The
Raid (1991/Well Go USA DVD)
Picture:
D Sound: C Extras: D Film: C+
The
Manchurian Army creates a new poison gas weapon and Doctor/Uncle Choy
is the only one who can stop them and destroy it's factory. All
Uncle Choy wants to do is to prove he isn't too old to do his part
for the People's Republic, unfortunately for him the Manchurian Army
believes 'Dr. Choy' is a code word for super spy or secret army, but
can Uncle Choy and his ragtag group of civilians stop the Imperial
Army?
Based on retelling of 'Uncle Choi' comic, Tsui Hark's
The Raid (1991, NOT the recent action film) offers Uncle Choy
as a crazy (but patriotic) old former soldier. After being told he
is more of a hindrance he decides to sneak off with his own
'mission'. Unfortunately, he is not alone, his ward and others he
happened to run into along the way seems to end up following him for
one reason or another. Uncle Choy either has the worst or best luck,
best in he always somehow is in the right place at the right time, or
the worst to always somehow turning everything into chaos and
confusing.
This looked like someone found this film from some
lost archive, while comical it was very political and reminded about
how the citizens of China should be loyal to the government, that no
sacrifice is too great for the Republic of China. It paints that
those who were in the old Imperial government are corrupt and greedy,
anyone who works for them is a traitor and will get stabbed in the
back by those who are more vicious than them.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is cleaned up, but looks
really poor and was very difficult to watch, while the original
monophonic theatrical sound has been upgraded to lossy Dolby Digital
5.1, but not very convincingly. The combination is disappointing.
Extras include trailers.
-
Ricky Chiang
