MR. X is one of Godfrey Ho's last movies and sees him up to his old tricks with another cut and paste adventure incorporating new footage shot by Ho and added into a 1990s crime film. This time around Ho is directing under the pseudonym Ed Woo which gives you some idea of the type of film he's trying to emulate here: a hard-boiled heroic bloodshed flick a la John Woo.
This film is listed as a Taiwanese/UK production and features ageing martial artist Joe Lewis in the tacked-on scenes. Sadly these aren't as much fun as the cheesy Richard Harrison segments of Ho's seminal ninja movies although the sight of Lewis tussling with the massive muscle-man baldie is a cheesy delight, but you have to wait until the end for that. As with other cut and paste movies made by Ho, the original film being ripped off looks pretty good, featuring real-life Triad Chan Wai-Man battling against various Triad and Yakuza gang members in a massive street war between the two sides.
It's incomprehensible stuff indeed, even though I saw the original language version. There seem to be at least three different sub-plots jostling for attention: Ho's ludicrous newly-shot scenes in which a hefty Lewis isn't even trying (although Ho himself has a hilarious cameo); the bits with Chan Wai-Man kicking ass; and a third sub-plot in which Alex Man survives the opening wedding massacre and shoots a load of people. These action bits are low rent but fun, even if you don't know what's going on, and there's a nice little role for Dick Wei as a police chief too. A shame the rest is so incredibly obscure.
This film is listed as a Taiwanese/UK production and features ageing martial artist Joe Lewis in the tacked-on scenes. Sadly these aren't as much fun as the cheesy Richard Harrison segments of Ho's seminal ninja movies although the sight of Lewis tussling with the massive muscle-man baldie is a cheesy delight, but you have to wait until the end for that. As with other cut and paste movies made by Ho, the original film being ripped off looks pretty good, featuring real-life Triad Chan Wai-Man battling against various Triad and Yakuza gang members in a massive street war between the two sides.
It's incomprehensible stuff indeed, even though I saw the original language version. There seem to be at least three different sub-plots jostling for attention: Ho's ludicrous newly-shot scenes in which a hefty Lewis isn't even trying (although Ho himself has a hilarious cameo); the bits with Chan Wai-Man kicking ass; and a third sub-plot in which Alex Man survives the opening wedding massacre and shoots a load of people. These action bits are low rent but fun, even if you don't know what's going on, and there's a nice little role for Dick Wei as a police chief too. A shame the rest is so incredibly obscure.