Probably the last of the SPL mentions around here, in review form that is. This film won't (and shouldn't) go away. It's important, and it's impressive. It's a re-invention, and it's strangely familiar, easy to watch, but not necessarily easy to see why it's on fresh ground that could be a rich vein to explore. See for yourself, see if you don't end up imagining the possibilities for turning things on their head in this way, in this or any other genre(s) you can think of.
Seriously brutal fighting, lovely dark landscapes with spot-lit buildings, neon lights and the streets of a city, rich countryside and coastal shots in colorful, bright and beautiful style. Substantial story that's first and foremost, both familiar and very unusual. Very nicely performed and structured, it should be a fresh start if other Directors managed to click with its' ideas. Another SPL review then? Yes, another SPL review, from an individual and a team member of Twitch. For anyone interested then, you can read my thoughts on the film here, and there's lots more different peoples reviews in the archives which I will also be going back to later on and reading through for the first time.
Less is more. Difficult concept sometimes, slips from the mind and takes a while to sink back in. Can easily become 'less is less, plain and simple' without even having to try. Odd beast then, SPL. Certainly a case of less is more, much more. It's a case of taking what could have been an exercise in further relentless fighting and stripping 95% of it out. You're not left with the functional story of a fighting movie, you're left with space to breathe. You're not left with less effective or memorable action, you're left with a drama that uses fighting in key moments to great effect - very dramatic, frenetic, mind-blowing action - and therefore why I say that less is more, and that less is an imaginative reinvention of action movies, or action in movies more appropriately. Opposite end of the scale to a film like 'Ong Bak', which in itself is a classy action movie, but this isn't a chance to give people who like fighting too much value for money by simply throwing a star with such skills at the screen at every opportunity. There's room for both approaches, certianly, but here's something I haven't seen before.
Wong Po (aka Sammo Hung) is the local crime lord, and the Police are desperate to pin the man down and put him away, whatever it takes. Not affraid to try any tactics or take any action necessary, through their desperation, they manage to get themselves deeper into trouble with a man who they seem to have lost sight of in many respects. He's big, he's bad, you don't want to mess with him or his men, and yet they're pushing hard and taking risks. In the initial set-up of this relationship between Wong Po and the cops, we see how the action will come, or rather the way in which the Director holds off and then intends to suddenly kick in with the action. Into the mix comes the discussion of morality within both crime worlds, the police force and in the relationship between the two. There's also the loyality 'doing right by others' aspect, the 'taking care of your family' and the self-sacrifice or selflessness of both ways of living - a huge series of grey areas covered in an easy to follow manner.
The action though, it comes so quickly, it's almost becomes unexpected and it's all the more shocking for it. It's not the kind of fight scenes in standard cop dramas, it's full-on martial arts as per Sammo Hung (et al's) 'usual fare', and it sits in such an individual way as to make something truly new and special. Now, whether people latch onto this when watching, and either appreciate the difference in style, well it's hard to tell if that's always going to happen, and it's certainly a rich and refreshing potential perspective that could be applied similarly by other Directors - yes, it has that element of the freshness you saw in John Woo's Hong Kong movies of the late 80's / early 90's, but it isn't quite so obviously different at first, and could take a while to sink in. It's not just a style to employ the Director for, it's the team behind SPL's achievement that should show an alternative route for a whole host of others. It also makes great use of some nice modern editing techniques and visual flourishes that add to the freshness of it all.
The remnants of the action movie as we know it are in here then. The melodrama that's almost camp, the sentimentality, the reasonably stereotypical characters, the slow-motion shots, the broad angle landscapes, and much more besides. But it's almost as though they've spotted where the style elements are and maintained them, whilst also removing the fighting for the most part. You're left with something that has a different way of telling a dramatic story that can create a dynamic and very individual, new atmosphere that could suddenly switch to brief and satisfying action sequences. Unpredictable in some respects, very familiar and easy to watch in others, almost an accidentally successful blend that was carefully considered and aimed for.
A good chance then, that this is an easily accesible stepping-stone for action movie fans to take, a good chance any watching will be persuaded enough by the presence of the actors involved, all turning very convincing and unsual or substantial performances, and then they end up thinking (like I am) that a couple of hours ago I was convinced by several decades of almost 'production line' action movies in a repeated style that there was nowhere left to go, and now I can see the light, that there is a new way that things can be done, and SPL is the leader to that new ground - hopefully. Fine, there will undoubtedly be 'Ong Bak' films galore in the future, but there's also now so many other ways revealed to be doing this kind of film.
I can see many sitting to watch it, after seeing the trailer, and feeling initially disappointed. Don't fret though, there's a good chance it just needs a little time to simmer in the brain, ponder it, think about how all the nice production values, the stylish lighting and rich visual coupled with a substantial story and sprinkled with truly brutal but brief fights. It's something new somehow, comes out of a good knowledge and serious skill, gives us a chance of a completely new breed of action movies from either Hong Kong or anywhere else : actions movies that aren't there simply for the action in a way that becomes painfully repetative and relentless. Action movies with brains, with a story, with more power, and much more individuality.
'Sha Po Lang' Yesasia / Twitch Poster Competition open until January 31st 2006.
'Sha Po Lang' at Yesasis on Hong Kong 2-Disc DVD.
Some spoilers, just to let people know.Thank god I'm not the only one wondering what all the hype was about after seeing this movie. The action is great, that is without a doubt, and Yen and Hung show you how to do it right but the story is laughable to the point of absurdity. I wholeheartedly agree that the story and chracterizations are super rushed, and am I the only one that was scratching their head as to why they could not hold Hung for one day after he's seen on screen at least beating to near death a cop and for attacking and kicking the ass of 3 cops when they went to arrest him, this isnt an offense? And the ending? Was this supposed to be anything other than a laugh?
[!! Warning, contains spoilers !!]
I agree strongly with the people who were, after having read (the) four reviews of SPL, very very dissapointed with the film.
I really really like this website for its ambitious cover of asian films and its layout and the people who seem to frequent it.
But I am of the same opinion as many here, I might not have seen everything, or even most stuff that has come out of HK. But I am a big fan of the John Woo era films and several later films.
SPL does not hold up to or even gets close to Woos classics like A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled or the Killer.
The characters are simple and one dimentional. The whole fathers day thing just feels like a gimmick to add some human interest to a story that is basically written around 3 actions sequences.
These seqences are good but *that* good. ( I'd rather rewatch Ong-Bak :)
It does not have the epic momentum that the best John Woo films have, where you feel that the characters slowly but surely, with every bullet wound, are getting closer to their final destiny and those great sentimental backflashes.
Don't take peoples criticism the wrong way guys.
Just watch out for that hypeing feeling.
There has been alot of hype for this, but what's wrong with that? Hype is a natural extension of the excitement that many of the people here have for this movie. You must remember that the reviews here are still just opinion, and you can't blame them for their opinion.
I must say that after my initial viewing, I was sort of disappointed. It has grown on me, and I've been able to forgive some of the movie's faults. For what it is, it is a wonderful movie. Expectations can mess with things.
One thing that I still don't like about the movie is the sound production. The cheesy sound effects used really took me out of the moment at times.
Also, the guy you are referring to as "Retarded" has brain damage. They aren't the same thing.
"I wouldnt take the word "hyping" so defensively, when something is given as much ink as SPL has then it's hyping" --- The volume of emails and such discussion going on at Twitch in regards to bringing advertising onto the site and write what you want, etc. etc. Yes, something like this was bound to hit a nerve.
If Twitch is guilty of anything it is setting the bar of expectations high. I still believe it matches those heights if put into context of HK action/triad/cop Cinema, which every review (i thought) put clearly into context....But maybe not.
Just got my 2 dvd set a couple days ago of SPL.I've since watched it 3 times.As a martial arts junkie I was in heaven.Watching Sammo fight Donnie was like a dream come true for me.Its one of those dream fights me and my friends have been talking about for years.(currently its Tony Jaa vs Jet Li).
My only small complaint would be I wish the fights were more spaced out and not lumped together in the last half hour.
I am glad filmmakers are getting away from all the wire fu crap.SPL's fights reminded me of all the old school Shaw bros/Jackie Chan/Bruce Lee flicks that I grew up on.
I dont think years from now SPL will be remembered as the film that brought back that old school feeling though.Ong Bak deserves that title imo.
C'mon, give Sammo a break. You know as a mob boss, no one is going to question any haircut, no matter how bad it is.
A more important matter is Donnie's entire all-black, white belt get up that makes him look like an aging emocore hipster. And I wanted to give Wu Jing a tricked out Honda with blue neon lights underneath. He could practice flips off some monstrous spoiler.
The best example of the bad stylistic choices is when Donnie gears up to confront Sammo in the bar. First, there's an atomospheric blue SMOKE in the background with heavy spotlights on the action. Then, Donnie prances up to Sammo not to kick his ass, but in the way a doe flirts with a tree thinking it's a buck. If you watch the scene again and think "Riverdance," it makes a lot of sense.
I bought this DVD on account of the reviews here. It certainly did not disappoint me. No doubt the best I've seen from HK since Infernal Affairs, but not better. Style is mature, almost noirish and the acting has improved since the Woo days. The fighting is less effectdriven, more detailed and toned down to less people involved.
But overall the drama is to melodramatic. Lot's of scenes where Yip doesn't do the "less is better" approach. The telephone ringing, fathers day, the baby, the drawn out deaths and the ending that delivers one twist too many. The melodramatic stuff can (perhaps, I'm european) be explained with the difference in culture. Certainly many asian movies has a different tone when it comes to feelings, but to me, it hinders the movie, thus remains a great dark action feature, instead of a sensational gritty one.
Still, it was a very satisfying movie, hopefully sparking the HK movie industry back on track.
8/10
some people talk as though people at Twitch are obligated to write about movies for free, that they are supposed to keep updating the site regardless of costs and such. That's ridiculous. People at Twitch do what they want, and you leave if you don't like it. There are plenty of us out here who are happily reading the input here (which some people take as fact, obviously), and we appreciate that a group of people love film enough to maintain a site that actually takes away from their salary rather than add.
Then to say they're sellouts or whatever because they tell you that you can support them by clicking the link is downright ungrateful. Rather than pick on this stuff (i still don't see the problem with finding support... it benefits everyone really) you should scroll down on the main page and see exactly how much effort these put in out of their own interest. Then stop reading if you think they overhype movies because you'll just be more unhappy with each visit.
I have yet to see SPL but if I ever do I'll probably be buying it because I'm excited about it. Thank you for your time.
Man, all this fighting in the comments section is getting kinda boring. Todd, Kurt, and the others gave glowing reviews of SPL because of one thing, they saw it BEFORE THE HYPE! While I also saw the film at TIFF, I didn't like it as much as them. If they say that it's the best goddamn m*therf*cking HK film in a decade then let them say it! Again I'll state it, as an action picture it gets a solid A, as a drama it gets a D- or F. I did find the fight scene between Donnie Yen and Wu Jing extremely exhilarating and the Sammo vs. Yen scene amazing but for me, there wasn't a great story to back it up. I didn't care for any of the characters at the end. I didn't care whether they lived or died. Sure, there's a twist to the ending but I didn't particularly care about it. I think the comparison to John Woo's the Killer is apt when the action comes full force it is completely breathtaking. The only difference I see between these two films is again the characters. In SPL, I again did not care for ANY of the characters. In the Killer, the ending was heartbreaking for me. But again, this is my opinion. Guys like Todd, Kurt, Peter, and Mack have an opinion and everyone should respect it. If you're blaming them for overhyping the movie it's not their fault, you guys are overhyping it for yourselves.
after reading all these glowing reviews, I had to order myself a copy. After watching the movie, I was mildly dissapointed. The fighting is top-notch, but the storyline sucked. The sentimental cheese factor was way too high (I still have a huge HK video collection from the 90's so I've seen my share of melodrama). I can see why the reviewers on this site loved the flick so much, it brought back memories of HK action during that decade. I, however, wished HK directors could leave the fluff and melodrama behind and improve on character and plot development. If they could churn out a better script and dialogue like Japan/Korea/Hollywood, then HK movies would definitely take a step forward.
glad to see my email inbox full this morning, glad theres actually a discussion following a post thats gone on for more than a few comments and with posts that are actually of some length too. also happy that theres variety in them, some perspective. ive been thinking about it since last night, this 'hype' thing....
anyway, can i come up with a definition for 'hype'? well, if somethings writter without knowledge or understanding but is very positive then i would consider it hype. to regard whats written with enthusiasm as hype would mean having to take individual elements of a writers work out of context of a general understanding of what theyre like. i personally believe everyone here shows more than enough balance and understanding of films. its worth also pointing out that theres no quick-fix solution to developing a taste and understanding of films, it can take years to get there and requires daily effort : theres certainly people visiting the site that may have taken positive elements out of context and then regarded them as evidence that because they used that as recommendation and didnt like the film, then it was hyped. oh dear, really - i imagine and sense that there an incredibly large percentage that know better than to do that, and theres some (clearly) that do exactly that and think that any site they visit should be an ivory tower from which the writers bestow their wisdom and guide you through without anyone requiring any consideration and understanding of their own.
i dont think i regard anything here as hype. we write both negatively and positively, both balanced and drawn from one side to the other according to our dislike or love. we get excited, we get disappointed, we get improved understanding, we can see things as people that are just like any other film fans, except as writers we're somehow instantly regarded as your guardians. i dont fancy that responsibility... i am here because we can give a more realistic balanced representation of the bredth of film fans' tasted, and show theres good everywhere - as well as bad. and i do it for the love of film, nothing else.
anyway, again i am glad theres been a lot of balance in the discussion. i am not upset, if anything i am overjoyed that more people than usual are showing their faces and putting their thoughts across, as it does sometime feel a little lonely around here, even though i can see the visitor stats turning over...
We all understand the differwence between sheer excitement/enthusiasm and hype, if this was a trashy movie site promoting big hollywood mainstream movies then we would obviously not take any massive coverage on a film with any seriousness, the matter here which has needled people is that maybe we respect your opinions and taste above the norm, and perhaps we feel there's been some disproportionate and unjust levels of glowing copy written on this film prior to it's DVD release, which wasn't matched after viewing.
아이구... again with this?
I probably misunderstood the weight you put in that YesAsia line, and thought you were accusing us of trying to push the film simply to make a profit, that's why I got a little red in the face. You said it wasn't the case, I apologized, end of story.
I never even tried to imply you can't come here and contest our opinions, and none of the comments the other made pointed at that. You can certainly do that, hell, you're encouraged to do so.
I was taking 'hype' as exactly what logboy said, something very commercial and stripped of the passion of writing. We don't do that. But if you intend(ed) hype as simply talking a lot about a film then, yes, we do that. There's nothing wrong with that. So if we 'overhyped' something in your opinion, you have all the right to contest that.
and now you're becoming defensive. You're the one who started getting itchy about the 'money', so let's just wrap this up friendly: in your opinion a few Twitch writers 'overhyped' (drooled would have been fine, see?) SPL. Position accepted, now let's talk why you feel it's overhyped. Let's not descend into smarmy sarcasm about things which have nothing to do with the film.
Because then I'd get defensive for real, and a little more annoying. OK?
...wouldnt be too evil if people earned alot of money out of this site anyway. would be more evil if we had to pay to gain all information. So far.. no one is forcing us to read or contend on this site. But who knows in the future? Internet is endless ;)
To "hype" things isnt evil. Its art of passion. As long its honest. People loves taking a part or being a part of "hyped" things. It isnt that ugly.
SPL case. People might feel let down. Or fooled. Or just very very disagree. Thats life.
And very interesting as long you can discuss the subject in a creative way.
We should discuss more often about movies. Its good, it will push the quality of the reviews and spread the passion further...
It was a long time since I saw a really good HK movie. Maybe it was Infernal Affairs #1. Any good HK movies since then? ;)
"Because then I'd get defensive for real, and a little more annoying. OK?"
Is that supposed to be threatening? What are you going to do, type me to death? Well, go ahead. At this point it seems unavoidable, since you don't seem to be able to react to my comments without getting your feelings hurt.
Again, I say. You guys should learn to take criticism a little better.
There comes a time when people need to simply agree to disagree. We're pretty much there. If you didn't enjoy the film as much as I did that's perfectly fair but if you're looking for me to change my own position on the film it's not going to happen. It topped my year end best of list for a reason, I thought it was the best film I saw all year and the best thing to come out of Hong Kong for ages. Like I said before, I stand behind everything I've ever said about it.
Sarcastic comments about our "heartbreaking and heroic stories" are neither necessary nor appreciated. Keep it civil.
Badtz, I still think you have the wrong idea about this site. Maybe you're not used to reviewers responding to comments/criticism because on a lot of sites it doesn't happen. But basicly Twitch is just a blog with a couple of guys giving their opinion about certain movies to start a discussion. If they respond to your comments it's not becuase you "hit a nerve" or "hurt their feelings", it's just that responding and discussing was the whole point of the site to begin with.
Now what could have been an interesting discussion about the definition of 'hype' just becomes childish bickering when you start using the old "oooohh did I hurt your feelings?" argument.
Badtz and X are best friends and they are just play fighting to get more people to see the film... ;) dont fool for it people its all just hype.
either way i don't care whats going on here*lol* i liked it and thats all that mattered.
Recieved and watched SPL last night. It was good and if it was my introduction to HK cinema then I would be hooked. The film was no better or worse script wise than most HK cop dramas, very rushed storyline but the action was top notch. Donnie Yen is the motherfucking man and Sammo was a cool bad guy.
I was hyped for this film because of all the glowing reviews on this site but fortunately I saw this thread and prepared to be let down. I wasn't but I wasn't blown away either.
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