Outlaw Brothers (1990)

Just perfect...

A lot of fun.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Moustache man Frankie Chan is the driving force behind this typical Hong Kong action thriller, as he serves as leading man as well as directing the movie. The producer is the prolific Eric Tsang, who seems to be a driving force behind many films coming out of Hong Kong in the past two decades. OUTLAW BROTHERS is very much a typical martial arts production, packed with a lot of different action scenes and many stunts and visually, looking very similar to all the other films that were coming out of Hong Kong around this time. The clothing is dated and the acting may not be amazing, but the film nevertheless provides plenty of spills and thrills for the action fan. My main complaint with this film is the script, which seems unnecessarily complex, and the story, which is all over the place with multiple characters although none of them are really very sympathetic to the viewer.So, in essence, we're all here for the action, and it doesn't disappoint. Chan – who I hadn't heard of/seen before this film – is a passable hero, and what he lacks in charisma he certainly makes up for in solid martial arts and stunts. The Japanese Yukari Oshima takes the somewhat clichéd role of the tough backside-kicking female cop (the YES, MADAM films had a lot to answer for) but she acquits herself well in the various fights. In addition, there are a ton of imported Western goons to fight, and an appearance from the alluring Michiko Nishiwaki (MY LUCKY STARS) as a female crime boss; as ever, Nishiwaki has a real presence about her, and her fight scene is the best of the film.Elsewhere, we get a short, fairly average car chase, and some crisply choreographed martial arts bouts that just go to show you don't need Yuen Woo Ping or Corey Yuen around for some decent action; the battles here are hard-hitting, with stuntmen bouncing down steps and falling from railings, and they make the film worth watching. An early battle between Chan and familiar thug Fung Hark-On in a multi-storey car park is a highlight. Of course, as is the case in 99% of these films, the best action is saved for the end, a huge fight in a warehouse with multiple fighters duelling it out. While the warehouse location is clichéd, there are some unusual touches, such as the hundred or so chickens falling from the roof! Being a Hong Kong film, OUTLAW BROTHERS of course has some comic touches to it as well, although these are limited to some buffoonish policemen and some cheesy romance scenes inspired by Jackie Chan movies. While the meandering plot stops it from being a classic, the action serves its purpose and makes this a more than passable kung fu offering.

Director Frankie Chan knows how to shoot and conduct action, however in a leading role unfortunately he's mediocre. His character sticks out among the other highly charismatic protagonists, and the partnership between him and Mok feels artificial. The plot stalls out a few times with hokey sub-plots like Chan's sister and Mok's girlfriend, but besides a few moments of lame comedy the movie keeps on pace fairly well. Chan and Mok steal Porsches for a living, although a rival auto theft-ring forces them to work on their side. Chan and Mok hatch a scheme that involves a police detective (Oshima) in which would bust their rival ring. Oshima isn't enthused, and decides to do some rogue police work to corner all criminal parties involved. The rest of the movie is a chess game between our duo, Oshima, and the rival crime organization. The final confrontation is excellent and original, although once again the movie drags a bit getting to the finish. The film doesn't age as gracefully compared to other similar works at the time, for example by Jackie Chan or John Woo, but honestly it's a fun time regardless. If your familiar with Hong Kong action cinema then I'd recommend it. The movie has a great car chase in it as well, which is a rarity with HK pictures from this era. -6/10

"Outlaw Brothers" has three terrific fighting set-pieces within its first 40 minutes: the first showcases Frankie Chan (who is pretty dangerous with a broom!), the second is dedicated to Yukari Oshima, in the third they join forces. The fight choreography in these sequences is easily on par with (and highly reminiscent of) the Jackie Chan films of the same era: very fast, very intricate, and full of stuntmen falling from high places. In the middle section, the script bogs down. There is little action (apart from a car chase), and some pointless sequences involving secondary characters that add nothing to the film (like Sharon Kwok's brother). Finally, in the last 15 minutes the film rebounds with a few more high-standard fights, where nearly all the bad guys are white and their faces (if not necessarily their names) will be familiar to HK action buffs. Frankie is almost as good as the more famous Chan in this movie, Yukari has some awesome moves and wears some flattering outfits, and even Sharon Kwok gets a chance to show her bravery, but Michiko Nishiwaki is mostly wasted - she doesn't get involved in the action at all until the last 5 minutes or so. Hong Kong Legends have done their usual fine job in the DVD release of this film, from the slick transfer to the extras. (**1/2)

OUTLAW BROTHERS (UK) had all the ingredients to be a top-notch contemporary Hong Kong action fest. Frankie Chan, Yukari Oshima, a gaggle of "gwei-loh" thugs led by Hung Gar exponent Mark Houghton. It even has the incredible Michiko Nishiwaki, though she's completely wasted here. So what went wrong?The chief liability is the script. Though it finds room for the required 6.5 kung fu fights and a couple of so-so gun battles, the characters are unfocused. I could see Chow Yun Fat as the car thief romancing police-woman Yukari Oshima (you'd think she would have gotten her teeth fixed, wouldn't you?), but somehow Frankie Chan just doesn't have the charm to be convincing.It's a real shame because Chan is a major talent, who just seems to make unfortunate choices. He's never really reached the 1982 pinnacle of PRODIGAL SON, under Sammo Hung's direction.If you want to see Michiko Nishiwaki in a better showcase, try MY LUCKY STARS, where she has a (brief) bout with Sammo Hung, or MAGIC COP where she's really impressive as a weird witch.Yukari Oshima comes out of this with the most credibility. Her martial arts skills are extraordinary, though I'm not mad on that 1990s "one-style-fits-all" generic martial arts that every choreographer seemed to use at the time. How much more interesting would it have been if some of these characters used real kung fu?If it shows up on TV, fine, but I wouldn't go out and buy this on DVD ...