Young And Dangerous - Reloaded/古惑仔 - 江湖新秩序 movie review

"If you're not having fun, lower your standards." I don't remember where I heard that the first time, but I found it very useful in my life. But sometimes I don't even need to lower my standards. Sometimes they're lowered for me. Pre-lowered, you might say. Exhibit A: Any and all films with Wong Jing's imprint, either as a producer, a writer or a director. His films aren't going to win any awards, but at least they've been around for about thirty years, which is more than I can say for a lot of other filmmakers, so he must be doing something right. Wong Jing movies are made to entertain a certain kind of people. For me, that's what gives them their charm. Neither Wong Jing nor his films have any kind of arty pretension, unearned hubris, or fey, sunglass-wearing bemused detachment... And thank Christ for that! He and his films are what they are, and they do what they do, and you either like 'em or you don't. If his films rise above mediocrity it's a pleasant surprise. I'd already experienced that surprise when I watched THE LAST TYCOON/大上海 So when YOUNG AND DANGEROUS: RELOADED came out just a few weeks later I was... a little... apprehensive... because every now and a blind pig finds an acorn, but it's really, really rare that some Special Ed kid hits two consecutive home runs in t-ball. Yeah. I just obliquely compared Wong Jing to a pig and a retard. Don't wonder why. YOUNG AND DANGEROUS: RELOADED marks the cinematic return of characters and stories originated almost twenty years ago by Wong Jing and Andrew Lau. Him Law tries his best, but to be honest he didn't really convince me. Sammy Sum takes on the role of Ugly Kwan, and while he succeeds in evoking the namesake, I didn't find him anywhere near as threatening as Francis Ng in the original. But, Sunny gets to have a couple of scenes with a visibly topless Winnie Leung, so at least he contributed to my enjoyment in some way. It was also nice to finally see Winnie Leung's *** without having to watch a Scud movie. Philip Ng has been working with Wong Jing in the last few years both as an actor and as an action director. Considering that he's a trained martial artist, it's no surprise that his action scenes are the best and most convincing in the movie. But his behind the camera work also deserves some mention, because he managed more than once to make skinny men brawling in capri pants look like something more than a cat fight on Pride Weekend. And what is Philip's dramatic reward for this effort? What's his onscreen payoff? Having to cry over a dead dog... while holding a kickboxing trophy. No one ever said acting was easy. Not even in a Wong Jing movie. Subtlety is in short supply here, but neither the story nor the film really call for it. Frankly, I didn't miss it. I was having way too much fun in way too many ways. The film quickly earns its category three rating and wears it like a badge or a tattoo... of honor. Incessant profanity makes YOUNG AND DANGEROUS: RELOADED the most linguistically authentic local movie in recent memory. Winnie Leung's *** are shamelessly put on display in the most lurid exploitative fashion. I was offended... but I couldn't look away. It's been a long time since a local woman was topless in a movie, so I want to sincerely thank Winnie for her selflessness; her *** are lovely, and I'm grateful. It was a refreshing change to hear someone talk dirty in Cantonese without being dubbed. But, I'll be honest. I don't take the high road. It's not like I'm gonna refuse to look at imported ***. 'Cuz I do! YOUNG AND DANGEROUS: RELOADED is a prurient, shameless, populist film that also happens to be a hell of a lot of fun. I couldn't escape a warm, nostalgic feeling sitting in that cinema; I was in Hong Kong, watching a movie made for Hong Kong. And it was full of gangsters, and profanity, and violence, and ***, and gambling... It's a sadly rare treat these days. So I was very grateful for it. And you should be too. And to show your gratitude, I want you to buy this movie. Don't f@#$ing download it. Downloading sucks. Down there, next to the boys, there are links where you can buy this movie. Do that! If you give them the money, then they can make more movies like this. More ***! More violence! What else can you ask for? Nothing. But you know what else I can ask for? I can ask that you leave me a comment or you subscribe to my channel. Why? Because that way, I'll feel like somebody other than me hears my own voice. Is that so much to ask? I hope not.