Reviewed by: Dyogenez Date: 05/07/2002 Summary: Surprising! After reading a review of the general storyline I thought this movie might be something different than the usual triad or crime film. It definetely pulled through. It comes through with an orignal storyline with almost no fat in the movie. There is a little romance which some fans of the genre may not appreciate, but I thought it fit well with the story. Although I'm not much of a triad film fan, that's what the base of the story really is. For an explanation of the story, check one of the other reviews, which really don't give any spoilers. I would definetely recomend this film if you're a fan crime movies. 8/10.

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 02/05/2002 Summary: VERY GOOD Marooned is a story about a cop (played by Andy Hui) and his girlfriend (Gigi Leung). Andy arrests a criminal who has stolen HK$3M, and he turns out to be his cousin. He takes the money from him in order that he doesn’t get into trouble. He gets a phone call the next day from the mans boss saying that he has 7 days to return the money. Andy sends his girlfriend to deposit the money into the bosses account, but at a freak chance the bank is robbed and the money is taken. Andy is then hunted down by the gang to get the money back, and so has to find the robbers before the boss gets him. The concept is very good, and the story is much better than most movies in 2000. It’s a shame that not many people seem to have seen this. The action is very good and it’s more of a thriller, although set more laid back than you might expect. One let down, is that the romance involved does seem a bit over the top at times. But the story ended up much better than what I expected. There is some nice camera work, and the scenery looks great, as it was filmed on the outskirts of Macau. It’s worth mentioning the soundtrack too, which is pretty good and sounds perfect for the film (which is also available to buy). I do agree to a certain extent with the other reviewers when they said that the film makers didn't know if it was action or romance, because the romance is a bit too far I think. But still, in my opinion it was pretty good considering some of the garbage that came out in 2000. Rating: 4/5 (This rating is based on the genre and other films made in the same year)

Reviewed by: magic-8 Date: 03/23/2001 Summary: Curse of the B-Movie Andy Hui and Gigi Leung star in "Marooned," a film that vacillated between a love story and a crime drama. The filmmakers couldn't make up their minds about the approach, leaving this film to meander aimlessly. The story revolves around Andy and Gigi, as Andy gets caught up with a local triad hood and some missing money. The two leads were lackluster, but they did their best with some stale material. Andy's performance as a cop caught up in his own maze, avoiding both the crime boss and his girlfriend, was capable, but Liu Kim Wa's direction had him straddling the fence and ambivalent for much too long. A lot of indecision was created in the middle of the movie, which caused a great deal of tedium. Gigi had two identities in her role as Andy's girlfriend. First, portraying her character as an annoying schoolgirl (she tends to do this in many of her screen roles) and then secondly, as an overly serious woman scorned. She lost the maturity that she exuded in "A War Named Desire," a quality that was much needed in this role. Gigi is best when she can project that mature woman image, which lends weight to her perfomance. The script by Yeung Sin Lin was needlessly melodramatic. Films like "Marooned" suffer from the B-picture curse, that is, everyone involved seemed to be content with producing a subpar movie and didn't go that extra distance to come up with a winner, or come up with some inventive narrative for the story. Even the music was boringly lifeless.

Reviewed by: tmuething Date: 03/01/2001 Summary: Could Have Been Good Beautifully shot, superbly edited, with pleasant performances by the three leads (Andy Hui is certainly more than capable, and it's always a pleasure to watch Gigi Leung's nuanced acting; Edmond Leong as Hui's cop buddy is fine too), nice, not overly intrusive latino score, attractive locations. Alas, the script (by Yeung Shin-Ling) doesn't measure up: Too much romance, not enough crime drama, a much too neat and foreseeable conclusion, not enough red herrings (none, in fact). As so often, one feels cheated after watching a Hong Kong movie that begins great and then degenrates into pure hokum (felt much the same way, only worse, about To's NEEDING YOU, which was positively wrecked by a weak last 20 minutes!). A small film to be sure (not too many people seem to live in Macao). Still, above average for local cinema. Basic plot: Cop (Andy Hui) wants to protect his cousin, who works for a crime boss in Macao, by hiding HK$ 3 mio. of illegal gambling money. His casino dealer-girlfriend (Gigi) wants to deposit the money on the triad boss' account, the very same minute the bank gets robbed. Cop has to recover the money within seven days or face death. on Universe DVD, Directed by Liu Kim-Wa; Produced by Jingle Ma (!), 88 minutes, Lbx 1.85:1; Dolby Digital 5.1 (why?). Print: more than decent transfer, great color and contrast, few artefacts.

Reviewed by: MilesC Date: 02/04/2001 Summary: Yawn... Not much going on here. Initially things seem promising enough; the basic setup- get a large sum of money to a gangster in a limited amount of time or die- has worked for other cheap international crime films like Run Lola Run and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. What those films had, though, besides lots of crazy camerawork and loud soundtracks, was payoff. Marooned just lays out its simple premise, throws Andy Hui and Gigi Leung together for a little romantic subplot, (which isn't that diverting; they're already almost married)and seems to expect things to be naturally entertaining. There are a couple of decent twists at the end, but nothing that will make you rethink the movie, other than to poke holes in it. Action-wise, there isn't much going on; a few lousy brawls that are more like an American movie that we expect from Hong Kong. Altogether, it doesn't make me sick like some movies; at least it doesn't appear to be an obscene waste of money. Still, there's not much to enjoy.