Taylor Wong Capsule Reviews

Buddha’s Palm (1982) — July 20, 2019

So much better than any other Taylor Wong movie I’ve seen. I assume that’s indicative of the Shaw-Mona Fong machine at work.

Like a parody version of the Cheng Cheh and Chor Yuen Louis Cha adaptations that were popular in the late 70s (the Brave Archer series, Heroes Shed No Tears, etc). Like those movies: a bewildering array of characters and clans and motivations and fighting styles and famous actors. Unlike those movies: a narrator to help explain what’s going on that makes the whole thing both more clear and much, much funnier. Also unlike them, some of the most ingeniously, goofily lurid special effects of the 1980s. It’s a short step from here to Wakaliwood.

Tragic Hero (1987) — March 12, 2019

Honestly the only interesting thing about this is that it, the sequel to Rich and Famous, was actually released three months before Rich and Famous, I guess because Chow Yun-fat is in it a bit more (Andy Lau having been shipped off to an island paradise for most of the movie) and they wanted to capitalize on his stardom after A Better Tomorrow. It was released a week after City on Fire too, which must have added to the weirdness of Danny Lee’s brief appearances.

Pretty much everything about it is incompetent though, more like a TV movie version of a Woo or Lam movie, or a gangster soap opera with a crazy shootout tacked onto the end, than anything else.

Rich and Famous (1987) — January 6, 2014

Taylor Wong tries to Godfather-up A Better Tomorrow with mediocre results.