aircraft.
• A jet fighter is hunting the rescue helicopter at night. Why not land the helicopter to hide?
• It is ridiculous to have two jet fighters flying head on at each other and firing their cannon. Their closing speed is so high that they will be within cannon range for less than a second.
• If you have a crippled aircraft coming in to land, you don't block the runway with fire engines.

P.S. Soundtrack is produced by Hans Zimmer whatever that means, but was written by someone else. The final result does not impress.

The Adventurers (2017)

Plot summary (story synopsis): Master thief Zhang Dan (Andy Lau) is released from a French prison after serving a 5-year sentence. Pierre (Jean Reno), the French cop who put Zhang Dan away, keeps an eye on him, confident that he will be back to his thieving ways. Zhang Dan teams up with his loyal sidekick/young hunk Xiao Po (Tony Yang), together with new recruit Red Ye (Shu Qi), to go after some unfinished jewellery business. Pierre persuades Zhang Dan's former fiancee Amber (Zhang Jing Chu) to help him locate Zhang Dan.

***

The problem with The Adventurers is that it had no story reason to exist. It's as if some producer said, Let's make an action movie with Andy Lau and Shu Qi. And the writers just filled up the run time with Mission Impossible cliches and tropes. 

There's no overall organizing principle behind the story, just random bits of action, unconvincing character backstory, fake camaraderie, and characters double-crossing each other for the sake of cheap plot twists. This has been a problem with Hong Kong and mainland China movies, for decades. 

The romance between Zhang Dan and Amber is not convincing (no matter how prettily and pensively Zhang Jing Chu pouts). This is made worse by how Shu Qi, cast in the role of comedic sidekick (together with Tony Yang), totally steals the show away from Zhang Jing Chu. Red Ye's role was custom written to fit Shu Qi's perky personality, making her more the female lead than Zhang Jing Chu, which unbalances the characters' dynamic.     

Poor Director of Photography Shane Hurlbut (Terminator Salvation, Crazy/Beautiful, Act of Valor, Need for Speed), was even pulled down to director Stephen Fung's level - I'm guessing forced by Stephen Fung to move his camera for no reason. A jib move when the characters are just sitting around and talking? Maybe 8 different camera angles when Pierre is talking to Zhang Dan in the police interrogation room - for what? It's a really bad performance for someone of Hurlbut's caliber. I don't think he will be putting The Adventurers in his showreel.

At least Jean Reno emerges with his dignity intact, but barely. 

What else is wrong? Let me count the ways:

• Pierre desperately wants to catch Zhang Dan because, of all things, Zhang Dan saved Pierre's life.
• Pierre unilaterally releases Zhang Dan from police custody, near the end, and suffers no penalty for doing so. Especially when Zhang Dan doesn't come back after tracking down the other bad guys.
• Bomb complication at the end is copied from Magnum Force. 
• French cops speak English to each other. That might be ok if the whole movie was in English, but the Chinese speak Mandarin to each other. 
• Pierre is confident of not killing Zhang Dan, only wounding him, while shooting at a motorcycle-borne Zhang Dan from a speeding car. Nobody is that good. 
• Rich Chinese guy in the Czech Republic, has a force of paramilitary guards with submachine guns. 

Time Raiders (2016)

Plot summary (story synopsis): Young Wu Xie (pretty boy Lu Han) comes from a family of treasure hunters. However his Third Uncle is reluctant to let him join their dangerous missions. On their next mission to raid the tomb of the Snake Empress (Mallika Sherawai), Third Uncle finally allows him to follow. They are joined by the mysterious and super skilled Zhang Kylin (Boran Jing). Once in the treasure tomb, they are attacked by mercenaries led by the pretty but deadly Ning A (Ma Sichun), who are employed by the eccentric Hendrix (Vanni Corbellini) who is looking for the fountain of youth.   

***

Time Raiders is a copy of The Mummy and of course Tomb Raider. Which were themselves inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark. Less auspiciously, Time Raiders also resembles Michelle Yeo's 2002 flop The Touch.

It might be entertaining to younger audiences but for the rest of us, we've seen it before. The story is derivative and has no new ideas. Its slow pacing doesn't help matters either. The first half hour of buildup is unnecessary and doesn't help much with character development.

Things seem to improve when they finally reach the Snake Empress's tomb. Unfortunately, after a fun shootout with the mercenaries, the pacing bogs down again. The evil puppet room scene is fun but too long. As is the Mummy-derivative flesh-eating spiders sequence.

Running a gauntlet of murder machines? Come on guys, can't you do anything original? They even copied the mapping drones and 3D video map from Prometheus. 

The final showdown with the Snake Empress? Too long and drawn out. So yeah, the movie is a slow theme park ride of booby traps and killer bad guys, with not much story. The male-bonding between Wu Xie and Zhang Kylin feels forced and is unconvincing.  

The Mummy had fun characters, and good pacing. It was also funny. Director Daniel Lee and writer Uncle Three have no clue as to what made The Mummy so much fun. 

On the plus side, the visuals are good. The many mechanical gadgets are intriguing. The lighting is beautiful but also distracting. All the underground rooms in the tomb have pretty light shooting in from windows. So where is the light coming from? 

In the end, Time Raiders is an excuse for special effects eye candy, with a flimsy plot and cardboard characters tacked on as an excuse to justify the action. What a disappointment.

Call of Heroes (2016)

Plot summary (story synopsis):  China, 1914. The Chinese army has withdrawn from Pucheng village to chase after troublesome warlord Cao Ying, leaving the town's sheriff Yang Kenan (Lau Ching Wan) and his men to defend the village. The warlord's murderous sociopathic son Cao Shaolun (Louis Koo) rides alone into town and kills a few people for fun. Sheriff Yang arrests him and after a quick trial, Shaulun is scheduled for execution the next day. However the warlord's colonel, Zhang Yi (Wu Jing), appears and warns that the entire town will be slaughtered if they harm Shaolun. Observing all this and trying to stay neutral, is wandering martial arts expert Ma Feng (Eddie Peng). 

***

Call of Heroes is a Chinese cowboy movie. It's a mix of High Noon (principled sheriff betrayed by the cowardly town folk that he protects) and Shane (gun slinging reluctant-hero drifter rides into town).

There is some melodrama, but also some surprisingly effective drama and character development. Performances by the leads are good, with Eddie Peng coming across effectively like a laconic Hugh Jackman. Louis Koo is fun to watch as the manipulative batshit crazy Shaolun. Lau Ching Wan is believable as the brave and honorable sheriff. Most impressive of all is Wu Jing as the confident colonel Zhang Yi. That guy has presence.    

Fight choreography by Sammo Hung is good. Stylish but realistic. The only wire work seems to be when people are kicked and go flying. The fight on a small hill of wine casks is spectacular and a good example of acrobatic kung fu.

The village set is lavish and looks real. The $32 million budget is small by Hollywood standards but this is no small movie. It's no blockbuster but it's no budget indie either.

There are some false notes. The subplot about the mercenaries seems superfluous, and some plot points aren't believable. Why don't the villagers just run away?

Ultimately, it's an entertaining but forgettable movie. We've seen it before. It doesn't break any new ground or have any original ideas. It should do good box office but I doubt anyone will remember it in twenty years. It's no Chinese Ghost Story (1987) or Swordsman (1990).  

Dragon Blade (2015)

Plot summary (story synopsis): Huo An (Jackie Chan) is the leader of the Silk Road Protection Squad, keeping the peace along the fabled Silk Road trade route in ancient China.

He and his men are framed for gold smuggling and are banished to hard labor, repairing the remote Wild Geese Gate walled city in the middle of the desert. Wild Geese Gate is attacked by a large detachment of renegade Roman legionnaires, led by Lucius (John Cusack). The Romans are low on food and water and need medicine for their sickly young prince Publius (Jozef Waite).

Lucius attempts to take Wild Geese Gate by force but a huge sandstorm interrupts his duel with Huo An. Huo An offers Lucius and his men a truce and shelter inside Wild Geese Gate. The next day brings new orders - Wild Geese Gate is to be finished within 15 days or else everyone will be executed.

Lucius helps them meet the deadline with his knowledge of Roman engineering, while Huo An binds the prison hard-labor gang from 36 nations, into a single motivated team. 

Their victory is short-lived because Publius's evil brother Tiberius (Adrien Brody) catches up with Lucius, bringing 100 thousand Roman soldiers with him. 

***

Dragon Blade is darker than the normal Jackie Chan movie (closer to Police Story than Who Am I?) but has his normal multiracial muhibbah shtick (I'd swear he was brought up in Malaysia).

Jackie Chan's trademark comedic kung fu and acrobatics are minimal, mostly seen in the fight at the start of the movie with Cold Moon (Peng Lin) where he accidentally grabs her bewbs. 

What you do get lots of is goodie-two-shoes Huo An rallying the troops, turning foes into friends, and sacrificing himself for the sake of others. Which doesn't have to be too bad, only Jackie Chan pours on his normal treacly moralizing on top of it.

So yeah, standard Hong Kong melodrama, Jackie version.

The two Hollywood stars are pulled down to Jackie Chan's level. John Cusack gets the corniest lines and almost manages to sell them. Adrien Brody gets better lines but turns in an awful performance. It's not something you would expect from an Academy Award winner. 

On the positive side of the ledger, Jackie Chan swordfights John Cusack and Adrien Brody, but not at the same time. Okay, you've seen Adrien Brody fight Predators but have you seen Cusack do any hand-to-hand?

Come on, just for the curiosity factor, you know you want to watch this one. Decades from now, you will be able to tell your grandchildren - I was there when Adrien Brody and John Cusack destroyed their career.

The Four 3 (2014)

Plot summary (story synopsis): An attempt to assassinate the Emperor (Alec Su) fails, but he is forced to go into hiding because bad guy Lord An (Yu Cheng Hui) has convinced the palace guards that the emperor is an impostor. Lord An has also gained the support of Ji Yao Hua (Jiang Yi Yan), the head of Department Six - the larger of the Emperor's two police units.

The Emperor knows that he can trust only Zhuge Zheng Wo (Anthony Wong), who heads the Emperor's other police unit called the Divine Constabulary. The Divine Constabulary consists of the eponymous Four who have various supernatural abilities - crippled psychic Emotionless (Crystal Liu Yi Fei), Iron Hands (Collin Chou), Cold Blood (Deng Chao) and Life Stealer (Ronald Cheng).

Emotionless had left the Divine Constabulary after finding out that the Emperor had ordered the death of her father (framed as a traitor). However she is at the Divine Constabulary when the Emperor goes there to hide.

She captures the Emperor and tries to build up the resolve to kill him to avenge her father's death. Before she can do so, they are attacked by Lord An's ninjas (this is a Chinese movie, but they dress and fight like ninjas). The rest of the Divine Constabulary rescues them and they all are now on the run from Lord An's men.

Some adventures later, they confront Lord An and his co-conspirators in the Emperor's palace and an epic fight breaks out.

***

The Four 3 is the last movie in The Four trilogy. It is an entertaining but unremarkable wu shu action movie. Gordon Chan directed all three movies, lending some continuity to the series.

It's possible to enjoy this third movie without having seen the earlier two movies. In the third movie you'll find some dude who is fused to a tree, and a shape-shifting assassin. Just accept them as part of the story. You don't need to know who they are.

While I did enjoy the first movie, I actually walked out of the second movie after about 20 minutes. It was slow and boring and I was also suffering from lack of sleep. This third movie is better than the second, but perhaps a bit less enjoyable than the first.

The first movie was mainly about the hot/cold romance between Emotionless and Cold Blood, this third movie is more about Emotionless's desire to avenge her father's death. The other 3 members of The Four don't get much character development. Considering how stunning Crystal Liu looks here, I have no complaints.

The plot is sufficient to propel the story forward at a fast pace, which helps to keep you entertained. Aside from the lack of character development, my main complaint is actually about the movie's lighting. I'm probably more interested in lighting than the average movie buff, but I'm not that much of a lighting geek.

The lighting here is distracting because it looks fake. Not just fake, but electric. In the library and dungeon scenes, the light looks like it is coming from recessed ceiling lights (there are no open flames or lanterns in sight) - not something you can do with candles or lanterns. The lighting is also always steady, no sign of flicker from flames, even when the main light is ostensibly a flickering flame right in the center of the room. And there's blue light coming from god-knows where.

Taken together, this makes the movie look like it was filmed on a TV set. Other kung fu movies, including the first The Four movie, might have similar lighting. I can't remember. All I know is that I noticed the incongruity in this movie.

Other gripes - the emperor is not regal at all. He lacks the self confidence to be a believable emperor. Leaving his kidnapper unpunished, peasants talking trash to him - not likely. And his idea of going out into the city to see what his people really think about him? No, no disguise for him. He floats around in the royal barge, his arrival loudly announced by his eunuch.

Superpowers? You see precious little from The Four. The main superpowers come from Zhuge Zheng Wo, who fights with cartoonish colored swirls of magical energy.

Pacing is fast, so all is not lost. The Four 3 is a reasonable way to kill some time, but is in no way unmissable.