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無名火 (1984)
Profile in Anger


Reviewed by: mrblue
Date: 09/15/2010

Profile in Anger is a very apt title for this 1984 actioner helmed by and starring old-school favorite "Beardy" Leung Kar-Yan. After a slow first act, the claret begins flowing out at a rate fast enough to fill up several oversized Malibu pools. While there really isn't much of a story to speak of presented here, if you're a fan of the good old-fashioned ultra-violence, you're going to find a lot to enjoy with this film.

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Tonic
Date: 05/17/2006

Barely 80 minutes in length and the film still seems too long.

A couple of decent stunts and some skills, but the rest of the film is pretty sleep-inducing.

Starts in a promising manner, but definitely has the signs of a project that was left and revisited later.


Reviewed by: Frank Lakatos
Date: 09/29/2005
Summary: This movie started shooting in 1982........

This movie started shooting in 1982(look at the letter written by Damian Lau to Leung Kar Yan, it's dated to 1982), but probably the production had to have been cut short because Golden harvest may have been saving their funds for American coproductions at the time. Nevertheless, it's a movie you either love or hate. Watch the first 40 minutes of this for some quality HK filmmaking, the last half hours just disintegrates. Leung shoots one of the best examples of the European giallo in the scenes where Chan Wai Man stalks Pat Ha. The lighting, use of the thunderstorm, careful camera work, and editing in those scenes create a nice range of contrast. It's so beautifully shot and Chan Wai Man is just perfect as the psychotic killer. Leung kar yan's fight with Chan Wai man is brutal, as Chan has never been captured on screen this powerfully before, as most of his punches and kicks are full contact. There is some nifty Wing Chung kung fu techniques that Leung surprises Chan with. Besides that, the music score is excellent, and Philip Ko and Chang Yi are in there prime. The loud kickboxing sound effects used by Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan at the time are used to a great effect here, intensifying the fight scenes. The is a stylish movie, but it ends too preditctably and quickly. If the end would have been as stylish and calculating as the beginning, this would have been a classic HK action drama. ***1/2(for the first 40 minutes)/*****


Reviewed by: STSH
Date: 01/02/2003
Summary: Unpleasant

Great ingredients, poorly combined, lumpily mixed and undercooked.

A good cast wanders all over the place with a cut-up plot. Some pretty good action scenes help relieve the general dullness, particularly Leung Ka Yan vs Michael Chan, two great tough guys at their peaks.

After a couple of people get killed and Leung's character starts to get seriously pissed off, things get grim and unpleasant. Even though he's justified in taking the actions, it's hard to feel anything for him, let alone the bad guys.

Reviewer Score: 3