Review of the film "Eastern Heroes" by NapoleonDinamitte

20.04.2020NapoleonDinamitte

Steve and Roy are police brothers, only Steve works in Hong Kong and Roy works in Los Angeles. At one time, Roy's partner Bucky caught and hid in the zugunder the especially dangerous bandit Hawk. Four years later, literally the day after his release, he kills Bucky, as well as his pregnant wife, the sister of Steve and Roy, and then escapes from the United States to Hong Kong. The hunt for the gangster is simultaneously being conducted by FBI agent Jack - officially, and the brothers - on their own initiative.

In an era when comedies had not yet shocked the public with physical details, and therefore it was still easy to surprise European viewers, films such as "Eastern Heroes", received the unspoken status of “Asian extreme”. Yes, there was a lot of blood and broken bones in American cinema already in the 80s, but the demand of a certain segment of the audience for cruelty is different there "Rambo" и "Kickboxer" clearly not satisfied. Those films were visually violent, but not meaningfully. Either way "Eastern Heroes", where evil is not just designated, but also savored. 

By the way, evil is represented by a gang of refugees from Vietnam. Predating the films "High voltage" и "Hot spot", this product creates the impression that Vietnamese gangsters are the most desperate and frostbitten in the whole world. Their leader is played Robin Shaw, feeling like a fish in water in the image of a ruthless killer. Illiterate but fearless bandits are confronted by security forces constantly conflicting with each other. The American security officer is constantly trying to put in place the brothers who are interested in the outcome of the case, and they are eager to fight, ignoring the foreigner. For once Mark Houghton got a role that contained a personality, not a silent henchman. The character is funny, I will say more, he contrasts coolly with the darkness surrounding him. Innocent people are dying and suffering all around, but there is always a character who grimaces, gesticulates and childishly insistently reminds others that he is in charge... Yes, baby, this is Goknong.

The action consists of fights and shootings. Both are at a decent level and interesting to watch. But if the shooting turned out to be standard, then the battles are not like skirmishes from contemporary films. Firstly, they are realistic: there are a lot of punches, there are few high kicks, opponents often stagger and fall, and as the fight progresses, they develop bruises and wounds. Secondly, the fighters use judo techniques, and in a seriously naturalistic atmosphere they look organic, because in practice the police have to use grabs and throws much more often than strikes.

Definitely the best film from a less than diligent director Phillipa Ko. From time to time, such a movie is not only possible, but must be watched. So that rose-colored glasses do not grow together with the eyeballs. The moral of the story is: fiction is fiction, and mercantile killers are reality, so... “No need to relax, guys. The war is on" (c) captain Medvedev, film "War"

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Tags: Eastern Heroes, Conan Lee, Mark Houghton, Robin Shu, Phillip Ko

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