As Hong Kong cinema talent travels westward to Hollywood, the vacuum is being filled by American Born Chinese actors or ABCs (as described by Anya Wu, from the making of "Naked Weapon") and others from North America. The lines of East/West cinema are blurring noticeably, too. Hong Kong movies are losing their Asian influences to cater to international audiences. Hong Kong filmmakers are no longer just interested in Asia, but irritatingly imitating Hollywood. Movies like "Black Mask 2" and "Naked Weapon" reflect this latest trend in Hong Kong cinema. The movie is from a screenplay by Wong Jing that looks and feels as if it could have been made in the United States, since the film uses English as the main language, with little Chinese dialogue

From the very start of the film, we are given a cliche-ridden plot with martial arts action, and some gratuitous sex and violence. Things we've come to expect from a Wong Jing script. Surprisingly, the film has Western sensibilities in that it doesn't linger on any sex or violence. Almost as if Good Housekeeping gave "Naked Weapon" its seal of approval. The plot is basically a rehash of tender young girls being trained and hardened into professional assassins, as portrayed by Maggie Q and Anya Wu in "Naked Weapon." Dan Wu is on board as a CIA agent investigating the kidnaping of little girls from around the globe. Wu focuses on Cheng Pei Pei and her missing daughter, played by Maggie Q.

Naked Weapon is an enjoyable, but ultimately, shallow film that doesn't really feel like a Hong Kong movie. Tony Ching's choreography is adequate, although a bit toned down to accommodate the martial arts for the untrained actors. The women are filmed in many different angles and choreographed to perform short sequences of martial arts to hide their lack of expertise in martial arts. Tony also goes through the motions of demonstrating annoying tricks like non-combative spin movements that aren't integral to the fight scenes. The Wong Jing script has also been toned down to fit a wider audience, but all the painful cliches are intact. There are several embarrassing moments between Q and Wu that feel awkward and forced. Ching has trouble making the relationship between Q and Wu believable. The young actors resort to overacting and raising their voices to deliver their lines, which, although do not need translating, are typically arch and not subtle.

"Naked Weapon" may be a sign of things to come, but I will miss hearing Cantonese in Hong Kong films, along with the local color and the cultural differences between East and West. I am afraid that Hong Kong cinema is losing its voice and identity in trying to become more like Hollywood. Production companies like Media Asia may look to Hollywood as a role model, but Hong Kong cinema will be a viable alternative only when it embraces and celebrates its differences with the West.