If you are an action fan, and are able to overlook the usual, for Hong Kong movies, schizophrenic tone, which mixes excessive violence with slapstick comedy, it's practically impossible to be disappointed by "Meltdown": first-rate fight scenes, wildly over-the-top stunts, prime explosions and lots of shattered glass. It's hard to believe that so much action can be packed in just one movie. Jet Li moves with amazing speed and agility, Jacky Cheung is pretty funny, and Chingmy Yau is also around, which is always a plus. (***)
49 Reviews
Die Hard in a hotel.
BA_Harrison14 August 2015
Prolific producer/director/actor Wong Jing is the Hong Kong equivalent of Michael Bay, a film-maker who churns out insipid popcorn fodder for the masses. High Risk AKA Meltdown is Jing's blatant clone of Die Hard, a movie full of explosions, gunfire, death and destruction, with some dumb slapstick comedy for good measure, but totally devoid of originality, completely lacking in artistic merit, and a tragic waste of star Jet Li's incredible fighting abilities.
Li plays Kit, a fearless bomb disposal expert who quits the business after his wife is blown to smithereens by a terrorist organisation led by the evil Dr. David Wang (Kelvin Wong, who, thanks to the atrocious dubbing, is more Tim Curry than Alan Rickman). Two years later, Kit is working as bodyguard and secret stunt double for drunken, womanising martial arts movie star Frankie Lone (Jacky Cheung, mercilessly lampooning Jackie Chan) when The Doctor and his henchmen take over the new hotel where Frankie is attending an exhibition of priceless jewels.
While the terrorists try to break the security code for the exhibits, Kit, aided by police detective Chow Kam (Chung-Hsien Yang), tries to rescue the hostages, whose numbers include sexy news reporter Helen (the lovely Chingmy Yau), Chow Kam's feisty girlfriend Joyce (Charlie Yeung), and Frankie's father (Ma Wu)—as well as the cowardly kung fu star himself, who spends most of the film hiding from the villains.
While Meltdown certainly delivers its fair share of chaotic action, including a car and a helicopter crashing into the hotel to cause untold damage, endless shootouts and numerous explosions, the whole thing soon becoming tiresome thanks to the total absence of originality and the excruciatingly bad comedy. Fans of Jet Li will also be disappointed by the lack of martial arts action from the star, the film's only notable fight scene occurring between Frankie and Wang's head henchman Kong, played by Billy Chow, who sports the mother of all mullets!
4.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 5 for the excessive violence (there are countless squibs, a guy has his hand cut off by a machete, Dr. Wang's sexy squeeze Fai Fai gets her head shot off, and one extra is cut in half by the helicopter's rotor blade).
Li plays Kit, a fearless bomb disposal expert who quits the business after his wife is blown to smithereens by a terrorist organisation led by the evil Dr. David Wang (Kelvin Wong, who, thanks to the atrocious dubbing, is more Tim Curry than Alan Rickman). Two years later, Kit is working as bodyguard and secret stunt double for drunken, womanising martial arts movie star Frankie Lone (Jacky Cheung, mercilessly lampooning Jackie Chan) when The Doctor and his henchmen take over the new hotel where Frankie is attending an exhibition of priceless jewels.
While the terrorists try to break the security code for the exhibits, Kit, aided by police detective Chow Kam (Chung-Hsien Yang), tries to rescue the hostages, whose numbers include sexy news reporter Helen (the lovely Chingmy Yau), Chow Kam's feisty girlfriend Joyce (Charlie Yeung), and Frankie's father (Ma Wu)—as well as the cowardly kung fu star himself, who spends most of the film hiding from the villains.
While Meltdown certainly delivers its fair share of chaotic action, including a car and a helicopter crashing into the hotel to cause untold damage, endless shootouts and numerous explosions, the whole thing soon becoming tiresome thanks to the total absence of originality and the excruciatingly bad comedy. Fans of Jet Li will also be disappointed by the lack of martial arts action from the star, the film's only notable fight scene occurring between Frankie and Wang's head henchman Kong, played by Billy Chow, who sports the mother of all mullets!
4.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 5 for the excessive violence (there are countless squibs, a guy has his hand cut off by a machete, Dr. Wang's sexy squeeze Fai Fai gets her head shot off, and one extra is cut in half by the helicopter's rotor blade).
Good rip-off of HARD-BOILED and DIE HARD !
Batkid128 October 2007
I can't say it better myself. This movie rocks, HARD! It's filled with non-stop comedy and action sequences and is never boring.
Jet Li is a police officer who is asked to fill in for a stunt-man, who is a Jackie Chan-persona, one fine day. The next couple of days, the cop's supposed to be a bodyguard for the spoiled star who's to meet with his managers a couple of business partners in a huge rich, business building with a lot of people.
All of a sudden, the party is crashed by some jewel thieves who have been wanted for various terrorist acts in Hong Kong, including one where a bus armed w/ explosives & had a ton of hostages on it was blown to pieces. Included was Li's wife and child so the film is part- revenge flick as well.
The movie starts out explosive, has funny in-between moments and has the last couple of minutes be all about kung fu, more explosions, gun-fights, people using random objects as weapons, more gun-fights, snakes (!) and a helicopter crash along with another random fight.
It never gets old!
Jet Li is a police officer who is asked to fill in for a stunt-man, who is a Jackie Chan-persona, one fine day. The next couple of days, the cop's supposed to be a bodyguard for the spoiled star who's to meet with his managers a couple of business partners in a huge rich, business building with a lot of people.
All of a sudden, the party is crashed by some jewel thieves who have been wanted for various terrorist acts in Hong Kong, including one where a bus armed w/ explosives & had a ton of hostages on it was blown to pieces. Included was Li's wife and child so the film is part- revenge flick as well.
The movie starts out explosive, has funny in-between moments and has the last couple of minutes be all about kung fu, more explosions, gun-fights, people using random objects as weapons, more gun-fights, snakes (!) and a helicopter crash along with another random fight.
It never gets old!
A Violent spoof of Action films
hayabusa-17 July 2002
Violence runs rampant throughout `Meltdown'. If you're not a fan of gore there's a good chance you won't like this movie. Bouncing Betty mines, time bombs, impaling, electrocution, dismemberment by helicopter blades, graphic gunshot wounds and death are among the dark and gruesome violence that balance out the comedic spoof this film is.
`Meltdown' itself is a spoof on both Die Hard 1 and 2 (Ironically it came out the same year as Die Hard 3). Terrorists dressed exactly like those in Die hard 2, right down to the urban fatigues (and trademark sunglasses for the evil military leader) Take over a high rise building, the plot of the original Die Hard. The geeky black computer hacker is replaced in this film by an equally geeky Indian computer hacker. Fans of the Die Hard trilogy will certainly enjoy the parallels `Meltdown' makes to the `Die Hard' trilogy.
`Meltdown' goes beyond a simple movie spoof. The semi-protagonist of the film `Freddie' is a composite spoof of Chinese martial arts movie legends Bruce Li and Jackie Chan. Freddie takes Chan's zaniness and silliness to extreme farcical levels, while wearing the yellow jumpsuit and uttering the kung fu sounds that Bruce Lee will always be remembered for.
The Kung Fu in this movie is average at best. It's not one of Jet Li's best performances, but then again it isn't bad. What the movie lacks in kung fu, it makes up for with the aforementioned gratuitous violence. The parody is what makes this film worthwhile. 6/9 stars.
`Meltdown' itself is a spoof on both Die Hard 1 and 2 (Ironically it came out the same year as Die Hard 3). Terrorists dressed exactly like those in Die hard 2, right down to the urban fatigues (and trademark sunglasses for the evil military leader) Take over a high rise building, the plot of the original Die Hard. The geeky black computer hacker is replaced in this film by an equally geeky Indian computer hacker. Fans of the Die Hard trilogy will certainly enjoy the parallels `Meltdown' makes to the `Die Hard' trilogy.
`Meltdown' goes beyond a simple movie spoof. The semi-protagonist of the film `Freddie' is a composite spoof of Chinese martial arts movie legends Bruce Li and Jackie Chan. Freddie takes Chan's zaniness and silliness to extreme farcical levels, while wearing the yellow jumpsuit and uttering the kung fu sounds that Bruce Lee will always be remembered for.
The Kung Fu in this movie is average at best. It's not one of Jet Li's best performances, but then again it isn't bad. What the movie lacks in kung fu, it makes up for with the aforementioned gratuitous violence. The parody is what makes this film worthwhile. 6/9 stars.
A Fun Action Flick
gavin69428 March 2017
After failing to save his wife from the Doctor, Kit Li is working as a bodyguard and secret stunt double for the cowardly martial arts film star Frankie Lane. Frankie attends an exhibition of the crown jewels of Russia at a Hong Kong hotel, and when the Doctor's gang take over the building in attempt to steal them, Kit is the only thing standing in their way.
The film is a parody of some of Hollywood's most influential action films, such as "Die Hard" and "Speed". It also gained controversy for spoofing Jackie Chan, who was, in turn, offended by the satire. From what I can tell, he was offended specifically because he had a falling out with the director. I don't see anything that is offensive here... sure, it might vaguely imply that Chan is a fake, but only vaguely -- satire is what happens when you reach the success of Chan.
Overall, this is a strong action film with a fun plot. Purists can watch it with subtitles, but those who prefer dubbing will especially enjoy the sweet voice of Daran Norris as the Doctor.
The film is a parody of some of Hollywood's most influential action films, such as "Die Hard" and "Speed". It also gained controversy for spoofing Jackie Chan, who was, in turn, offended by the satire. From what I can tell, he was offended specifically because he had a falling out with the director. I don't see anything that is offensive here... sure, it might vaguely imply that Chan is a fake, but only vaguely -- satire is what happens when you reach the success of Chan.
Overall, this is a strong action film with a fun plot. Purists can watch it with subtitles, but those who prefer dubbing will especially enjoy the sweet voice of Daran Norris as the Doctor.
great action, unnecessary satire
winner559 December 2007
The action sequences in this film are utterly superb, among the best in Hong Kong's long history of fine action films. Yet it's a difficult film to recommend.
There are a number of real problems with the film. First and foremost is Wong Jing's decision to use the film to strike out at Jackie Chan. While I can understand that Wong and Chan did not work well together on City Hunter, and a case can certainly be made that Chan is overly fond himself and does, indeed, occasionally use stunt doubles (contrary to hype), nothing suggests that Chan is a coward and a raving lush. To suggest this isn't mere satire, it's direct character assassination. This is an incredibly bad strategic decision. All fans of Chan, all who only respect him, and perhaps even many who have only heard his name, will find this attack unnecessary in the extreme and profoundly upsetting.
And there is more in the film to upset the average viewer. The film is not only excessively violent (I rather like excessive violence), but depressingly so. Innocent women and children splat like flies against a window. Various efforts at heroism and decency go unrewarded or even punished. The whole atmosphere of the film is gaudy, dark, choppy, nasty.
Wong Jing has made many films, and some of them are even quite fun. But this isn't really one of them. Wong's history shows that he also doesn't take his profession very seriously, and many of his films suffer for it, getting terribly sloppy at times - and Melt Down is no exception. Which is unfortunate - when you have a stunt crew like this, action choreography as good as this, not to mention Jet Li at the top of his form, so much could have been done, yet it is here left unaccomplished.
Oh, well. Occasionally fun, occasionally disturbing; one last good thing to say of the film is that the end is surprisingly strong and satisfying. If only the same could be said of rest of the film.
There are a number of real problems with the film. First and foremost is Wong Jing's decision to use the film to strike out at Jackie Chan. While I can understand that Wong and Chan did not work well together on City Hunter, and a case can certainly be made that Chan is overly fond himself and does, indeed, occasionally use stunt doubles (contrary to hype), nothing suggests that Chan is a coward and a raving lush. To suggest this isn't mere satire, it's direct character assassination. This is an incredibly bad strategic decision. All fans of Chan, all who only respect him, and perhaps even many who have only heard his name, will find this attack unnecessary in the extreme and profoundly upsetting.
And there is more in the film to upset the average viewer. The film is not only excessively violent (I rather like excessive violence), but depressingly so. Innocent women and children splat like flies against a window. Various efforts at heroism and decency go unrewarded or even punished. The whole atmosphere of the film is gaudy, dark, choppy, nasty.
Wong Jing has made many films, and some of them are even quite fun. But this isn't really one of them. Wong's history shows that he also doesn't take his profession very seriously, and many of his films suffer for it, getting terribly sloppy at times - and Melt Down is no exception. Which is unfortunate - when you have a stunt crew like this, action choreography as good as this, not to mention Jet Li at the top of his form, so much could have been done, yet it is here left unaccomplished.
Oh, well. Occasionally fun, occasionally disturbing; one last good thing to say of the film is that the end is surprisingly strong and satisfying. If only the same could be said of rest of the film.
Mildly disappointing
chris411-29 July 2001
Warning: Spoilers
I've fallen into the habit of renting just about every movie featuring Jet Li that I can get my hands on. I was in something of a bad mood when I watched this movie, so perhaps much of its potential charms were lost on me.
This movie appears to have been heavily influenced by North American action movies, with some rather impressive stunts, and the usual explosions and gunplay. Which is a shame, since the talent of Jet Li and Jacky Cheung find themselves underused. The attempts at humor fell flat as far as I was concerned.
I was also rather annoyed by the low quality of the dubbing. I would have preferred subtitles. Still, I'm making this movie sound worse than it really is. And I don't believe I've ever seen (WARNING: MILD SPOILER) an helicopter crashing into a building with such detail!
This movie appears to have been heavily influenced by North American action movies, with some rather impressive stunts, and the usual explosions and gunplay. Which is a shame, since the talent of Jet Li and Jacky Cheung find themselves underused. The attempts at humor fell flat as far as I was concerned.
I was also rather annoyed by the low quality of the dubbing. I would have preferred subtitles. Still, I'm making this movie sound worse than it really is. And I don't believe I've ever seen (WARNING: MILD SPOILER) an helicopter crashing into a building with such detail!
Michael Bay Meets Hong Kong
monkeysgalore12 February 2020
If you're looking for a serious, gritty, action film, look elsewhere. One glance at the cover of High Risk (known as Meltdown in the US) will tell you everything you need to know about this film. It's a loud, violent, amusing action film, and a parody of the genre.
Along with John Woo, Ringo Lam, and Yuen Woo-Ping, director Wong Jing is undoubtedly one of Hong Kong's most prolific directors. He directs this film quite well, staging some very remarkable and memorable action sequences. He is definitely the Michael Bay of Hong Kong action films. It's sad that most people will go into this expecting a serious Jet Li martial arts film, which it's totally not. It's really more of a Wong Jing film, that Jet Li happens to be in.
All the actors were at lest ok, although many of them tend to overact, as is the case in Hong Kong comedy films, although I guess that's the point. I watched a dubbed American version though, so that may have detracted from the performances. Jet Li is great though, managing to both act, and look awesome in action scenes. He is a little stone-faced, and this is one of his earlier roles, but he did fine. This isn't actually a Jet Li vehicle, and although he's in much of the film, Jacky Cheung gets a lot of screen time, and is just as major a player as Li.
The action scenes though, are above all the reason to give this a watch. The action doesn't really heat up until about a half hour in, but once it does, it's non-stop. This movie is jam-packed with action, and it's hard for me to even list the scenes. There are three good fight scenes, and many shootouts and explosions. This is NOT a kung fu movie, just an action movie with kung fu in it, so don't go in thinking that it is. It's mostly just guns and explosions, but it's quite a spectacle. Jet Li and another character actually crash a car into a hotel lobby and drive around shooting people. The violence is on-par with the action scenes too, with one guy getting impaled through his head, another guy getting impaled with a long pole, and another guy getting killed by a helicopter blade. It's pretty violent, so be warned.
There are lots of weird moments, even by Hong Kong standards. The villain lets a bunch of reptiles loose in a bathroom to kill a woman when they could've just shot her, and two of the villains even stop threatening the protagonists to fight each other at one point. It's just great. Pure insanity.
I recommend this film to anyone who calls themselves an action fan, and I especially recommend it to fans of Hong Kong cinema. It's a great biting parody of major Hollywood action movies, mainly Die Hard (1988). Check it out.
Along with John Woo, Ringo Lam, and Yuen Woo-Ping, director Wong Jing is undoubtedly one of Hong Kong's most prolific directors. He directs this film quite well, staging some very remarkable and memorable action sequences. He is definitely the Michael Bay of Hong Kong action films. It's sad that most people will go into this expecting a serious Jet Li martial arts film, which it's totally not. It's really more of a Wong Jing film, that Jet Li happens to be in.
All the actors were at lest ok, although many of them tend to overact, as is the case in Hong Kong comedy films, although I guess that's the point. I watched a dubbed American version though, so that may have detracted from the performances. Jet Li is great though, managing to both act, and look awesome in action scenes. He is a little stone-faced, and this is one of his earlier roles, but he did fine. This isn't actually a Jet Li vehicle, and although he's in much of the film, Jacky Cheung gets a lot of screen time, and is just as major a player as Li.
The action scenes though, are above all the reason to give this a watch. The action doesn't really heat up until about a half hour in, but once it does, it's non-stop. This movie is jam-packed with action, and it's hard for me to even list the scenes. There are three good fight scenes, and many shootouts and explosions. This is NOT a kung fu movie, just an action movie with kung fu in it, so don't go in thinking that it is. It's mostly just guns and explosions, but it's quite a spectacle. Jet Li and another character actually crash a car into a hotel lobby and drive around shooting people. The violence is on-par with the action scenes too, with one guy getting impaled through his head, another guy getting impaled with a long pole, and another guy getting killed by a helicopter blade. It's pretty violent, so be warned.
There are lots of weird moments, even by Hong Kong standards. The villain lets a bunch of reptiles loose in a bathroom to kill a woman when they could've just shot her, and two of the villains even stop threatening the protagonists to fight each other at one point. It's just great. Pure insanity.
I recommend this film to anyone who calls themselves an action fan, and I especially recommend it to fans of Hong Kong cinema. It's a great biting parody of major Hollywood action movies, mainly Die Hard (1988). Check it out.
Insipid and Without Cinematic Merit
Uriah4325 November 2017
After witnessing the murder of his wife and daughter at the hands of a mysterious terrorist known as "the Doctor" (Kelvin Wong), a military officer named "Kit Li" (Jet Li) resigns and becomes a bodyguard/stunt man for a martial arts actor by the name of "Frankie Lone" (Jacky Cheong). The problem is, that while Frankie was a decent martial arts expert at one time, his skills have atrophied to the point that he is hardly able to defend himself-much less anybody else. So when he and a number of other rich and influential people are held hostage by "the Doctor" it falls upon Kit Li to essentially save everyone. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I thought that this was a really bad film due in large part to the bad acting, poor quality stunts and less-than-humorous comedy. Likewise, the fact that the director (Wong Jing) had an ulterior motive to discredit Jackie Chan didn't endear me to it either. In short, I found this film to be insipid and without cinematic merit and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.
Lots of action but wastes Jet's skills
drngor22 June 2001
This movie would've been a perfect opportunity to translate Jet's skills into a modern setting. We have Die Hard-esque plot with terrorists taking over the building. We have Billy Chow as one of the terrorists. There are only two people (Jet included)who know how to fight. And what do we have? Two fights. One has Jet fighting this impressive General guy with light posts. The other has Jacky Cheung beating on Billy Chow while doing a Bruce Lee impression. Those fights are decent. The rest of the action is some good gunplay. But I don't want to see Jet shooting guns as much as I want to see him go hand-to-hand. Well, on the upside, there's a lot of action and movie rarely lets up. It also has Chingmy Yau, one of my favorite actresses from Hong Kong. It's just that Jet Li doesn't give much of a physical performance in this one.
Wasn't that impressed! 2/10
leonblackwood7 December 2014
Review: I really found it hard to get into this oriental Die Hard/Blown Away type movie, because the acting was pretty bad, along with the shoddy storyline. The baddie was trying to hard to be like Alan Rickman in the first Die Hard movie and Jet Li, who plays an actors bodyguard, looked uncomfortable in this American style movie. Some of the action scenes weren't bad, but I must admit, I did drift off a couple of times whilst watching it. On the plus side, it does have a well thought through twist at the end which surprised me, but apart from that I did lose interest after a while. Disappointing!
Round-Up: This movie does prove that Jet Li was trying to cover every genre in the early part of his career but I personally prefer him in the more authentic movies. The guy that he was protecting in this film, became really annoying after a while, along with the reporter who thought a lot of herself. There are some scenes that are a blatantly the same as Die Hard but you have to really know the film to notice them. It also seemed a bit weird that they used a English speaking Hop Hop soundtrack throughout the movie but thats just me being picky. Disappointing
Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $11.4million
I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a bodyguard whose trying to save some kidnapped individuals from a group of jewel thieves. 2/10
Round-Up: This movie does prove that Jet Li was trying to cover every genre in the early part of his career but I personally prefer him in the more authentic movies. The guy that he was protecting in this film, became really annoying after a while, along with the reporter who thought a lot of herself. There are some scenes that are a blatantly the same as Die Hard but you have to really know the film to notice them. It also seemed a bit weird that they used a English speaking Hop Hop soundtrack throughout the movie but thats just me being picky. Disappointing
Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $11.4million
I recommend this movie to people who are into their Jet Li movies about a bodyguard whose trying to save some kidnapped individuals from a group of jewel thieves. 2/10
Die Hard goes martial arts !
Viva_Chiba2 December 2010
As you probably know, Wong Jing is an Hong Kong director, famous for mix various styles in his features, in this case we have a mix of Die Hard and a martial arts movie.
The action scenes are cool, with martial arts fights and a mixture of violence, slapstick comedy and awesome stunt work, with the choreography of Corey Yuen (the main reason why i saw this film)!
The cast is cool, Jet Li was awesome, Jacky Cheung was funny and awesome, his performance went beyond my expectations.
The rhythm is fast paced, even in the scenes without action it's still entertaining, because the characters are worked and well structured.
Better than expected, recommended to everybody !
The action scenes are cool, with martial arts fights and a mixture of violence, slapstick comedy and awesome stunt work, with the choreography of Corey Yuen (the main reason why i saw this film)!
The cast is cool, Jet Li was awesome, Jacky Cheung was funny and awesome, his performance went beyond my expectations.
The rhythm is fast paced, even in the scenes without action it's still entertaining, because the characters are worked and well structured.
Better than expected, recommended to everybody !
Wong Jing delivers the goods again
Leofwine_draca10 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
MELTDOWN is one of the contemporary action thrillers that Jet Li knocked out during the 1990s. This one's written and directed by Wong Jing so you know it won't take an entirely serious approach to the material despite the violence inherent in the story. The first half is the usual cheesy comedy in which Jing hilariously takes many swipes at Jackie Chan (the two fell out after making CITY HUNTER). Jacky Cheung does a great impression of Chan, but it turns out he's a coward with Li his secret stuntman.
The second half of the film turns into a straight-up copy of DIE HARD with many similar situations and characters. The cast is very good and the humour mixes ably with the action, something that Hong Kong always pulls off very well. Li doesn't get to do much martial arts here but he runs around heroically a lot. Cheung turns into a Bruce Lee imitator late on and is both funny and very physical. Chingmy Lau is an attractive reporter, Wu Ma plays Cheung's dad, and Billy Chow is one of the very imposing villains. It all ends up with a big mix of explosive stunts, breakneck action, and bloody violence, and I loved every bit of it.
The second half of the film turns into a straight-up copy of DIE HARD with many similar situations and characters. The cast is very good and the humour mixes ably with the action, something that Hong Kong always pulls off very well. Li doesn't get to do much martial arts here but he runs around heroically a lot. Cheung turns into a Bruce Lee imitator late on and is both funny and very physical. Chingmy Lau is an attractive reporter, Wu Ma plays Cheung's dad, and Billy Chow is one of the very imposing villains. It all ends up with a big mix of explosive stunts, breakneck action, and bloody violence, and I loved every bit of it.
Pale parody of Die Hard
maixent24 July 2003
I am not a huge fan of Jet Li, but I do enjoy to watch some his martial art fights. Alas! This movie doesn't involve much of fights. Ok, maybe the scenario could be great, but it is only a pale copy of Die Hard. Bruce Willis doesn't know kung-fu but at least he trashes the terrorists with style:-) Don't confuse me, I am not praising American productions. I do enjoy Chinese movies. ^;^ I guess I would have enjoyed more this movie if it wasn't dubbed. There is nothing as good as the original language. Anyway, you will not miss anything if you don't watch this movie, there are loads of better movies from Hong Kong than this one.
Good story and great action
m0rg168 February 2003
Some people might think that this is a Jet Li film. Well, it is not. Jet Li IS there, and he kills a bunch of bad guys and causes trouble for the bad guy (The Doctor). But he is not the head character. He is in the movie from time to time, but not enough to be called a main character.
It starts out with Kit Li (Jet Li) as a army officer. His wife and some school children are trapped in a bus and Jet Li needs to disarm the bomb beneath the bus. He cuts the wrong wire and the bus goes boom.
We fast forward 2 years and now Kit Li acts as bodyguard for the Kung-Fu superstar Frankie Lone. Frankie Lone is known for making all of his own stunts (when infact, Kit Li, or some stunt double, is the one who makes the stunts).
One day Frankie Lone goes to see some Tzar jewels from Russia, displayed in a skyscraper. And then Terrorists run in, kill everyone on floor one and go up to the Tzar jewels and takes everyone hostage... But not Kit Li or Frankie Lone. While Frankie Lone runs around the building, avoiding terrorists all the time (he is to cowardly to fight them), Kit Li rushes the building with a cop and an uzi, and mows down enough terrorists to fill a football field with (well, almost. Its entertaining anyway).
Excellent writing and goofy acting and directing (intentionally) makes up for a superb action movie. I have seen people here complain about the Kung-Fu just being average in this movie, but I disagree. Its very good indeed. Might not be Jet Li's best, but at least it doesn't use CGI like so many movies today. its fast and entertaining. The final fight scene between Frankie Lone and that long haired terrorist dude is really awesome (and funny).
I give this movie a 9 out of 10 stars. Rent it, or even better, buy it!
It starts out with Kit Li (Jet Li) as a army officer. His wife and some school children are trapped in a bus and Jet Li needs to disarm the bomb beneath the bus. He cuts the wrong wire and the bus goes boom.
We fast forward 2 years and now Kit Li acts as bodyguard for the Kung-Fu superstar Frankie Lone. Frankie Lone is known for making all of his own stunts (when infact, Kit Li, or some stunt double, is the one who makes the stunts).
One day Frankie Lone goes to see some Tzar jewels from Russia, displayed in a skyscraper. And then Terrorists run in, kill everyone on floor one and go up to the Tzar jewels and takes everyone hostage... But not Kit Li or Frankie Lone. While Frankie Lone runs around the building, avoiding terrorists all the time (he is to cowardly to fight them), Kit Li rushes the building with a cop and an uzi, and mows down enough terrorists to fill a football field with (well, almost. Its entertaining anyway).
Excellent writing and goofy acting and directing (intentionally) makes up for a superb action movie. I have seen people here complain about the Kung-Fu just being average in this movie, but I disagree. Its very good indeed. Might not be Jet Li's best, but at least it doesn't use CGI like so many movies today. its fast and entertaining. The final fight scene between Frankie Lone and that long haired terrorist dude is really awesome (and funny).
I give this movie a 9 out of 10 stars. Rent it, or even better, buy it!
Now this is what an action movie should be.
The-Sarkologist28 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is not a blockbuster Hollywood movie, but it makes much of the action flicks that come out of the United States seem nothing more and a boring romance in which nothing happens. High Risk is Die Hard with more guts than anybody in Hollywood could even consider. This movie looks like a typical block buster action movie but plays out much better.
The plot is simple and themes are really non-existent. In a lot of cases, themes, and even plots, are something that don't play out in Hong Kong Movies (as this is what this movie is). I am not saying that Hong Kong movies are full of pointless violence; by no means, it is just some movies concentrate more on the action than on anything else. As Des Mangan said once, "why let the plot get in the way of a good stunt" or even "why let the plot get in the way of a good sequel." High Risk does have a plot though and does play out quite well.
A bunch of thieves armed with some incredibly powerful weapons, storm a hotel in which a collection of priceless jewels are on display. The movie plays out for a while before the thieves take the hotel, but once they do, the action is almost non-stop. In this hotel is an actor named Frankie and his bodyguard named Bold (I think). Bold watched his wife and daughter die when a criminal named the Doctor put a bomb on it and he failed to defuse it. This memory has haunted him his entire life, so when the Doctor is found to be behind this robbery, Bold sees it as a chance to redeem himself. Frankie is brilliant. He is supposed to be an action hero, and is referred to throughout the movie as a superhero, but when it comes down to it, he is nothing more than a coward. Frankie spends most of the movie running away from the bad guys and when he goes to confront them, he constantly bumbles. Though Frankie loves his father, and if anybody even considers beating him up then Frankie really gets mad. Oh, and he spends half the movie running around without any pants on. Don't ask me why.
Another great character is a female terrorist. This woman is a bitch, yet acts so innocent, everybody is willing to trust her with their lives. The heroes try to rescue her, kiss her, and generally attempt to sweep her off her feet like a typical heroine. All the while she is working with the terrorists and plotting the heroes' downfall.
The action is just awesome. Hollywood would simply drive a car through a window and have the hero jump out and gun down all the bad guys inside. Not so in High Risk. The hero drives the car into the foyer, runs over heaps of baddies, shots others with an uzi, and when the light machine gun comes out. He drives the car into the elevator and goes to the top floor, where he wrecks further havoc among the thieves up there before sending it flying out of the window. If that doesn't satisfy anybodies' taste, then there is the scene with the helicopter.
To be honest, it is impossible to describe how awesome this movie is so my best option is to suggest you go and try and find it and watch it for yourself.
The plot is simple and themes are really non-existent. In a lot of cases, themes, and even plots, are something that don't play out in Hong Kong Movies (as this is what this movie is). I am not saying that Hong Kong movies are full of pointless violence; by no means, it is just some movies concentrate more on the action than on anything else. As Des Mangan said once, "why let the plot get in the way of a good stunt" or even "why let the plot get in the way of a good sequel." High Risk does have a plot though and does play out quite well.
A bunch of thieves armed with some incredibly powerful weapons, storm a hotel in which a collection of priceless jewels are on display. The movie plays out for a while before the thieves take the hotel, but once they do, the action is almost non-stop. In this hotel is an actor named Frankie and his bodyguard named Bold (I think). Bold watched his wife and daughter die when a criminal named the Doctor put a bomb on it and he failed to defuse it. This memory has haunted him his entire life, so when the Doctor is found to be behind this robbery, Bold sees it as a chance to redeem himself. Frankie is brilliant. He is supposed to be an action hero, and is referred to throughout the movie as a superhero, but when it comes down to it, he is nothing more than a coward. Frankie spends most of the movie running away from the bad guys and when he goes to confront them, he constantly bumbles. Though Frankie loves his father, and if anybody even considers beating him up then Frankie really gets mad. Oh, and he spends half the movie running around without any pants on. Don't ask me why.
Another great character is a female terrorist. This woman is a bitch, yet acts so innocent, everybody is willing to trust her with their lives. The heroes try to rescue her, kiss her, and generally attempt to sweep her off her feet like a typical heroine. All the while she is working with the terrorists and plotting the heroes' downfall.
The action is just awesome. Hollywood would simply drive a car through a window and have the hero jump out and gun down all the bad guys inside. Not so in High Risk. The hero drives the car into the foyer, runs over heaps of baddies, shots others with an uzi, and when the light machine gun comes out. He drives the car into the elevator and goes to the top floor, where he wrecks further havoc among the thieves up there before sending it flying out of the window. If that doesn't satisfy anybodies' taste, then there is the scene with the helicopter.
To be honest, it is impossible to describe how awesome this movie is so my best option is to suggest you go and try and find it and watch it for yourself.
Not as good as I remember it
dworldeater15 April 2023
I have not seen this in decades. High Risk is a action/comedy flick by producer/director Wong Jing. One of the good things about a Wong Jing production is that he casts his girlfriend Chingmy Yau who is gorgeous and a pretty capable actress to boot. This is a Jet Li vehicle where he is bodyguard for Frankie(Jackie Chung) who plays a boozing, womanizing martial arts star that pretends to.do his own stunts. Similar to Jackie Chan, who publically complained about the project for taking shots at him by Wong Jing(who previously cast Chan in City Hunter). The film is mainly a spoof of Die Hard where terrorists take over a building and Jet Li is up to save the day. The action scenes are crazy and in abundance with lots of gunplay and Kung Fu. Jet Li is up for the task and does very well what Jet Li does. However, the overall tone of the film is silly with way too much slapstick comedy that lowers the overall quality of the film. Overall, High Risk is enjoyable action flick. But by no means
the best one as far as that goes.
a decent kung-fu action comedy
hacks-5663520 November 2020
The story is not supposed to be funny I don't think?... or maybe it is?.. but this is irrelevant. It is very funny. Almost like a spoof of a violent kunf-fu die hard...
Jet Li brings his acting A-game, which is to say he alternates between a kind and humble person and a hard and fast killer.
One thing that is classic from these movies is the amount of destruction that occurs due to actions of the "good guys"...
At one point, there is a really odd and I would say pointless and crazy helicopter scene that lmao just destroys and kills and maims... very nice.
Fun action, light banter, crazy but not insane villains and ya got a pretty good ripoff of the american versions!
Jet Li brings his acting A-game, which is to say he alternates between a kind and humble person and a hard and fast killer.
One thing that is classic from these movies is the amount of destruction that occurs due to actions of the "good guys"...
At one point, there is a really odd and I would say pointless and crazy helicopter scene that lmao just destroys and kills and maims... very nice.
Fun action, light banter, crazy but not insane villains and ya got a pretty good ripoff of the american versions!
Postmodern take on Hong Kong action cinema...i prefer an entertaining comedy/action spoof~
funang10 November 2002
I saw this movie during my high school days when it was first released in the cinema. I enjoyed it thoroughly back then, and having seen countless snnipets on re-runs and re-re-runs on tv, and just watching it in its entirety again most recently, I still find it satisfyingly entertaining.
Compared to the other run on the mill Hong Kong action/ comedy movies, this ranks as one of those with a much larger budget, hence higher production values. Not to say that it is anywhere near the Hollywood meglo-maniacal standards, but it is good enough for something 'Made in Hong Kong'.
However I must say, action aside, the most impressive thing about this movie is still the writing, thanks to the very talented and much maligned Wong Jing. I always considered Wong Jing a wizard of Hong Kong cinema, contributing to almost all of Stephen Chow's earlier works, and still having more spells to unleash from his bag.
The postmodern take on Jacky Cheung doing a Bruce Lee 'Game of Death' yellow outfit, and of course even Jackie Chan's 'I always do my own stunts' is not only refreshingly funny, but also a biting satirical commentary. Top that with very good performances from Cheung himself, and his supporting cast which includes Wu Ma parodying 'Jackie Chan's father' and Charlie Cho as Jackie's manager, and the always beautiful Chingmy Yau and Valerie CHow upping the good/ bad babe factor plus the high doses of slapstick, suspense and mind-blowing action...it doesn't get any more and any better~
'High Risks' (it's original English title) is a Jet Lee vehicle...as well as Jacky Cheung's. I guess many of the american reviewers here, who probably only saw the English dubbed version, would find this to be very unfamiliar Jet Lee territory as compared to his other period pieces. They would no doubt also have missed out on many of the clever in-jokes and sub texts, and view this as another 'Die Hard' spoof. Sad to say, that is the case with many of the transitions of Asian films to American shores, most notably Hong Kong cinema and Japanese anime. So regardless of whether you are a Jet Lee fan or not, go see this movie with and open mind & enjoy the ride. Even if not for anything else, indulge in the escapist entertainment. THat's how it works for me in the first place...
Compared to the other run on the mill Hong Kong action/ comedy movies, this ranks as one of those with a much larger budget, hence higher production values. Not to say that it is anywhere near the Hollywood meglo-maniacal standards, but it is good enough for something 'Made in Hong Kong'.
However I must say, action aside, the most impressive thing about this movie is still the writing, thanks to the very talented and much maligned Wong Jing. I always considered Wong Jing a wizard of Hong Kong cinema, contributing to almost all of Stephen Chow's earlier works, and still having more spells to unleash from his bag.
The postmodern take on Jacky Cheung doing a Bruce Lee 'Game of Death' yellow outfit, and of course even Jackie Chan's 'I always do my own stunts' is not only refreshingly funny, but also a biting satirical commentary. Top that with very good performances from Cheung himself, and his supporting cast which includes Wu Ma parodying 'Jackie Chan's father' and Charlie Cho as Jackie's manager, and the always beautiful Chingmy Yau and Valerie CHow upping the good/ bad babe factor plus the high doses of slapstick, suspense and mind-blowing action...it doesn't get any more and any better~
'High Risks' (it's original English title) is a Jet Lee vehicle...as well as Jacky Cheung's. I guess many of the american reviewers here, who probably only saw the English dubbed version, would find this to be very unfamiliar Jet Lee territory as compared to his other period pieces. They would no doubt also have missed out on many of the clever in-jokes and sub texts, and view this as another 'Die Hard' spoof. Sad to say, that is the case with many of the transitions of Asian films to American shores, most notably Hong Kong cinema and Japanese anime. So regardless of whether you are a Jet Lee fan or not, go see this movie with and open mind & enjoy the ride. Even if not for anything else, indulge in the escapist entertainment. THat's how it works for me in the first place...
stupid
dunny11 April 2002
this would have been a good film if it was played seriously...Jet gives a good serious performance but its completely let down by the stupid comedy that is so badly unfunny outside of Hong Kong! ... its like Die Hard crossed with the Teletubbies, also the scene were you see the guy taking a pi$$ in full uncut graphic detail was completly uncalled for :D
very enjoyable Jet Li film
currax6 August 2000
I was expecting a lot more fighting, but I still enjoyed this movie quite a bit. Jet Li is a very likeable actor no matter what he's doing. Much of the comic relief does fall flat, though. And any time you get a Hong Kong DVD, you've just got to put up with the ridiculous translations masquerading as subtitles (i.e. "Are you taking her advantage?").
High Risk
BandSAboutMovies4 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Kit Li (Jet Li) is a Hong Kong Bomb Squad police officer who responds to the latest threat of The Doctor's (Kelvin Wong in his final role) terrorist group. They've taken a school bus hostage and his wife and son are on board. He sends one of his team to diffuse it, but the complicated bomb explodes and everyone dies, including Kit's family. He leaves the force behind and finds a new life as a stunt double for Frankie Lone ("God of Song" Jacky Cheung), a man who claims to do all his own stunts.
After Jacky's latest movie wraps, Frankie's father (Wu Ma) and his manager Charlie Tso (Charlie Tso, who acted in Hong Kong softcore films and Police Story) invite Kit to the Hotel Grandeur for a jewelry show. The Doctor is on his way there and they cross paths as Jacky hears his voice, but no one will believe him. He and his gang destroy the hotel and his partner Fai-fai (Valerie Chow) uses her beauty to lead Jacky to a gang member named Kong (Billy Chow, Fist of Legend and the WKA world Welterweight champion from 1984 to 1986) who has dreamed of fighting the movie star. Jacky barely escapes with his life.
Meanwhile, a journalist named Helen (Chingmy Yau) out to expose Jacky's secret discovers The Doctor's identity. She and Kit fall in love over the course of this Die Hard scenario and if you don't think that he won't have to solve the same bomb that killed his family you haven't been watching action movies.
How much does this movie make fun of Bruce Willis' action epic? Its Hong Kong title was High Risk, Rat's Bravery and Dragon's Might which is very close to the name that Die Hard was released as in Hong Kong, Tiger's Bravery and Dragon's Might.
Director Wong Jing also made God of Gamblers, Naked Killer, the Street Fighter influenced Future Cops and City Hunter. That last movie is important as after it was released, star Jackie Chan not only disowned the film but also personally went after Wong in the press. Frankie Lone in this movie is supposedly Chan and the claim is that Jackie, like Jacky, is a drunken womanizer who doesn't even do his own stuntwork. And while Jacky dresses like Bruce Lee, the fact that the Charlie Tso character is so similar to Jackie's mentor Willie Chan hammers the point home.
The director of this film's action, Corey Yuen Kwai, really pushed for this to outdo what American action was in the 90s. While Jet Li is, as always, astounding, the final hand-to-hand combat is between Jacky and Kong, as the star who has lived the high life for so long redeems himself.
After Jacky's latest movie wraps, Frankie's father (Wu Ma) and his manager Charlie Tso (Charlie Tso, who acted in Hong Kong softcore films and Police Story) invite Kit to the Hotel Grandeur for a jewelry show. The Doctor is on his way there and they cross paths as Jacky hears his voice, but no one will believe him. He and his gang destroy the hotel and his partner Fai-fai (Valerie Chow) uses her beauty to lead Jacky to a gang member named Kong (Billy Chow, Fist of Legend and the WKA world Welterweight champion from 1984 to 1986) who has dreamed of fighting the movie star. Jacky barely escapes with his life.
Meanwhile, a journalist named Helen (Chingmy Yau) out to expose Jacky's secret discovers The Doctor's identity. She and Kit fall in love over the course of this Die Hard scenario and if you don't think that he won't have to solve the same bomb that killed his family you haven't been watching action movies.
How much does this movie make fun of Bruce Willis' action epic? Its Hong Kong title was High Risk, Rat's Bravery and Dragon's Might which is very close to the name that Die Hard was released as in Hong Kong, Tiger's Bravery and Dragon's Might.
Director Wong Jing also made God of Gamblers, Naked Killer, the Street Fighter influenced Future Cops and City Hunter. That last movie is important as after it was released, star Jackie Chan not only disowned the film but also personally went after Wong in the press. Frankie Lone in this movie is supposedly Chan and the claim is that Jackie, like Jacky, is a drunken womanizer who doesn't even do his own stuntwork. And while Jacky dresses like Bruce Lee, the fact that the Charlie Tso character is so similar to Jackie's mentor Willie Chan hammers the point home.
The director of this film's action, Corey Yuen Kwai, really pushed for this to outdo what American action was in the 90s. While Jet Li is, as always, astounding, the final hand-to-hand combat is between Jacky and Kong, as the star who has lived the high life for so long redeems himself.
Not one of the best Jet Li's movies, but still very entertaining
kurciasbezdalas23 November 2008
This film is a Honk Kong version of Die Hard. There is a lot of explosions, shootouts, incredible stunts and some martial art scenes. All the action looked very impressive, though there was too little martial art scenes. The first real fighting scene (which lasted more than few seconds) was in a second half of the movie. The fighting scenes were well choreographed, but there wasn't much of them. Most of the film was a shootouts and explosions which looked great, but when I'm watching Jet Li's film, I'm expecting to see a lot of well choreographed fighting scenes. Anyways the movie was still very entertaining. It's worth watching for action fans, but if you wanna see some really good Jet Li's fighting scenes, I suggest you to watch Fist of Legend instead of this one.
Serious Chan shade
inacan-90-89426127 July 2022
This movie heavily throws shade on Jackie Chan and is a violent tornado. It's got some Good fight scenes it has a decent soundtrack and the dubbing is borderline ridiculous but in a good way overall the movie does quite well.
Strange choices
hellholehorror21 April 2023
This was quite a strange film really. It had some quite strong violence and it also had childish comedy. The comedy is quite funny and tongue-in-cheek. I thought that it was fine overall. It was like violent Rush Hour (1998) with bad dubbing and less comedy. I think that this would have been better if I was on drugs. The comedy would have been funnier and the violence more shocking. Maybe it didn't translate well or maybe the cultural differences are too much but it is simply not an enjoyable film, none of the component parts were good enough and they didn't mix well together. If they stuck to one vision it might have been good.
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