The Millionaires' Express (1986)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This kung fu epic has a simple enough storyline – it's one of those old East-meets-West stories again, as myriad characters including Japanese, bandits, bank robbers, police, prostitutes, and fugitives meet up in a border town in the early 20th century. Its strength lies in the cast, which manages to round up just about every Hong Kong star of the 1980s (with the notable exception of Jackie Chan) and throws them into a fast-moving plot that'll quickly have you head scratching. After Hung battles various villains against a snowy backdrop in the film's bravura opening sequences, the action winds down for an hour while we take in some typical Chinese comedy, in a small run-down town and on board a steam train. The laughs come thick and fast and many are of the bizarre type that we know and love from the films made by Hung, Chan, and Biao during this decade. My favourite is the "everyone hides in a room" joke that seemingly turns up in every film in this genre, most notably in PROJECT A PART II as well.The film's best bit is undoubtedly the twenty-minute finale, in which all of the fighters finally come together in a massive brawl between town folk and bandits. There's stunt work aplenty, tons of smashing scenery, and Biao performing some of his best high-flying manoeuvres. His jump from a burning building is undoubtedly impressive, but for me this is topped by his spin off the balcony at the film's climax. The cast is evenly matched with comedians like Eric Tsang (as a convict) and Richard Ng (as a Lothario) on one side and top-notch fighters like Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton (complete with "Painful?" catchphrase) on the other. Biao goes hand to hand with super villain Dick Wei in one bone-smashing encounter while top kicker Hwang Jang Lee pops up to create some samurai carnage. The rest of the cast is packed with familiar faces including Yuen Wah, Lam Ching Ying, Wang Lung Wei, Yukari Oshima, and Bolo Yeung who all do their bit. One standout is Sammo's run-in with Cynthia Rothrock which is brief but brutal. All in all the finale livens an otherwise good film, turning it into a minor masterpiece with one of the best martial arts endings of all time!

This is a one-of-a-kind Hong Kong movie filmed in the Western style and directed my martial arts great Sammo Hung, where he brought in an all-star cast including Hung himself, Yuen Biao, Eric Tsang, Richard Ng, Lydia Sum, Kenny Bee, Lam Ching Ying, Wah Yuen, Corey Yuen and Rosamund Kwan. It's a story where Ching Fong-Tin (Sammo Hung) tries to makes amends for his past by attempting to return wealth and prosperity to his hometown. In doing so, he plans to stall an express train full of wealthy passengers in hopes they will lodge at his town and spend money on its amenities. Meanwhile, a group of mountain bandits wants to rob the train, where three samurais in possession of a treasure scroll are on board. It is an action-packed film from start to finish that will give you pure fun and excitement - a film that has just about everything in it: comedy, adventure, martial arts, romance and drama. Each of the characters has his/her own unique charm, development and relevance in the movie that makes him/her stand out in the story. Hung took great care in directing that made every one of the many characters important, inserting humor and drama where appropriate and creating fun and interesting subplots (like the town's renegade security officers attempting to rob the train; Richard Ng's character's silly love affair; the rival between legendary martial artists Master Wong and Master Shek) while not swaying away from the main point of the story. He keeps the plot going at a fast pace and makes every scene captivating, leaving no room for boring fillers.The special and visual effects are realistic and believable and the script is an awesome piece of work - it makes you feel you are along the wild adventure and just having fun with the ride. The music score by Anders Nelsson, Alastair Monteith-Hodge and Chin Yung Shing is very catchy and dynamic, filming location is breath-taking and the acting was spot-on. There are some silly and goofy moments from some of the cast members, but it is not done overboard.With such a large cast and an exciting story, I just wished that the movie was made a little longer to have more time to accommodate the actors and action sequences. But overall, it is one of the best movies I have seen come out of Hong Kong and certainly one that is highly recommended if you are a fan of wild Hong Kong Cinema. If you are not, it is still a great movie to watch for the casual viewers! Grade A

From start till end you will be entertained! Everything what is happening concerning the Millionaire's Express is a setup for the grand finale in the last twenty minutes! Somehow Sammo Hung managed to create a western in Chinese setting! Even one character seems to be a parody of Clint Eastwood! A lot is going on in the movie,but the real action picks up at the final! This movie is more a comedy! There a lot of jokes that are easy to understand because they are very visual! One example is a man who seems to be cheating on his wife! While on the train he visits his mistress by climbing on top of the train and without any problems he walks to the wagon where his mistress is! In the meanwhile a hoodlum has a lot of difficulties maintaining his balance while he is on top of the train! When the two encounter the adulterer greets him like he is taking a stroll while the hoodlum almost falls off the train! This is just so hilarious! And this just one of the very funny scenes this movie contains! Also I recognized a parody on Wong Fei Hung (A famous Chinese hero)! All the different characters have their objectives and will be put in very funny scenes which will come to a climax in the last twenty minutes! The action is more than wonderful! Yuen Baio and Jang Lee Hwang (korean martial artist famous for being the villain in "Drunken Master") steal the show! Not to say that all the others weren't great,but Yuen Baio and Jang Lee Hwang (one of the samurai) simply stand out! As they show some excellent moves and skill! There are some small sequences with Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton but they were too short for my taste! "Millionaire's express" delivers on humor and action! One of the best movies made by Sammo Hung!

Maybe I don't know enough about HK cinema to get all the in jokes and references, or maybe I just didn't pay close enough attention, but I was thoroughly confused by this bizarre action comedy that seems to be set in an Old West town located in China. The cinematography is fine (particularly the train sequences) and the martial arts are predictably excellent. But the dubbing is atrocious (not too mention insulting) and the cast of character so vast I couldn't keep track of everyone. Sammo Hung is good, but he's used his comedic talent to much greater effect in other stuff like Wheels on Meals. Only for the HK hardcore.