Rushed kung-fu
comedy arrives with a pleasant dose of retro HK fun
just in time for the 2000 New Year. The story of master
swordsmen Yip Koo-Sing and Sai Mun Chiu Suet is retold
by the Storm Riders team with fab special effects
and megastars in the lead roles.
Andy Lau is Yip Koo-Sing (called
Cool Son Yeh in the subtitles), master of the Heavenly
Flying Fairy Stance. He wishes to have a duel with dour
swordsman Sai Mun Chiu Suet (Ekin Cheng, called Simon
the Snow Blower in the subs). The buzz surrounding their
duel causes a flury of excitement, and the Emperor (Patrick
Tam) issues 8 gold medals that allow the bearer passage
to the Forbidden City when the Duel takes place.
In charge of distributing the
medals is Luk Siu-Fung AKA Dragon 9, given screen life
by ubiquitous funnyman Nick Cheung. However, things
get difficult when a bunch of murders turn up and Simon
is fingered as the guilty party. Aiding him in his investigation
is Mainland sensation Vicki Zhao as Princess Phoenix,
who handles all the giggly comedy relief as well as
the role of Yip Koo-Sing’s love-interest. And then things
get wackier.
Unlike the earnest drama of A Man Called Hero or the epic fantasy of The
Storm Riders, The Duel is merely old HK given
a fancy new package. The uneven silliness and fluid
fight choreography is reminiscent of early nineties
wuxia comedies, but the excellent special effects update
the action. Nothing too special happens here, but by
now this sort of all-star flying kung-fu action is practically
extinct. One can overlook the messiness of the plot
or Ekin Cheng's robot-like performance because this
movie provides exactly what it should: ninety minutes
of amusement. (Kozo 2000) |
