Max A
Gallants manages to find the perfect balance between action, comedy, and drama, with a relatable story and some of the best hand-to-hand action scenes I have ever seen.
The comedy is spot-on, contrary to the Hollywood approach, Hong Kong filmmakers don't go overboard — or so it seems —. While the main character, Cheung (Wong You-nam) is pretty funny, most of the comedic relief is done by Master Ben Law (Teddy Robin Kwan), who reminds me of Jackie Chan's uncle in the animated series Jackie Chan Adventures. Apparently, this is an estereotyped depiction of Hong Kongese elders.
The action, on the other hand, is on par with its comedic greatness — if not better —. The film has some of the best hand-to-hand combat I have ever seen. Unlike Hollywood, Hong Kong films don't seem to rely on constant cuts during the fight scenes, so the viewer can actually appreciate the action happening. I personally prefer this style.
The acting was great. From the leads to the supporting cast, everyone plays their part to perfection. JJ Jia, as one of the few female characters, particularly caught my attention in her portrayal of Kwai.
Directors Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng's use of rapid cuts and zoom, especially during face-offs make the film go from serious to funny and vice versa in a second. Also, Gallants was filmed in eighteen days!? It just got to show the incredible amount of quality good writing and direction can get when they keep things simple. Bravo!
The definitive Hong Kongese action comedy to me.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/05/24
Full Review
jesse o
From the opening credits, it is obvious that this is a tribute to old-school kung fu films, of which I haven't seen nearly as many as I would probably want to, but you can obviously see that this film wears its influences on its sleeves. And I wouldn't even say that this provides that much of a memorable kung fu film, but I did have fun watching this. The action itself is nothing that would blow your mind, particularly considering some of the films I've seen recently. And that's not even taking into consideration the amazing Raid and Raid 2. If I compared this to that, it'd be like Mike Tyson, in his prime, fighting a 15-year old. It'd just be a heartless, graphic and cruel massacre. But, taken as its own movie, and not unfairly comparing it to superior and complex choreography, the action here is pretty good all things considered. Again seeing that it's meant as a tribute to older films, then the action being simpler is definitely consistent with that mindset. But, thankfully, I think the film makes up for the action not being out of this world by being energetic and just a fun film to watch. Particularly once the master gets out of the coma he has been in for 30 years. The master is pretty entertaining and goofy and his appearance leads to some of the film's funnier moments. The film does get a bit serious once the master dies, after he finally recovers his memory, and I don't think the film was as effective dramatically as it was in a more comedic manner. Though I do like how Tiger and Dragon, the only pupils who stuck by and took of care of their master for 30 years, have pretty much dedicated their entire adult lives to looking after this man that they clearly have a lot of love for. I do think that aspect of the film works very well, in telling a dramatic story, because they pretty much gave up everything. Having a wife, kids, etc. all to take care of the man who gave them a chance. But, other than that, once the master is out of the equation, the film does lose some of the spirit and life that it had. The movie is still fun, but it loses something. With that said, this isn't something that I would call particularly memorable, but I did enjoy the film. It offers an easy to digest kung fu experience.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
My Rating: 2.5/5 stars; Grade: C+; Gesture: Thumbs Sideways; Status: Mediocre or So-So (Rotten); Emoticon: :-|.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
Audience Member
"A callback to the classic Shaw Brothers kung fu films that's infused with slick filming techniques and a heaping dose of comedy." "Gallants is a movie full of pure, unadulterated Hong Kong Cinema love."
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/21/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Fairly entertaining.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The film certainly looks the part of an Old school Kung fu flick. But the pacing plods, the quantity of fight scenes is simply not enough and almost zero athleticism on display which is 99% of what martial arts films are. I wanted to like but too much fake fu.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
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