I’ve talked about Jackie Chan many times on this website, but with good reason. Jackie’s impact on Hong Kong cinema and action movies in general is impossible to ignore. He kicked off the kung fu comedy trend and later the modern day action movie trend which partly focused on his trademark stunts. Not only were the stunts were amplified, but the fight choreography in action movies became more inventive and action movies started to sport a more happy tone. Then came Nightlife Hero which is another one of those movies that evidently tried to be a more lighthearted, Jackie Chan-style action movie.
Two brothers (Max Mok and Chin Kar-Lok) get involved in a triad gang, but are able to outsmart them and send them to jail. Both of our main characters continually struggle to find a good job. Chin Kar-Lok later plans on getting married while Max Mok falls in love with a rich woman (Fennie Yuen). After the triad boss (Shing Fui-On) is released from jail, he starts to plot his revenge.
Two brothers (Max Mok and Chin Kar-Lok) get involved in a triad gang, but are able to outsmart them and send them to jail. Both of our main characters continually struggle to find a good job. Chin Kar-Lok later plans on getting married while Max Mok falls in love with a rich woman (Fennie Yuen). After the triad boss (Shing Fui-On) is released from jail, he starts to plot his revenge.
Thankfully, Nightlife Hero has a noticeable amount of effort put into the action and stunts to give the movie a fun and sometimes exciting tone. Unfortunately, that seems to be the only aspect of the film that was given any sort of effort. The characters are totally acceptable mainly because they’re portrayed by some pretty charismatic actors.
Even though it’s hard to give a crap about anyone in the movie, I still thought that the main characters, played by Max Mok and Chin Kar Lok, were at least entertaining and they somehow brought life to lifeless characters. Fennie Yuen is also fun mainly because of how adorable she is in this movie. Shing Fui On gives another entertainingly exaggerated performance as the main villain and was probably the funniest part of the movie (other than the subtitles, maybe).
Even though it’s hard to give a crap about anyone in the movie, I still thought that the main characters, played by Max Mok and Chin Kar Lok, were at least entertaining and they somehow brought life to lifeless characters. Fennie Yuen is also fun mainly because of how adorable she is in this movie. Shing Fui On gives another entertainingly exaggerated performance as the main villain and was probably the funniest part of the movie (other than the subtitles, maybe).
And even for an action comedy, this movie isn’t very funny. I already mentioned that Shing Fui On was pretty funny at times, but most of the other attempts at comedy aren’t very memorable. There are even certain scenes that I forgot about completely when re-watching it. I barely even remember what this movie’s about. The most memorable bits of comedy are mostly unintentional. One of my favorite non-action scenes in the movie was a romantic montage with Max Mok and Fennie Yuen that’s so embarrassingly ridiculous that I found myself both laughing and trying to cover my eyes. Of course, there are some random bits of genuine humor, but there are so rare and mostly forgettable.
But still, easily the best part of Nightlife Hero is the action. For the lack of good characters and comedy, there’s an abundance of energy and effort put into the action and stunts. The fight scenes are very inventive and even have some fun slapstick. It’s just incredible to watch and just watching one fight scene from this movie gives me a boost of energy. The action is definitely comparable to some of Jackie Chan’s best fights.
But still, easily the best part of Nightlife Hero is the action. For the lack of good characters and comedy, there’s an abundance of energy and effort put into the action and stunts. The fight scenes are very inventive and even have some fun slapstick. It’s just incredible to watch and just watching one fight scene from this movie gives me a boost of energy. The action is definitely comparable to some of Jackie Chan’s best fights.
I’d probably argue that the action in this movie is amazing enough to warrant Nightlife Hero at least a viewing, but every other aspect of the film is so lazily executed that it’s actually almost intriguing to watch. This movie’s so cheesy and cringeworthy that it almost feels like it came from the 80’s even though it came out in the early 90’s. And if you like embarrassing "80’s" movies, then this movie shouldn’t be missed. If you’re looking for an action fix, then this movie’s even better. That certainly doesn’t make Nightlife Hero a good movie, but at least it’s not boring. It left me both wincing and smiling, but smiling nonetheless.
Images from Baike, Douban, and HKMDb
Images from Baike, Douban, and HKMDb