For Bad Boys Only (2000)



	For Bad Boys Only		Return to Review Archive - F
	Going to hell: the cast of For Bad Boys Only
	Year:	2000
	Director:	Raymond Yip Wai-Man
	Producer:	Wong Jing, Manfred Wong
	Cast:	Ekin Cheng Yee-Kin, Louis Koo Tin-Lok, Shu Qi, Kristy Yeung Kung-Yu, Daniel Chan Hiu-Tung, Blacky Ko Sau-Leung, Gigi Lai, Law Lan, Stephanie Che Yuen-Yuen, Anya, Mark Cheng Ho-Nam, Jerry Lamb Hiu-Fung, Kelly Lin, Josie Ho Chiu-Yi, Ng Chi-Hung, Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu, Sammy
	The Skinny:	What the hell were they thinking?
	Review by Kozo:	This star-studded action comedy delivers both action and comedy, but in sporadic doses and neither is truly inspired. Usually competent director Raymond Yip misses the mark by making his non-existent script completely obvious. The story (or string of incidents that passes as a story) features the Bad Boy Squad, a private detective firm that specializes in finding lost loves. It’s run by King (Ekin Cheng), his sister Queen (Kristy Yeung) and Jack (Louis Koo). King is a wacky player who has no conception of love. His women are conquests of his prodigious charm, recycled pick-up lines, and usual mane of hair. Meanwhile, Jack is a soulful bad boy who loves his girlfriend Kelly Lin because she is “perfect.” Of course, that just isn’t true and soon Jack is alone nursing his broken heart. Queen actually loves Jack, but he’s oblivious to her affections, which is a total joke because Queen is embodied by the ever-charming Kristy Yeung. Then a number of cases arrive, all involving a girl who looks just like Shu Qi. It turns out that all the cases are related in some small way, especially since there are evil Japanese bastards (led by Mark Cheng) who have cloned Shu Qi into some sort of wacky super soldier who can pull off Matrix-like stunts. Then there is a break as all the principal actors must ponder the meaning of true love. Yes, the inanity cannot be described, and quite frankly I will lay all the blame at the feet of producer/writer Manfred Wong, who misses the boat completely with his overstuffed, underdeveloped, and embarrassing script. The film’s attempts at charm and humor fail badly, and the actors look like total idiots for agreeing to be in the picture. At the very least they seem to be having fun, which probably means the checks were substantial and the craft services excellent. Ekin Cheng gives a rather fun, if not too annoying performance and Shu Qi, Louis Koo, and Kristy Yeung all have their moments. Still, the whole thing fails at even giving us what we want: delightful silliness. All we get is silly, and even that seems half-assed. The film’s saving grace: Kristy Yeung’s navel, which gets ample screen time. (Kozo 2001)
	Availability:	DVD (Hong Kong) Region 0 NTSC Universe Laser Widescreen Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 Removable English and Chinese Subtitles

		image courtesy of www.u333.com
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