Opened
Friday, Jan. 20
(China, Hong Kong, Singapore)
HONG KONG -- For Chinese New Year, Michelle Yeoh returns to the big screen in Asia as a crime-fighting masked heroine in the action-packed "Silver Hawk". Unfortunately, what's criminal is the picture's uninspired ordinariness.
In cinema-savvy Hong Kong, the lackluster presentation has resulted in lukewarm boxoffice. But its prospects are bound to be better in less sophisticated markets. Yeoh's adventure vehicle from last year, "The Touch", experienced a similar fate, underwhelming critics and audiences in Hong Kong but becoming a big hit in Mainland China.
Drawing heavily on comic book elements, the former Bond girl now prances around in a silver cape, mask and knee-high boots -- not to mention the matching metallic-toned hot pants. By day, she's a mild-mannered, successful businesswoman named LuLu Wong. When in need, though, it is Silver Hawk who shows up on a sleek motorcycle to exert some expert kung fu on the bad guys.
The relatively inane story -- something about a madman who kidnaps a scientist, blackmails a Japanese telecom boss and uses mobile phones to control people's minds -- trips over its clumsy dialogue in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Awkwardly written exposition is delivered with more emphasis on pronunciation than conviction. In addition, the villain, played by Luke Goss, appears to have stolen the Morpheus wardrobe right off the "Matrix" lot.
Silver Hawk herself is like a female cyber Batman, except the complex psychological characterization in Tim Burton's film has been replaced by the cornball style of the '60s TV series. What the filmmakers forgot is that the heroine's life outside her caped costume is just as significant to the story.
Taiwan star Richie Jen appears as a police inspector who is also a childhood friend of Silver Hawk. Clearly, he is meant to be the romantic interest but comes off more as comic foil. The only other actor of note is Michael Jai White ("Spawn"), who, partnered with Chinese actress Li Bing Bing as a pair of mercenary thugs, fights great but has little else to do. Too bad, because those two make a more intriguing couple than the leads.
Hong Kong helmer Jingle Ma is a competent director of action, but he loves his slo-mo shots a little too much. There's a couple of unusual battle setups -- one involving bungee chords and the other hockey sticks and skates -- that give the fight sequences a different look, but there's no rhyme or reason for these things as fighting weapons or tactical tools. One of the most hyped elements of the movie is a motorcycle jump made by Yeoh across a section of the Great Wall. While it might make for a terrific promotional stunt, Ma's cameras aren't in the right places to best capture the spectacle.
But "Silver Hawk"'s biggest flaw is an utterly pedestrian script that shows little initiative or imagination. Sometimes, even basic logic is missing: The bad guy's mind-controlling cell phones are launched and marketed, and hundreds of thousands of units are sold in the span of, oh, two days?
With apologies to Ridley Scott, let's call this one "Silver Hawk Down".
SILVER HAWK
Han Entertainment and Tianjin Film Studio
in affiliation with China Film Co-operation Corp.
A Mythical Films production
Credits:
Director: Jingle Ma
Screenwriter: Susan Chan
Producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Gao Feng Jun
Executive producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Han Hong Fei, John Chong
Director of photography: Jingle Ma, Chan Chi-ying
Music: Peter Kam
Production designer: Yee Chung-man
Costume designers: Dora Ng, Connie Au Yeung
Action director: Ailen Sit
Editor: Kong Chi-leung
Cast:
LuLu Wong/Silver Hawk: Michelle Yeoh
Rich Man: Richie Jen Hsien-chi
Alexander Wolfe: Luke Goss
Kit: Brandon Chang
Morris: Michael Jai White
Jane: Li Bing Bing
Professor Ho Chung: Chen Da-ming
Running time -- 99 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Friday, Jan. 20
(China, Hong Kong, Singapore)
HONG KONG -- For Chinese New Year, Michelle Yeoh returns to the big screen in Asia as a crime-fighting masked heroine in the action-packed "Silver Hawk". Unfortunately, what's criminal is the picture's uninspired ordinariness.
In cinema-savvy Hong Kong, the lackluster presentation has resulted in lukewarm boxoffice. But its prospects are bound to be better in less sophisticated markets. Yeoh's adventure vehicle from last year, "The Touch", experienced a similar fate, underwhelming critics and audiences in Hong Kong but becoming a big hit in Mainland China.
Drawing heavily on comic book elements, the former Bond girl now prances around in a silver cape, mask and knee-high boots -- not to mention the matching metallic-toned hot pants. By day, she's a mild-mannered, successful businesswoman named LuLu Wong. When in need, though, it is Silver Hawk who shows up on a sleek motorcycle to exert some expert kung fu on the bad guys.
The relatively inane story -- something about a madman who kidnaps a scientist, blackmails a Japanese telecom boss and uses mobile phones to control people's minds -- trips over its clumsy dialogue in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Awkwardly written exposition is delivered with more emphasis on pronunciation than conviction. In addition, the villain, played by Luke Goss, appears to have stolen the Morpheus wardrobe right off the "Matrix" lot.
Silver Hawk herself is like a female cyber Batman, except the complex psychological characterization in Tim Burton's film has been replaced by the cornball style of the '60s TV series. What the filmmakers forgot is that the heroine's life outside her caped costume is just as significant to the story.
Taiwan star Richie Jen appears as a police inspector who is also a childhood friend of Silver Hawk. Clearly, he is meant to be the romantic interest but comes off more as comic foil. The only other actor of note is Michael Jai White ("Spawn"), who, partnered with Chinese actress Li Bing Bing as a pair of mercenary thugs, fights great but has little else to do. Too bad, because those two make a more intriguing couple than the leads.
Hong Kong helmer Jingle Ma is a competent director of action, but he loves his slo-mo shots a little too much. There's a couple of unusual battle setups -- one involving bungee chords and the other hockey sticks and skates -- that give the fight sequences a different look, but there's no rhyme or reason for these things as fighting weapons or tactical tools. One of the most hyped elements of the movie is a motorcycle jump made by Yeoh across a section of the Great Wall. While it might make for a terrific promotional stunt, Ma's cameras aren't in the right places to best capture the spectacle.
But "Silver Hawk"'s biggest flaw is an utterly pedestrian script that shows little initiative or imagination. Sometimes, even basic logic is missing: The bad guy's mind-controlling cell phones are launched and marketed, and hundreds of thousands of units are sold in the span of, oh, two days?
With apologies to Ridley Scott, let's call this one "Silver Hawk Down".
SILVER HAWK
Han Entertainment and Tianjin Film Studio
in affiliation with China Film Co-operation Corp.
A Mythical Films production
Credits:
Director: Jingle Ma
Screenwriter: Susan Chan
Producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Gao Feng Jun
Executive producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Han Hong Fei, John Chong
Director of photography: Jingle Ma, Chan Chi-ying
Music: Peter Kam
Production designer: Yee Chung-man
Costume designers: Dora Ng, Connie Au Yeung
Action director: Ailen Sit
Editor: Kong Chi-leung
Cast:
LuLu Wong/Silver Hawk: Michelle Yeoh
Rich Man: Richie Jen Hsien-chi
Alexander Wolfe: Luke Goss
Kit: Brandon Chang
Morris: Michael Jai White
Jane: Li Bing Bing
Professor Ho Chung: Chen Da-ming
Running time -- 99 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Opened
Friday, Jan. 20
(China, Hong Kong, Singapore)
HONG KONG -- For Chinese New Year, Michelle Yeoh returns to the big screen in Asia as a crime-fighting masked heroine in the action-packed "Silver Hawk". Unfortunately, what's criminal is the picture's uninspired ordinariness.
In cinema-savvy Hong Kong, the lackluster presentation has resulted in lukewarm boxoffice. But its prospects are bound to be better in less sophisticated markets. Yeoh's adventure vehicle from last year, "The Touch", experienced a similar fate, underwhelming critics and audiences in Hong Kong but becoming a big hit in Mainland China.
Drawing heavily on comic book elements, the former Bond girl now prances around in a silver cape, mask and knee-high boots -- not to mention the matching metallic-toned hot pants. By day, she's a mild-mannered, successful businesswoman named LuLu Wong. When in need, though, it is Silver Hawk who shows up on a sleek motorcycle to exert some expert kung fu on the bad guys.
The relatively inane story -- something about a madman who kidnaps a scientist, blackmails a Japanese telecom boss and uses mobile phones to control people's minds -- trips over its clumsy dialogue in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Awkwardly written exposition is delivered with more emphasis on pronunciation than conviction. In addition, the villain, played by Luke Goss, appears to have stolen the Morpheus wardrobe right off the "Matrix" lot.
Silver Hawk herself is like a female cyber Batman, except the complex psychological characterization in Tim Burton's film has been replaced by the cornball style of the '60s TV series. What the filmmakers forgot is that the heroine's life outside her caped costume is just as significant to the story.
Taiwan star Richie Jen appears as a police inspector who is also a childhood friend of Silver Hawk. Clearly, he is meant to be the romantic interest but comes off more as comic foil. The only other actor of note is Michael Jai White ("Spawn"), who, partnered with Chinese actress Li Bing Bing as a pair of mercenary thugs, fights great but has little else to do. Too bad, because those two make a more intriguing couple than the leads.
Hong Kong helmer Jingle Ma is a competent director of action, but he loves his slo-mo shots a little too much. There's a couple of unusual battle setups -- one involving bungee chords and the other hockey sticks and skates -- that give the fight sequences a different look, but there's no rhyme or reason for these things as fighting weapons or tactical tools. One of the most hyped elements of the movie is a motorcycle jump made by Yeoh across a section of the Great Wall. While it might make for a terrific promotional stunt, Ma's cameras aren't in the right places to best capture the spectacle.
But "Silver Hawk"'s biggest flaw is an utterly pedestrian script that shows little initiative or imagination. Sometimes, even basic logic is missing: The bad guy's mind-controlling cell phones are launched and marketed, and hundreds of thousands of units are sold in the span of, oh, two days?
With apologies to Ridley Scott, let's call this one "Silver Hawk Down".
SILVER HAWK
Han Entertainment and Tianjin Film Studio
in affiliation with China Film Co-operation Corp.
A Mythical Films production
Credits:
Director: Jingle Ma
Screenwriter: Susan Chan
Producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Gao Feng Jun
Executive producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Han Hong Fei, John Chong
Director of photography: Jingle Ma, Chan Chi-ying
Music: Peter Kam
Production designer: Yee Chung-man
Costume designers: Dora Ng, Connie Au Yeung
Action director: Ailen Sit
Editor: Kong Chi-leung
Cast:
LuLu Wong/Silver Hawk: Michelle Yeoh
Rich Man: Richie Jen Hsien-chi
Alexander Wolfe: Luke Goss
Kit: Brandon Chang
Morris: Michael Jai White
Jane: Li Bing Bing
Professor Ho Chung: Chen Da-ming
Running time -- 99 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Friday, Jan. 20
(China, Hong Kong, Singapore)
HONG KONG -- For Chinese New Year, Michelle Yeoh returns to the big screen in Asia as a crime-fighting masked heroine in the action-packed "Silver Hawk". Unfortunately, what's criminal is the picture's uninspired ordinariness.
In cinema-savvy Hong Kong, the lackluster presentation has resulted in lukewarm boxoffice. But its prospects are bound to be better in less sophisticated markets. Yeoh's adventure vehicle from last year, "The Touch", experienced a similar fate, underwhelming critics and audiences in Hong Kong but becoming a big hit in Mainland China.
Drawing heavily on comic book elements, the former Bond girl now prances around in a silver cape, mask and knee-high boots -- not to mention the matching metallic-toned hot pants. By day, she's a mild-mannered, successful businesswoman named LuLu Wong. When in need, though, it is Silver Hawk who shows up on a sleek motorcycle to exert some expert kung fu on the bad guys.
The relatively inane story -- something about a madman who kidnaps a scientist, blackmails a Japanese telecom boss and uses mobile phones to control people's minds -- trips over its clumsy dialogue in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Awkwardly written exposition is delivered with more emphasis on pronunciation than conviction. In addition, the villain, played by Luke Goss, appears to have stolen the Morpheus wardrobe right off the "Matrix" lot.
Silver Hawk herself is like a female cyber Batman, except the complex psychological characterization in Tim Burton's film has been replaced by the cornball style of the '60s TV series. What the filmmakers forgot is that the heroine's life outside her caped costume is just as significant to the story.
Taiwan star Richie Jen appears as a police inspector who is also a childhood friend of Silver Hawk. Clearly, he is meant to be the romantic interest but comes off more as comic foil. The only other actor of note is Michael Jai White ("Spawn"), who, partnered with Chinese actress Li Bing Bing as a pair of mercenary thugs, fights great but has little else to do. Too bad, because those two make a more intriguing couple than the leads.
Hong Kong helmer Jingle Ma is a competent director of action, but he loves his slo-mo shots a little too much. There's a couple of unusual battle setups -- one involving bungee chords and the other hockey sticks and skates -- that give the fight sequences a different look, but there's no rhyme or reason for these things as fighting weapons or tactical tools. One of the most hyped elements of the movie is a motorcycle jump made by Yeoh across a section of the Great Wall. While it might make for a terrific promotional stunt, Ma's cameras aren't in the right places to best capture the spectacle.
But "Silver Hawk"'s biggest flaw is an utterly pedestrian script that shows little initiative or imagination. Sometimes, even basic logic is missing: The bad guy's mind-controlling cell phones are launched and marketed, and hundreds of thousands of units are sold in the span of, oh, two days?
With apologies to Ridley Scott, let's call this one "Silver Hawk Down".
SILVER HAWK
Han Entertainment and Tianjin Film Studio
in affiliation with China Film Co-operation Corp.
A Mythical Films production
Credits:
Director: Jingle Ma
Screenwriter: Susan Chan
Producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Gao Feng Jun
Executive producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Han Hong Fei, John Chong
Director of photography: Jingle Ma, Chan Chi-ying
Music: Peter Kam
Production designer: Yee Chung-man
Costume designers: Dora Ng, Connie Au Yeung
Action director: Ailen Sit
Editor: Kong Chi-leung
Cast:
LuLu Wong/Silver Hawk: Michelle Yeoh
Rich Man: Richie Jen Hsien-chi
Alexander Wolfe: Luke Goss
Kit: Brandon Chang
Morris: Michael Jai White
Jane: Li Bing Bing
Professor Ho Chung: Chen Da-ming
Running time -- 99 minutes
No MPAA rating...
After a few selective but shrewd co-starring roles, Asia's No. 1 heroine, Michelle Yeoh, has finally found a vehicle in English. "The Touch" is a $20 million action-adventure played out like Ms. Indiana Jones in the Buddhist Temple of Doom. Besides starring, Yeoh co-produced and hired the filmmaking team. Sadly, creative control did not translate into a creative movie. While the picture doesn't completely fail, it does fall short. But in a summer lacking quality popcorn movies, "Touch" stands a good chance to tomb-raid the Asian boxoffice. (Miramax holds North American and European distribution rights.)
Set in China, the ever graceful and appealing Yeoh is Yin, a Cirque de Soleil-style acrobat working with her younger brother, Tong (newcomer Brandon Chang). Englishman Ben Chaplin ("The Truth About Cats & Dogs") plays Eric, an orphan whom Yin's father/trainer has quasi-adopted. How a white kid wound up homeless on the streets of Asia is unclear. Nevertheless, Eric and Yin grew up together, giving each other long glances during puberty. Now, he's a master thief working for a ruthless art collector. Richard Roxburgh ("Moulin Rouge") portrays the murderous villain who will do anything to get his hands on a precious Buddhist relic. In a nutshell, he kidnaps Yeoh's brother as they all race to uncover the sacred prize, which may or may not possess great mystical powers.
Helmed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Peter Pau ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), the truly exotic locations in Tibet, Qingtao and the Dunhuang desert in China are absolutely breathtaking.
As for Yeoh, one of life's pure pleasures is watching her kick butt. But there probably isn't enough foot-to-ass action to satisfy Yeoh's die-hard fans. In fact, one of the disappointments of "Touch" is the overuse of computer effects -- and rather obvious ones at that. Word is, the American release will be more polished. Right now, the climax in a remote underground cave of fake fires and crumbling CGI pillars holds little suspense or thrills for viewers used to seeing Yeoh dangle off real trains and buildings in her Hong Kong flicks.
Stuck with a formulaic plot with predictably stiff dialogue, it's a shame the cast members don't get to stretch their characters in more interesting directions. Chaplin's Eric, for one, could be full of fascinating shades of gray as a product of East and West, and good and bad.
There also is little chemistry in the Yeoh-Chaplin romance. She is all strength and dependability -- like an Asian Sigourney Weaver, more maternal protector than romantic bombshell. As a result, it's hard to accept the meeker Chaplin catching her eye. In contrast, you can believe Yeoh going to the end of the world to save her younger sibling.
Flawed as it is, "Touch" offers some dazzling Chinese scenery -- as spectacular as those in "Crouching Tiger" -- and snazzy kung-fu action.
THE TOUCH
Miramax
Han Entertainment and Tianjin Film Studio
Credits:
Director/director of photography: Peter Pau
Screenwriters: Laurent Courtiaud, Julien Carbon, J.D. Zeik
From a story by: Thomas Chung, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Pau
Producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Gao Feng Jun
Executive producers: Michelle Yeoh, Helen Pao Yun Huang, Kazuo Okada
Action choreography: Philip Kwok Chun-fung
Production designer: Thomas Chong
Music: Basil Poledouris
Costume designer: Shirley Chan
Editor: Marshall Harvey
Cast:
Yin Fei: Michelle Yeoh
Eric: Ben Chaplin
Karl: Richard Roxburgh
Tong: Brandon Chang
Bob: Dane Cook
Lily: Margaret Wang
Ping: Ken Tsang
Monk: Long Sihung
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Set in China, the ever graceful and appealing Yeoh is Yin, a Cirque de Soleil-style acrobat working with her younger brother, Tong (newcomer Brandon Chang). Englishman Ben Chaplin ("The Truth About Cats & Dogs") plays Eric, an orphan whom Yin's father/trainer has quasi-adopted. How a white kid wound up homeless on the streets of Asia is unclear. Nevertheless, Eric and Yin grew up together, giving each other long glances during puberty. Now, he's a master thief working for a ruthless art collector. Richard Roxburgh ("Moulin Rouge") portrays the murderous villain who will do anything to get his hands on a precious Buddhist relic. In a nutshell, he kidnaps Yeoh's brother as they all race to uncover the sacred prize, which may or may not possess great mystical powers.
Helmed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Peter Pau ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), the truly exotic locations in Tibet, Qingtao and the Dunhuang desert in China are absolutely breathtaking.
As for Yeoh, one of life's pure pleasures is watching her kick butt. But there probably isn't enough foot-to-ass action to satisfy Yeoh's die-hard fans. In fact, one of the disappointments of "Touch" is the overuse of computer effects -- and rather obvious ones at that. Word is, the American release will be more polished. Right now, the climax in a remote underground cave of fake fires and crumbling CGI pillars holds little suspense or thrills for viewers used to seeing Yeoh dangle off real trains and buildings in her Hong Kong flicks.
Stuck with a formulaic plot with predictably stiff dialogue, it's a shame the cast members don't get to stretch their characters in more interesting directions. Chaplin's Eric, for one, could be full of fascinating shades of gray as a product of East and West, and good and bad.
There also is little chemistry in the Yeoh-Chaplin romance. She is all strength and dependability -- like an Asian Sigourney Weaver, more maternal protector than romantic bombshell. As a result, it's hard to accept the meeker Chaplin catching her eye. In contrast, you can believe Yeoh going to the end of the world to save her younger sibling.
Flawed as it is, "Touch" offers some dazzling Chinese scenery -- as spectacular as those in "Crouching Tiger" -- and snazzy kung-fu action.
THE TOUCH
Miramax
Han Entertainment and Tianjin Film Studio
Credits:
Director/director of photography: Peter Pau
Screenwriters: Laurent Courtiaud, Julien Carbon, J.D. Zeik
From a story by: Thomas Chung, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Pau
Producers: Michelle Yeoh, Thomas Chung, Gao Feng Jun
Executive producers: Michelle Yeoh, Helen Pao Yun Huang, Kazuo Okada
Action choreography: Philip Kwok Chun-fung
Production designer: Thomas Chong
Music: Basil Poledouris
Costume designer: Shirley Chan
Editor: Marshall Harvey
Cast:
Yin Fei: Michelle Yeoh
Eric: Ben Chaplin
Karl: Richard Roxburgh
Tong: Brandon Chang
Bob: Dane Cook
Lily: Margaret Wang
Ping: Ken Tsang
Monk: Long Sihung
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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