Jeremy P
Excellent Stunt work! The action and plot is spot on! George Lazenby is an awesome villain! The main actor is quite good as well. What could have been if the great Bruce Lee was alive to be able to star in this! Having said that the main character was great and it was a fantastic film!!!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/16/24
Full Review
Peter W
Overall, there's never been a film quite like this in Australian Cinemas. Packed with incredible moments of action and stunts that will entertain audiences, it is a memorable experience. The biggest hindrance; however, is the lead actor Jimmy Wang Yu whom I found overconfident and somewhat arrogant, making him unlikeable at various times. Granted, his action and stunt work is impressive, as is the work from Grant Page and George Lazenby. Even if the plot doesn't quite grab you, it's still an entertaining film and remains iconic and worthy of being deemed an Ozploitation classic.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
06/19/23
Full Review
DanTheMan 2
I never knew I wanted to see George Lazenby with an evil moustache that badly in life, but having had the sheer delight in viewing The Man from Hong Kong today, I know I can die a happy and fulfilled man. Arrow Video, if you ever licence this for release, please give me a call, I'd kill to write the booklet for this.
Australian authorities arrest a man believed to be connected to the Sydney criminal underworld and send for Inspector Fang Sing Leng from Hong Kong to question him. After the alleged criminal is assassinated, Inspector Leng wages a one-man war against Sydney's most powerful kingpin.
The Man from Hong Kong holds the distinct notability for being the first Australian/Hong Kong co-production, released at a time when both the kung fu film and Australian New Wave craze were at their peak. Seeing the likes of Jimmy Wang Yu leading a Bondsplotation film where he faces off against the one-time 007 himself, is nothing short of genius. Even with all the backstage tension playing havoc with the film, what Brian Trenchard-Smith managed to churn out in spite of that is hands down one of the most charming flicks I've seen in a long time.
Unironically, The Man From Hong Kong is a better Bond film than most of Connery's Bond films, taking elements that seemingly didn't work in his and repurposing them here for the better. From the get-go, the poster presents a panoramic action scene design typical of the Bond movie posters of the period. George Lazenby being in the film is the most obvious element, the villain's lair is a top suite penthouse much like in Diamonds Are Forever. The use of Uluru/Ayers Rock fulfils that Bond quota of having a famous landmark involved in an action scene, which, come 2019 isn't allowed anymore. Inspector Fang Sing Leng has more than one love interest and uses them in typical 007 fashion, a catchy theme song for the opening credits, a dangerously practical and hyper-intense car chase and a pre-titles sequence that rounds out the staples.
Director Brian Trenchard-Smith, most known for later going on to helm the best Leprechaun film, Leprechaun 3, is known for creating large-scale movies on small-scale budgets and here he displays his talent ten-fold. He keeps a quirky tongue-in-cheek sense of humour that wouldn't be out of place in a Roger Moore Bond film, his style is perfectly suited to this kind of film that simultaneously satires Bond, Dirty Harry and the entire concurrent chopsocky phenomenon. There's some dated stereotyped humour but if anything it helps fuel the intense cultural divide between the two unlikely countries that is present throughout the film.
The film is helped by no end by the incredible editing of Ron Williams and Jackie Chan film editor Peter Cheung. Cinematographer Russell Boyd brilliantly captures the Hong Kong and Australian backdrops with relative ease, no wonder he was later chosen for both Gallipoli and the Crocodile Dundee duology. The production design by David Copping seemingly blends the two styles of Ken Adams and Peter Lamont perfectly together. Also worth noting is that Sammo Hung choreographed the fight scenes for the movie, which again brilliantly bring together Jimmy's own brand of martial arts and the sheer reckless nature of Jackie Chan's later works.
The cast of the film is all incredibly likeable, Jimmy Wang Yu is freed from the confines of being associated as a one-armed protagonist and getting to handle a lot of the heavy hitting and stunt work brings across a great amount of charisma and intensity befitting of the best Bonds. Even if his voice is dubbed over by uncredited Roy Chiao, it works surprisingly well. George Lazenby commits about 110% to the film and even in the infamous fire stunt gone wrong which left him with burns he still carries to this day, the man isn't fazed and turns in my favourite performance of the film as the villain Jack Wilton. Hugh Keays-Byrne and Roger Ward are fantastic as both halves of the famous Ozzy cop stereotypes, constantly bickering and getting in Jimmy's way. Honestly, I'd say the only place the film's cast kinda dips is with the love interests who serve about as much purpose as many of the Connery Bond girls.
The music by Noel Quinlan is this brilliant mix of John Barry meets early synth work that just makes the film all the more fun. He doesn't have a lot of underscoring throughout, just letting the action speak for itself and honestly, I'm all for that, especially in the car chase. The film's main theme song, "Sky High" by British rock band Jigsaw is great, costing the production itself $50,000 to use in the first place. It's a real earworm but it's also worth checking out the unused theme by Peter Nelson "Power" as well.
Overall, what more do you want me to say about The Man from Hong Kong? I've found a new love in life. Arrow, please licence this, I'm begging you, give this little masterpiece the attention it really deserves. I'm waiting for your call.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The Man from Hong Kong is a wild entertaining B mixed Martial Arts film with really amazing stunts and editing and one of the best songs by Jigsaw.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
10/11/22
Full Review
Audience Member
A truly mad romp, a film posing as an A-lister with a cast including former James Bond George Lazenby, this is an Ozploitation thriller that could almost be straight from the Grindhouse scene. Jimmy Wang Yu's Hong Kong special branch agent is brought in by the Sydney police department to interrogate a drug mule, hoping the information garnered will lead to the man behind the trafficking itself, who may or may not be George Lazenby. It's hard not to think of the previous years Roger Moore fronted Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun, and although on a technical level the Bond film is of course superior, it's hard to argue that this isn't more fun. It's ridiculous almost beyond belief, but the choreography in the fight scenes is impressive, it's insanely violent, and there are also clear influences on some of Tarantino's work, especially the crazy 88 fight in Kill Bill: Volume 1(2003). It's a terrific B-movie that has enough in it to justify its posing as an a-lister, and it will have a smile on your face for all the right and wrong reasons.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Good fun with plenty of action but of course Jimmy Yu was not a nice guy and Roger Ward and Hugh Keayes Burn should have beaten him up as they offered Trenchard Smith as a favour.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/22/19
Full Review
Read all reviews
Post a rating
>
