A Little TLC(w): War of the Underworld (1996)

Bit of a triad melodrama – it has its enjoyable parts, but overall, it feels like an overwrought rendering of a paint-by-numbers story.  Pretty middling.

Two gangs are locked in a bitter rivalry.  Hong Fei, the son of one gang’s leader, has tried to put that life behind him, but when his father’s health deteriorates, he’s forced to step in.  With a lovely journalist and her overeager brother (a novice member of the gang) backing him up, Hong Fei sets out to finish what his father started.

Not too much here that we haven’t seen before.  Tong, the journalist and our narrator, puts a slightly different spin on the story by drawing parallels to “the ancient hero world,” but rather than giving it more gravitas, the comparisons make the film feel a little too self-important, drawing itself up to mythological proportions.

On the plus side, some likable performances.  Carman Lee does a nice job as Tong, and I enjoy Jordan Chan (who costarred with Tony Leung Chiu-wai in Heaven Can’t Wait) in a different sort of role as her brother.  I wouldn’t quite say they elevate the lackluster material, but they do a fine enough job with it.

As for Leung, he basically does as advertised as Hong Fei, a noble former triad member who’s hero-worshipped by the newer recruits who’ve heard stories of his near-mythical skill with a blade.  He’s almost unspeakably cool, mysterious and even-keeled with a tortured past that he rarely talks about.  The writing for this character is very self-conscious – it definitely feels like it’s trying too hard, and the overall effect can be a little eye-rolling.  As with the ton of the narrative as a whole, it places a bit too much importance on itself.

Leung is best in the less-mythic moments, when Hong Fei is more of a character and less of a legend.  There’s a really strong scene of him interacting with his father after the onset of his father’s health problems (it seems like a stroke.)  Their relationship has been estranged for a while, but in this scene, as Hong Fei attempts to make a wary overture of help, the history between them and their changing relationship plays out with very little dialogue, Leung speaking volumes with his expressions.  It’s really effective – if there had been more scenes like that, it probably would’ve been a better movie.

Recommend?

In General – Not necessarily.  Nothering too much to recommend it; if you’re looking for triad dramas, there are better examples.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai – A cautious maybe, if only for those scenes where the film gets out of its own way and lets Leung really act.  Still, I wouldn’t call it a must-see.

Warnings

Lots of gang violence, sexual references, language, drinking/smoking, drug references, homophobic jokes, and thematic elements.