Visionary director, Wong Kai Wai, is known for his artistic, dramatic films that rely heavily on their visuals and nuanced cinematography. A lot of Hong Kong movie films seem to praise him for his works. Chungking Express, which he directed, is often considered the greatest Hong Kong movie of all time. And then there’s me, who finds a few of his movies kinda dull. Sure, his movies are definitely amazing to look at, but every time I finish watching one of his movies, I think “Oh, that’s it?” I might not enjoy Wong Kar Wai’s films as much as most others, but his impact is quite amazing. But I gotta say, I’m a bigger fan of his earlier work. Back in the 80’s, he wrote some very entertaining films, including Final Victory, and believe it or not, Rosa starring Yuen Biao.
Yuen Biao and Lowell Lo star as cops who are given the assignment of finding a girl named Rosa (Luk Siu-Fan) whose boyfriend is in possession of evidence against a dangerous crime syndicate. As this is going on, Yuen Biao tries to court Lo’s sister, played by Kara Hui, while Lo tries to court Rosa. Hijinks ensue. You know the drill.
Yuen Biao and Lowell Lo star as cops who are given the assignment of finding a girl named Rosa (Luk Siu-Fan) whose boyfriend is in possession of evidence against a dangerous crime syndicate. As this is going on, Yuen Biao tries to court Lo’s sister, played by Kara Hui, while Lo tries to court Rosa. Hijinks ensue. You know the drill.
It’s odd to think that Wong Kar Wai, writer/director of very artistic films, was also responsible for this obscure 80’s action comedy. I didn’t think that this movie would be much (just another typical action comedy), but I was actually surprised by how often I laughed while watching this movie. Most of the setups and gags are surprisingly clever and well-timed. Not all of the comedy hits bullseyes, but it’s nice to have something to enjoy other than the action.
Speaking of which, the action is the movie is scarce, but still, it looks pretty amazing. The stunts and the choreography are very impressive. Come to think of it, there are only two fight scenes in the entire movie; There’s one short fight towards the middle and an exhilarating finale in a warehouse. The finale is really fantastic and even a few gags are thrown in. Most notably, there’s a scene in which Yuen Biao and Dick Wei are accidentally locked in a freezer while fighting and they try to steal each other’s jackets to stay alive.
Speaking of which, the action is the movie is scarce, but still, it looks pretty amazing. The stunts and the choreography are very impressive. Come to think of it, there are only two fight scenes in the entire movie; There’s one short fight towards the middle and an exhilarating finale in a warehouse. The finale is really fantastic and even a few gags are thrown in. Most notably, there’s a scene in which Yuen Biao and Dick Wei are accidentally locked in a freezer while fighting and they try to steal each other’s jackets to stay alive.
Even without many fight scenes, Rosa is still surprisingly fast-paced and funny. I was surprised by how somewhat above average this movie turned out. This movie isn’t going to win any HK Film Awards for writing, directing, or art direction, but I’d probably choose to watch Rosa rather than In the Mood for Love any day.
Images from HKMDb and HK Cinemagic
Images from HKMDb and HK Cinemagic