Somebody Up There Likes Me (1996)



	Somebody Up There Likes Me		Return to Review Archive - S
	Year:	1996	Aaron Kwok and Carman Lee
	Director:	Patrick Leung Pak-Kin
	Producer:	John Woo
	Writer:	Chan Hing-Kai
	Cast:	Aaron Kwok Fu-Sing, Carman Lee Yeuk-Tung, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Hilary Tsui Ho-Ying, Michael Tong Man-Lung, Law Koon-Lan, Lok Tat-Wah, Ann Hui On-Wah, Clifton Ko Chi-Sum, Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu
	The Skinny:	Patrick Leung's boxing action drama is melodramatic beyond belief, but it's also surprisingly compelling.
	Review by Kozo:	Sky King Aaron Kwok plays Ken Wong, an aimless ex-con who spends his days helping at boxing matches and brooding about his dysfunctional family. When he meets a beautiful HK University student named Gloria (Carman Lee), he decides he needs to change his tune. She wants to fall for him, but she wants a guy who’s going to do more than pick up chicks on his motorcycle. With the help of his martial arts teacher (played appropriately by Sammo Hung), Ken learns the ropes and starts on his way up the kickboxing circuit, much to Gloria’s delight. The two fall in love, but his success and her love are not enough for him. Eventually he must challenge her brother (Michael Tong), the HK kickboxing champ, leading to a surprising and emotional outcome. A bit like Rocky at times, this film is actually surprisingly good. Patrick Leung's direction is hyper melodramatic and given to excess. The plot is ridiculous, manipulating events to match whatever emotions the film dictates, but the results are compellingly watchable. As pure HK pop entertainment the film is exceptional, and Carman Lee is remarkable as the conflicted Gloria. FYI: the title takes its cue from an old Paul Newman flick. (Kozo 1996)
	Availability:	DVD (Hong Kong) Region 0 NTSC Universe Laser Widescreen Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks Removable English and Chinese subtitles

		image courtesy of Universe Laser & Video Co., Ltd.
back to top