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英雄好漢 (1987)
Tragic Hero


Reviewed by: mrblue
Date: 09/27/2005

Tragic Hero just didn't do much for me. The plot relies too heavily on Rich and Famous and, while there is a flashback at the beginning, will most likely leave those who haven't seen it confused. Even if the viewer isn't confused, they'll most likely become bored. The movie moves at a snail's pace. It doesn't help matters that the script uses most every Triad movie cliché in the book. Tragic Hero's only saving grace is a monstrous gunfight at the end (featuring dual rocket launchers) that some people say was the inspiration for the finale in A Better Tomorrow 2 -- but one good gunfight really can't justify wading through sixty minutes of crap to get to it.

[review from www.hkfilm.net]


Reviewed by: Sydneyguy
Date: 11/14/2004
Summary: Sequel to Rich and famous

I agree with all reviewers but i didn't hate this movie. Yes there are unbelieveable things that do happen (to kill a lead character you need at least 50 bullets for example) but i found this easy to watch

Alex man really know how to play the bastard and Danny lee's appearance is interesting as he and Chow Yun fat will collaborate in "the killer" 2 years later. He almost steals the show with his charisma

Apart from the unreality in this movie, i did enjoy watching it

7/10


Reviewed by: MrBooth
Date: 11/12/2001
Summary: OK but no classic

TRAGIC HERO: Sequel to RICH AND FAMOUS, set some years later. The focus shifts from Andy Lau's character to Chow Yun Fat's, with Alex Man having slightly more screen time and much more intense screen time. I shalln't reveal any plot details, because if you haven't seen RICH AND FAMOUS they'd be spoilers, and if you have seen it you know enough already. The film is not bad, though far from the calibre of the BETTER TOMORROW series (to which it clearly aspires). Manfred Wong was responsible for the script, and it bears the hallmarks of his lack of writing talent... little consistency or development of characters etc. The Tai Seng DVD appears to have been taken from a master that was put through the washing machine before transfer. Possibly on more than one occasion.


Reviewed by: dragyn
Date: 03/04/2001
Summary: Emotionally Barren

"Tragic Hero" is a strange movie. It has all the ingredients for a really great movie: big fights, big explosions, a competent director, Chow Yun-Fat in the lead role, and a fairly believeable story-line. But somehow - we, as watchers, just don't care. It doesn't matter how many bullets they pump into Chow Yun-Fat, either; by the finale I was yawning and wishing they'd finish him off quickly so the movie would at last be over.

It's hard to put my finger on exactly what causes this complete lack of audience involvement; my guess is that it's several different elements. For a start, the screen-time and story-line seems to have been spread over too many characters, rather than giving us one strong, central chracter we could sympathise with. And also, the supposedly "main" chracter, played by Chow yun-Fat, is given almost no depth at all - in fact, the only chracterisation in the movie seems to have been given to Shing Fui On, who hardly has any time onscreen at all.

All in all - a pretty terrible movie. Don't watch it unless you have a sudden urge to be bored out of your skull for an hour and a half while you could be watching something far better.

2/10


Reviewed by: TequilaYuen
Date: 06/11/2000
Summary: Exciting finale, little else.

I saw this film in the theatre on a Chow yun fat film festival. I found the film very amateureshly written. I know action films suspend belief, but this was ridiculous (a woman gets shot in the head, but dosen't die for about 7 minutes, chow recieves over 30 bullet hits in the filnale, but survives.) The story itself was intriguing, but the gun battles were ver outlandish, and out of place (shing fui on's demise is particularly laughable). I can take many stupid violent films of the eighties (AMerican" Lethal Weapon, HK: Tiger on beat), but this one goes too far. It should have stuck with it's story, and not tried try solely to live up to the better tomorrow body count. Danny Lee has a particularly good cameo.


Reviewed by: hokazak
Date: 12/09/1999

Sequel to "Rich and Famous."


Reviewed by: wrlouis
Date: 12/09/1999

Triad boss Li Ah Chai (CYF), whose desire to avoid violence (for the sake of his wife and child) leads him to a policy of appeasement, sees his triad crumble and his life collapse under a malevolent attack by his psychotic rival (Alex Man). Predictable, stilted dialogue, and awkward acting, in conjunction with a stereotyped plot and villain render TH an unmemorable movie experience. That said, TH does have its moments of glory: the action, particularly in the finale, is creative and exciting. It's also fun seeing the whole crew of heroic bloodshed actors appear in this early movie. Seek out _Tragic Hero_ only if you're in the mood to laugh at bad lines, and to cheer vigorously at every explosion.