Run and Kill

Rating:
Summary: Over the top
Review: "Run and Kill" is yet another one of those Hong Kong Category III films I seek out whenever possible. I wrote awhile go something to the effect that these sorts of films aren't coming out anymore since the Chinese took over from the British. I'm not sure I can confirm that statement, although it does seem peculiar that every Category III film I've seen came out in the early 1990s. If you aren't aware of the magic of Category III, they are films that take violence way, WAY over the top. You'll see things in a Cat III film that you will never see in a Hollywood picture. I'm reminded of "The Untold Story," perhaps one of the most controversial films with this ranking. In that movie, a killer wipes out an entire family--including the children--in a lengthy series of scenes that will shock you to the core. Our own violent cinematic excursions rarely show this type of violence committed against children. You'll see some sinful teenagers hacked up by a guy in a hockey mask, sure, but not small children. On one hand, Category III films come closer to the horrors of real life by refusing to cut away when the most defenseless members of society run afoul of the criminal element. On the other hand, refusing to cut away makes the movie tough to watch.

"Run and Kill" is in many ways just as shocking as "The Untold Story." The film doesn't begin that way, though. Director Billy Tang starts us out slowly by introducing us to Fatty Cheung (Kent Cheng), a stout, happy go lucky sort of chap whose life seems wonderful. He owns his own gas supply business, is married to a beautiful woman, and has a young daughter he loves. Fatty is an amiable guy, whether he is chatting up people at work or bouncing his way down the street on the way home. Regrettably, Fatty arrives home from work one day to discover his wife in bed with another man. He's angry at first, but tends to blame himself just as much as he blames his spouse. What a guy, eh? Most of us would go nuclear on the spot. Fatty instead goes out to drink his blues away. While he stumbles around in an alcoholic haze, he strikes up a conversation with the vivacious Fanny (Esther Wing Ho Kwan), a lady with underworld connections. She introduces Fatty to someone who can take care of his pesky wife. Cheung is far too drunk to realize what's going on, but through a miscommunication he agrees to hire a gangster to kill his wife. Guess what happens next?

Not only does Fatty not remember much of what happened, he doesn't have the money to pay off the gangsters. Not paying a gang for a murder contract usually translates into another murder. His only alternative is to run off and hire another gang to defend him, this time a bunch of tough Vietnamese goons. A battle ensues between the two gangs when Fatty goes to a movie theater to pay off the first gang, with the Vietnamese coming out on the losing side. Fatty, Fanny, and one of the Vietnamese gang members end up in an abandoned airbase for a lengthy series of tortures involving a lead pipe. At least Fatty and Fanny get off easy; they sit at a desk and watch the Vietnamese guy hang from the ceiling in utter agony. Enter into the picture Fung (Simon Yam), a powerful killing machine linked intimately to the gang Fatty hired to save his bacon. He's a Vietnam War veteran whose interest in this abduction centers on the fact that the gang member hanging from the ceiling is his cousin. He swoops in, killing every Chinese thug in sight, and saves the day--almost. Fung's cousin perishes in the escape attempt, and now he blames Fatty for the man's death. Fung eventually abducts our hero's daughter in order to force a showdown with Fatty. And what a showdown it is!

Don't expect a happy ending in "Run and Kill." Yam's character does something so brutal, so unconscionable to Fatty's daughter that it's best left unsaid here. No one swoops in at the least minute to fulfill the obligatory happy Hollywood ending, not in this film. Instead, Fatty must become just as vicious and bloodthirsty as his enemy if he is to save his own life. By the end of the film, the main character is a far different man than the one we met at the beginning of the movie. "Run and Kill" forces us to contemplate what we would do if faced with a similar set of increasingly outrageous and extraordinarily unlucky circumstances. It would have been easy for Fatty to just fold up and give in to his tormentors, but he obviously has steel coursing through his veins when push comes to shove. We expect him to snap under the pressure based on what we know about him from the beginning of the film. An overweight, henpecked guy who blames himself for his wife's infidelity actually standing up to professional assassins? Stranger things have happened.

The only supplements on the disc are two trailers for films called "Memento" and "Prison on Fire." As far as picture quality goes, expect to be disappointed. "Run and Kill" looks bad, much like the film transfers for a couple of other Category III films distributed by the same company. Expect a lot of hazy, grainy scenes here. Moreover, many of the night scenes look quite murky. I don't know whether these problems are due to the film stock, the age of the movie, sloppy transfer work, or a combination of all three. Whatever the case, the poor picture takes away from the viewing experience. I'm still giving "Run and Kill" five stars, though. It's too over the top to do anything less.



Rating:
Summary: a great category III film
Review: run and kill is a title im sure that most of you are familiar with. if im correct it is the first film by "bad boy" billy tang and a great debut feature it is. the acting by simon yam is totally unforgettable (just look at the guys facial expressions very, very scary). he plays the best psychopath next to anthony wong. as for kent chengs part, he is likeable but up until the end isnt all that realistic due to the comedic overtones of his character in the beginning but during the climax it is almost a total transformation of character on his part (from a slapstick "fatty" to a dead serious but still very cowardly man who is fighting for his life). the plot is very simple and im not even going to bother describing it. this film definetly isnt for everyone as it has the obligatory rape scene (thank god its not as graphic as the one in the untold story) which is in almost every category III film as well as a little girl being immolated in front of her own dad in very authentic fashion (i cant say that it was fun to watch). i would have to say that the most memorable parts of the movie for me were of course simon yams character and his dont give a f*** who i have to kill to get revenge demeanor (dont forget about the guys facial expressions either their just plain unsettling) as well as "fatties" attempt to "rescue" his daughter after shes been sitting in a fire for the last 15 minutes and her charred body pumped full of lead by friendly mr yam at which point "fatty" picks his daughters unrecognisable corpse up and runs away with it only to break off her head on a wall to which he monotonly remarks "oh where did the head go"! you probably wont be seeing a scene like that in another film any time soon. you also have some very memorable fight scenes which include very realistic punches and kicks to bodies and heads (seeing "fatty" being thrown around like a 350 lbs. rag doll is quite entertaining too) you also get a granny being tossed out a window for your money. overall i think that this film was a solid offering as far as category III films go. it is a good starting point for the uninitiated as it isnt too disturbing but is definetly a film for the desensitised or those who watch these sort of films on a regular basis. i would also recommend dr. lamb (its much more disturbing and serious except for the cop humor) which also stars simon yam as the "taxi cab killer" and features his patented psycho antics and exceptionally frightening visage and expressions (kent cheng plays a cop in it too). theres not much more to say other than while watching this and all category III films keep in mind that they are from a different country with different sensibilities (they obviously dont have any restraint as far as killing children and the elderly for entertainment). they use these movies as an outlet for their daily stress and it obviously works so dont hold it against them if you end up seeing one and find it disturbing or your unable to watch it.

Rating:
Summary: a great category III film
Review: run and kill is a title im sure that most of you are familiar with. if im correct it is the first film by "bad boy" billy tang and a great debut feature it is. the acting by simon yam is totally unforgettable (just look at the guys facial expressions very, very scary). he plays the best psychopath next to anthony wong. as for kent chengs part, he is likeable but up until the end isnt all that realistic due to the comedic overtones of his character in the beginning but during the climax it is almost a total transformation of character on his part (from a slapstick "fatty" to a dead serious but still very cowardly man who is fighting for his life). the plot is very simple and im not even going to bother describing it. this film definetly isnt for everyone as it has the obligatory rape scene (thank god its not as graphic as the one in the untold story) which is in almost every category III film as well as a little girl being immolated in front of her own dad in very authentic fashion (i cant say that it was fun to watch). i would have to say that the most memorable parts of the movie for me were of course simon yams character and his dont give a f*** who i have to kill to get revenge demeanor (dont forget about the guys facial expressions either their just plain unsettling) as well as "fatties" attempt to "rescue" his daughter after shes been sitting in a fire for the last 15 minutes and her charred body pumped full of lead by friendly mr yam at which point "fatty" picks his daughters unrecognisable corpse up and runs away with it only to break off her head on a wall to which he monotonly remarks "oh where did the head go"! you probably wont be seeing a scene like that in another film any time soon. you also have some very memorable fight scenes which include very realistic punches and kicks to bodies and heads (seeing "fatty" being thrown around like a 350 lbs. rag doll is quite entertaining too) you also get a granny being tossed out a window for your money. overall i think that this film was a solid offering as far as category III films go. it is a good starting point for the uninitiated as it isnt too disturbing but is definetly a film for the desensitised or those who watch these sort of films on a regular basis. i would also recommend dr. lamb (its much more disturbing and serious except for the cop humor) which also stars simon yam as the "taxi cab killer" and features his patented psycho antics and exceptionally frightening visage and expressions (kent cheng plays a cop in it too). theres not much more to say other than while watching this and all category III films keep in mind that they are from a different country with different sensibilities (they obviously dont have any restraint as far as killing children and the elderly for entertainment). they use these movies as an outlet for their daily stress and it obviously works so dont hold it against them if you end up seeing one and find it disturbing or your unable to watch it.