Wild Search (1989) User Reviews

Witness Chow, Cherie and Ringo on fine form.

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 21 June 2014]

Chow Yun Fat stars as Mew-Mew, a reckless cop still mourning the loss of his wife and son, who were killed by a thief. Into his life comes Cher (Cherie Chung), sister of dead arms dealer Elaine Lee (Elaine Jin), and Cher's cute little niece Ka Ka (Cheuk Yan Chan), the only witness to her mother's murder. As Mew-Mew sets about investigating the killing, he begins to develop feelings for Cher, but suspecting Ka Ka's father Hung (Paul Chun) of being the ringleader of the arms smuggling gang, he becomes a target of the bad guys, which in turn puts the lives of Cher and Ka Ka in danger.

Wild Search sees one of Hong Kong cinema's greatest action stars, Chow Yun Fat, reunited with one of Hong Kong cinema's finest action directors, Ringo Lam, to bring us a film that might surprise their many fans, being just as much a subtle romance as it is a hi-octane action flick. However, thanks to superb central performances from Fat and Chung, and masterful direction from Lam, who balances the action and drama brilliantly, even those expecting far more bloodshed should find this film a totally captivating experience.

Some accuse Wild Search of being a rip-off of Peter Weir's Witness, and to some extent I guess they're correct, the basic plot bearing some similarities to the 1985 Harrison Ford thriller, but it is also a very good film in its own right.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Nice and exciting Hong Kong "Witness" reboot

[jordondave-28085 · 8/10 · 25 October 2023]

(1990) Wild Search (In Chinese with English subtitles)

This is the Hong Kong version of Peter Weir's "Witness" that starred Harrison Ford, but this time it stars Chow Yun Fat as the hero on the run with actress Cherie Chung as the love interest. When upon watching this film without seeing the original source, still can hold up quite well, because the setting is different whereas in Witness, Harrison Ford hides out amongst Amish people protecting a young kid. In "Wild Search" Chow Yun Fat hides out amongst the countryside protecting a little girl who witnesses her mothers murder. Because it was made in Hong Kong, this film has more tension and more action than "Witness" where the people that're chasing them serves as sort of a backdrop for the rapport between Harrison Ford and the Amish. This is the third of five movies director Ringo Lam collaborated with Chow Yun Fat.

An excellent action/drama film

[Tequila-18 · 8/10 · 11 October 1999]

Wild Search is an excellent entry in the Honk Kong film genre. As usual with the Hong Kong cinema there is plenty of action. The thing that sets this film apart from others is the subtle romance between the leads. Chow Yun-Fat, as usual, is superb. The balance between action and drama is expertly handled by Ringo Lam.

Wild Search is not what you expect from the movie's English title.

[gerrytwo · 8 May 1999]

In "Wild Search," Chow Yun Fat is a tough detective who gets involved with the sister of a woman the HK police accidentally shot while raiding an apartment. Anyone expecting director Ringo Lam to come across with a nihilistic movie like his movie "Full Contact" will be disappointed. More than anything else, "Wild Search" is a romance with an overlay of crime and violence. Cherie Chung, who plays the sister who becomes the detective's love interest, sleepwalks through her role. If you watch soap operas on TV, you will like this movie. For anyone else, don't expect more than a well staged tearjerker with some gunplay.

Uninspired.

[leighm · 7/10 · 14 August 1999]

Another one of the formulaic action/romance films made by CYF from 1989. This was the same year as "God of Gamblers" and "The Killer" were released, both A pictures. This is definitely one of the B pictures, really only worth watching for the more completist CYF fans.

CYF plays "Mew Mew", a widowed cop. While investigating the murder of an female arms dealer he meets Cher (played by his frequent castmate Cherie Chung), a country divorcee and sister of the dead arms dealer.

It is love at first sight for Mew Mew, even though he feels twinges of guilt before the memories of his dead wife and son. Cher and Mew Mew are thrown together while Mew Mew investigates Cher's sister's death, mainly by the existence of Ka Ka, the orphaned girl and niece of Cher.

There are some touching scenes between Mew Mew and Ka Ka; while it is never touched upon in the script, it seems as if Mew Mew enjoys taking care of the child as he might have done his own dead boy.

Unlike the other rough cops CYF has played in these B pictures, Mew Mew seems fastidious and neat, knows how to cook and treats his girl at least as well as his best friend. While in this film there are really no romantic moments between Mew Mew and Cher after that first fateful glance, there are some sweet scenes between them, but unfortunately they are brief at the expense of some of the action sequences - sequences which really aren't good enough to warrant pulling away from what little there is to the story.

A slight story doesn't give CYF or Cherie Chung, both consummate professionals, much to work with but they try. Miss Chung is always at her most interesting when portraying less sophisticated, more down-to-earth women and one really wishes she had had more to work with in this role; the scenes of her cutting bamboo and mixing traditional Chinese medicines for the new love in her life are solid and seem very natural. This pair of two of Hong Kong's finest actors are given wooden characters and while they manage to paint them in realistic colors, Mew Mew and Cher never really come to life except for some very brief moments.

The subtitling is very bad on this film (the Mei-Ah DVD version); it looks as if the translation was done by machine, and not by a very sophisticated piece of software at that. For those who have seen a lot of these HK flicks subtitled in English you will be able to take the Canto-English and translate it on the fly; those who are unused to doing such may find the subtitling confusing at times and downright frustrating at others. At least most of the words are spelled correctly, even if misused; I would give the effort a 2 of 10 rating just for that (and that's being generous).

The direction, even though by Ringo Lam, is unexciting and unoriginal. It may be that he, apparently like CYF and Miss Chung, was simply uninspired by the whole idea of this film.

CYF looks good as usual, but a bit tired. 1989 saw the release of "A Better Tomorrow 3", "God of Gamblers", "The Killer", "Triads - The Inside Story" and this film. Two classic pictures, one very good one and two not-so-good ones in one short year is a remarkable achievement. Rent this one if you just want to see CYF and Cherie Chung together again, but only buy it if you are a CYFanatic looking to complete your collection.

Entertaining but unoriginal romance with some action

[experten · 7/10 · 22 October 2001]

Good things: Chow Yun Fat. Well directed. Good pacing, never boring. Roy Cheung is always (not so) nice to see. The bad guys are brutal.

Bad things: It is a remake of Witness (but not so similar that you will be disturbed by the fact). Too lighthearted, too sentimental, especially for people like me who likes children in movies, but only if they die. Not enough violence. No, it is not better than Witness, only different. 7/10

Subtle Acting renders fascinating characters

[laadolf · 9/10 · 14 July 2002]

Wild Search is a film in need of respect. I've read reviews that disparage it's pedigree--claiming it to be nothing more than a "Witness" rip-off. Yet, aside from the plot device of a young child being sole witness to a murder and that child's relatives being "from the country", there is little resemblance to "Witness" in plot or characterizations. Chow Yun Fat plays Hong Kong Police Sergeant Lau Chun Pong, nicknamed "Mew Mew". Mew Mew is a man in a downward spiral, having lost his wife and child in a robbery. When first introduced, he's sitting in a car, chain smoking cigarettes and drinking from his flask, watching the drama of street life before him as he awaits the arrival of an informant. His expression is disinterested and weary. In numbing himself from his grief, he is now numb to life. His job is what keeps him going, and he is good at it. He commands the loyalty, respect and affection of his colleagues and supervisor.

Cherie Chung plays the sister of the murdered arms dealer--whose death sets the plot in motion. Chung's Cher Lee is a woman of quiet strength and dignity. Life has not been kind to her. Her husband betrayed her, leading a secret second life with a woman from the Chinese interior, fathering a son. During their marriage he berated her for being clumsy and stupid. Rather than continuing to suffer the humiliation, Cher has divorced him and lives quietly with her father, working along side him in the village fields, harvesting bamboo.

Her sister's death brings Mew Mew into her life dramatically. Their relationship is at first contentious as he suspects her and her father of complicity in the dead sister's arms dealing. The relationship begins to transform as Mew Mew aids Cher in tracking down the father of her 4 year old niece. A man who turns out to be the kingpin of the arms smuggling operation.

Thrown into each others company, facing adversity and danger, these two wounded souls begin to blossom. A tentative, tender relationship grows and is tested time and again: through Mew Mew's suspension from the force (a result of threatening the powerful, rich arms kingpin); a domestic drama within Cher's family concerning her young niece and her father: the complication of Cher's ex-husband returning, determined to win his wife back; and Mew Mew's shooting by Cher's sister's murderer.

To be sure, these are restrained performances. Yet one only has to watch Cherie Chung as Cher as she sits at the bedside of the wounded Mew Mew, not knowing if he will live or die, her worry, longing and love playing over her features, to appreciate her work in this film. Chow's Mew Mew may lack the flash and dazzle of some of his bullet ballet roles, but the transformation from grief stricken widower to a man being brought back to life by love is fascinating to watch. His scenes with the young actress playing the daughter of the murdered woman are especially touching.

Fine film by Ringo Lam, not a Witness copy. Don't believe the hype!

[Captain_Couth · 9/10 · 30 September 2003]

Ringo Lam's Wild Search is one of his overlooked masterpieces. The film stars Yun-Fat Chow as a police officer trying to break up a gun smuggling ring. While doing so, he crosses paths with the beautiful Cherie

Cheung and her "cute as a button" daughter. As with all of Ringo Lam's hardboiled docudramas, one can expect the bone crunching one on one fights, action packed set pieces and great acting from the cast. People always bring this movie up whenever someone compares Reservoir Dogs to City on Fire. Critics call this a Witness clone. I'm sad to say but this movie is a lot better than said film. Ringo lam is one of the best directors out their today and it's a shame that he doesn't receive the respect that he truly deserves.

B++

Recommended

Ringo Lam's underrated masterpiece

[ChWasser · 14 March 2001]

Yes, "Wild Search" IS a remake of Peter Weir's "Witness", but just like "Bullet in the Head" is a better film than "The Deer Hunter", this movie surpasses its American predecessor IMO. The subtle and subdued romance between Chow Yun Fat and Cherie Chung (who have a great chemistry that matches those of the classic screen-couples like Mitchum & Kerr or Bogart & Bacall) makes this one of my favourite love-stories in Hong Kong cinema (along with "In the mood for love", "Comrades - Almost a Love Story" and "C'est la vie mon cherie"). Naturally, the action is not too bad either (hey, we're talking about Ringo Lam here after all ...)

Fat's so PHAT

[Spuzzlightyear · 8/10 · 20 June 2005]

In a bid to see every Chow-Yun Fat movie ever made, my path came to 'Wild ___' a movie made in 1989, when no one outside of Asia heard of this guy. The plot involves Fat, playing a cop (gee what a surprise) getting involved with a sister of slain ammunition suspect. Fat believes that she can lead them to the mastermind of the whole network. While he's doing his job, of course they somewhat fall in love, (which was obvious from the get go) and also play with her young daughter, named (affectionately, I'm sure) Ka-ka. A kid that grates on the nerves after a while I'm afraid. There's also a subplot of her ex-husband that comes back to woo her, and also her relationship with her father. So this is awfully multilayered. Not all of it works, we never really figure out what makes the father figure so bitter, what kind of relationship the family had with the dead lady, and other mysterious questions. Fat, curiously, is well above this material, and is less involved in the weird side plots now that I think about it. He's just involved in the central plot and that's all, thank you very much. One thing to note, it does appear that Fat is doing his own fight scenes, (especially in the end) and some of the stuff (especially with fire) seem awfully dangerous. I guess, when you're an actor looking to make a name, which Fat was back in 89', you're willing to take those risks.

"The flowers are damaged."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 24 February 2019]

After watching and reviewing his superb debut recently,I decided to continue exploring the credits of auteur film maker Ringo Lam. When taking a real look at Lam's credits for the first time last year, one which I kept seeing pop up on various sites was his loose "remake" of Witness (1985), which led to me witnessing a wild search.

View on the film:

The first film that directing auteur Ringo Lam had made since Cupid One (1985) which was either not a sequel, (Mad Mission 4: You Never Die Twice (1986)) or part of his "on Fire" trilogy, Lam closely works with cinematographer Wai-Keung Lau in continuing to build upon his recurring visual motifs in the Heroic Bloodshed genre. Shot down the real northern rural streets of Hong Kong, Lam welds the rapid-fire Action set-pieces with a documentary stylisation, reeling from the shoot-outs being short and brittle, where stray bullets in cramped locations cause he screen to be covered in wonderful piles of broken wood and glass. Setting out the mood from the opening whisper of Lowell Lo's score, Lam takes the documentary-style appearance of the action set-pieces and crafts an exquisite, earthy atmosphere of delicate wide-shots and stylishly held motifs of flowers for a subtle counter to the bloodshed,and tight corner shots round doors sipping up the rural surroundings and stepping into 'Mew-Mew' attempting to dance to the meditating, countryside way of life.

Joining his brother Ringo in the movie business by writing Prison on Fire as his debut, the screenplay by Yin Nam brilliantly continues to build on Lam's major theme of a loner finding themselves the only shield against the underworld, with Mew-Mew having to face barrels of gun fire in order to try and save the little girl and her family. Setting up Mew-Mew as a tough cop happy to hand out rough justice, Nam peels away Mew's hard-nosed image to open the humanity just underneath the skin, lit by the gradual, restrained romance between Mew and Cher. Reuniting with Lam and Nam after Prison on Fire, Chow Yun-Fat gives a blazing turn as Mew-Mew,whose harshness in the Heroic Bloodshed set-pieces is balanced by Yun-Fat with a quiet thoughtfulness when around Cher and her family, who Mew-Mew fights to save from the wild search.

HK Stars Chow Yun-Fat and Cherie Chung in a fine action drama!

[OllieSuave-007 · 9/10 · 29 October 2022]

Chow Yun-Fat stars as Hong Kong cop Inspector Lau, who meets Cher (Cherie Chung) in a homicide case, which involves an arms deal gone wrong. It's a good mixture of action and drama, as Lau falls for Cher while he protects and questions her connection to the case; Cher is the sister of arms dealer Elaine Lee (Elaine Jin), killed during the gunfire, and Elaine's daughter is left in Cher's and her father's care. However, the daughter is repulsed by her grandfather because of Elaine's criminal involvement.

This movie is nothing short of wild car chases, gun battles, and fights, and the plot is fast paced from start to finish. Mixed in with all the good guys vs. Bad guys suspense is the touching drama between the grandfather and the little girl, with Cher acting as the mediator and bridge between the family relationships.

There's great chemistry between Chow Yun-Fat and Cherie Chung, who have starred together in a large number of movies. This one is another fine piece of Hong Kong entertainment that is a treat to watch.

Grade A.

Tranquility

[DanTheMan2150AD · 8/10 · 17 August 2023]

A loose reimagining of Peter Weir's 1985 film, Witness, Wild Search comes as an extremely pleasant surprise and showcases Ringo Lam's often underrated versatility as a director. It's a much more tranquil romantic drama with elements of his police procedural thrillers rather than high-octane action, although Lam does manage to provide us with some intense action regardless, patterned car chase included. With gentle pacing and exceptional performances from all involved, this easily ranks as one of Chow Yun-fat's best and his chemistry with Cherie Chung effortlessly enchants. Combining this with the gorgeous photography of Infernal Affairs' Andrew Lau and a dreamy score by Lowell Lo and Wild Search remains an extremely captivating and downright wholesome experience in its own right.