Reviewed by: Masterofoneinchpunch Date: 01/05/2016 Summary: "You can beat me, but you can't beat my dad." -- Frankie Lone Frankie Lone (Jacky Cheung) is a former martial artist turned actor who drinks, carouses, completely overacts and aghast, has body doubles during difficult stunts, though he is advertised as doing all of his stunts often using his bodyguard Lee Git (Jet Li, a bit or irony here is that Li is doubled in this film.) Of course his yojimbo is much more a man then he is and is played a bit too robotically which is unfortunate because Li does have more depth as an actor though sometimes you would not know this from his roles in the 1990s. Lee Git (aka Corny Man) lost his wife and son to a bomb diffusion of a busload of hostages gone wrong two years before. All Lee has is the voice of the perpetrator. We know him as the Doctor (Kelvin Wong; hey, did I not just see him in Don't Give a Damn) a mysterious bad guy who was possibly involved in a previous war who has a Mandarin speaking Mainland crew. In the meantime two reporters led by Helen Lok (Chingmy Yau) are trying to uncover if Jackie I mean Frankie uses a stunt double. They follow him to an event at the Granedur Hotel (a take-off of the Grandeur Hotel just kidding it is a misspelling which later is spelled correctly) where there is a show for the rich and famous displaying 19th century Russian Tsar's Nicolas II crown jewels on the 75th floor penthouse. In that hotel is an undercover cop's girlfriend Jayce (Charlie Yeung) whom the Doctor has taken a liking to and who will get mixed up in what has to be one of the not-so-brilliant heists I have seen. By coincidence Lee Git overhears the Doctor while driving away and with Jayce's boyfriend they find a way back into the hotel. Will they succeed in thwarting the heist? Who will die? Will Frankie redeem himself? Frankie's manager (Charlie Cho) is a parody of Jackie Chan's manager Willie Chan and Frankie's dad (well played by Wu Ma) is of course a reference to Jackie Chan's dad. Really this whole movie is a combination of a parody of Die Hard (at the time one of Wong Jing's favorite Hollywood films; the Chinese release title of Die Hard was Tiger Courage, Dragon Might while this film's Chinese title translates to Mouse Courage, Dragon Might), a satire on Jackie Chan with random bits of references to Speed, Bruce Lee with Game of Death suit and Lee style vocal noises, of course Wong Jing's own bizarre humor involving urination and much more. Wong Jing in certainly an auteur in the way Roger Corman is and has a "throw in everything including the kitchen sink type" of attitude with many of his films. This has brought the disdain from many more serious Hong Kong directors like Ann Hui. Because Wong Jing is so prolific he can be quite sloppy in his films and makes me wonder how much he delegates to the second unit, action directors and whoever else is nearby. If you start to think while watching this you might wonder where and why did the bad guys bring lots of snakes and a reptile just to throw on a woman who they did not know would actually be in the bathroom beforehand? Even more ridiculous was the reptile venom antidote in a non-hospital building. Or how about how twice people seemed nonplussed to see a gang of armed assailants. Hey there is shady looking people with automatic weapons, I'll say hi. Or how about how the reporters got a picture of Jet Li coming straight down when they were filming at an angle. Also, how did Song Bong (Billy Chow with an insane mullet that would fit well on a mid-90s WWF wrestler) find Frankie? The use of dummies is quite obvious in the action scenes, almost as obvious as in Casa de mi Padre (2012) though while humorous does make it seem a bit cheap -- almost as cheap as the miniature sets they used. Now it is certainly entertaining in many aspects. While the biting satire of Jackie Chan does go overboard and Cheung's overmugging does sometimes get annoying, it is effective and eviscerating attack on Jackie. I was thinking that it should have been more subtle, but I am writing about Wong Jing here and I believe he was trying to be obviously mean. I can easily understand why Jackie Chan was angry about this.* Some of the jokes are funny such as the crotch-grabbing corpse scene which is almost Stephen Chow like. I overall enjoyed the fighting scenes by Corey Yuen. The fisticuffs and footacuffs (not a word, but it should be) with Jet Li and Ben Lam is exciting and well done with nice use of objects you do not normally expect to see. The same goes with the main fight between Jackie Cheung and Billy Chow which is somewhat reminiscent of the finale in The Young Master in which Frankie goes all out to the point of hurting himself. Though I do not think he is always effective with gun battles such as instances where rolling your body helps avoid machine gun fire and no matter how many shots are fired they cannot hit Jet Li (even with an M-60 at close range.). This reminded me of his less-than-stellar gun battles in his directed film Bodyguard from Beijing (1994). But these issues are less noticeable the first time you watch it since Wong Jing keeps a fast pace throughout. In 1992 and 1993 director/writer Wong Jing worked with Jackie Chan on City Hunter (1993). Reportedly it was not a pleasant experience for either. But Wong definitely dished a certain amount of cold cinematic revenge with this film, though at a particular cost. While I have not found a primary source on the matter, it has been stated that Li apologized to Jackie Chan for being in this film. It is somewhat telling that Jet Li did not work with Wong Jing as a director again and in most interviews with Jet Li I have read/heard states he has been on friendly terms with Chan. But Li is known for being cordial and usually has polite answers. Li would also later work with Jackie Chan in 2008's The Forbidden Kingdom. Now Frankie's character is redeemed by the end. An all-out assault on Jackie would have had a more biting ending. I have two R0/NTSC Universe copies with two different disc covers: a (oooh) shiny one with no decorations and one with Jet Li with a tie. This release has Chinese and English subtitles burnt-in and your choice of the Cantonese and Mandarin audios. On the Cantonese audio you can also hear the antagonists and several others speaking Mandarin and some English is used throughout as well. The print quality is OK, but it is soft and has artifacts (digital noise especially) throughout. I also have a R1/NTSC Columbia Tri-star DVD. On that: the US cut is slightly cut by 29 seconds, though it loses none of the violence. As usual the English dub is not always saying what is in the HK release. It does not have the artifacts that the Universe has, but unfortunately does not have the Cantonese or Mandarin soundtrack yet has a French one. There are optional English and Spanish subtitles. For extras there are Talent Files, Trailer (English), Trailer Gallery (Once Upon a Time in China I-III set, Red Dragon, Gorgeous, The Prisoner) and Photo Gallery with Jet Li Trivia. * I recently read Almost Interesting (2015) by David Spade and Spade writes about the infamous issue where he made fun of Eddie Murphy with one comment in a skit and Murphy was upset with him for years. But issues like this are nothing new in cinema. For example William S. Hart (a famous silent cowboy actor) made some disparaging remakes about Buster Keaton's friend Roscoe Arbuckle and Keaton retaliated by making a Hart spoof The Frozen North. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Hyomil Date: 01/04/2011 Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 10/30/2010 Summary: Heart-pumping and breathtaking Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: ewaffle Date: 09/20/2005 “High Risk” seems untypical of the general run of movies that were both written and directed by Wong Jing, at least in that it is characterized by fewer scenes involving the (to him) funny aspects of defecation, urination and vomit than are usually found in his work. While not completely absent, the more moderate use of these images indicates that Wong is interested in something other than cheap laughs. Which is not to say that “High Risk” is high quality cinema. Much of the action is ridiculous, haphazard and without motivation or real consequence—for example where did the bad guys get hundreds of snakes and a fearsome poisonous lizard and why did the first aid kits of a bank building have the antidote for the toxic reptile venom—but there is an obvious and discernable purpose to this movie. It was done to attack Jackie Chan and debunk the myth of the tough but affable movie star who did all of his own stunts, loved his fans and helped old ladies across busy streets and was successful on those terms. Using Jet Li as the bodyguard/stand-in/stunt double for “Frankie Lone” was a stroke of genius—while several other Hong Kong action actors could have done the role quite well, Jet Li, while not yet known internationally, was a real Hong Kong movie star who actually did a lot (although not, of course, all) of his own stunts. Jacky Cheung was perfect as Frankie. He was vain, panicky when he should have been resolute, cowardly when bravery was called for and clumsy. Frankie Lone was a man without dignity and completely lacking in nobility. The plot isn’t really derivative, which would imply that some of might be original. Entire scenes are copied in whole from other movies and simply strung together. Most of the cast are simply along for the ride. Cardboard cutouts labeled “bad guy”, “dumb cop” “sexy reporter” and “innocent bystander” would have been as effective, although Billy Chow playing an East Asian Van Damme was funny—for a couple of minutes. The obvious use of dummies as the victims of land mines and other explosive devices could have been a conscious post-modern Wong Jing wink and nod to the partially fabricated reputation of his victim. Whatever the disagreements on the set of “City Hunter” that were the apparent impetus for “High Risk”, Wong certainly won this round. Reviewer Score: 5

Reviewed by: Arshadnm6 Date: 04/08/2005 Summary: Worth Watching, but No Keeper!!! Jet Li (Kit) is an ex-soldier whose wife dies in a terrorist attack on a school bus. Fast forward to the future and he has become a wasted stunt double/bodyguard for stuntman/actor Jacky Cheung (Frankie). This sets up a showdown between Kit and the same group in a die-hard style manner at Frankie’s party along with a group of misfits in this light comedy/action. Jet Li seems a very serious and dedicated actor in this movie (as almost everyone else except the terrorists are comical in one way or another throughout the movie). Furthermore, a fair amount of fast and hard gun-totting and martial arts is involved in this movie which makes the action scenes stand out along with some incredibly over-the-top acrobats from Jet Li. Surprisingly, Jet Li is also not involved in the final showdown where Jacky Cheung has to conquer his fears and following years of neglecting his fighting skills takes things into his own hands in Bruce Lee’s ‘Game of Death’ style costume. The overuse of Chingmy Yau Suk-Ching shows up with crystal clarity in another one of Wong Jing’s X-rated/action movie (as he always tries to capitalize on both markets). The movie-budget for this film is also quite high and appears authentic enough in most places. The plot is well developed with Wong Jing again serving up wildly exaggerated comedy with some intimate scenes. Some of Corey Yuen Kwai’s action direction is amazing compared to earlier predecessors such as ‘New Legend of Shaolin’, which failed him and Jacky Cheung offers Jet Li some stiff competition in completely opposite role in many ways throughout the movie. Moreover, none of the terrorists really develop any character or feelings, which could be explained since the film was based around the main heroes. Overall, Jet Li uses guns to an absolute limit, when totally necessary (compared to his ridiculous performances in ‘Bodyguard from Beijing’ since he is obviously no Chow Yun Fat) and balances this to very good effect with martial arts whilst leaving other actors to concentrate on filling the laughable emotional gaps and showing the audience how to really use firearms. This movie is no tear-jerker, capitalizes on all of the actors strengths, has a few flaws and some well-worked plot twists for good all-round throw-away fun. I would suggest you only watch this movie if you are a die-hard fan of either Jet Li or Wong Jing. Overall Rating: 7.0/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: JohnR Date: 09/13/2003 Summary: High Risk - Low Result Jet Li stars as Lee Git, a supercop who becomes a bodyguard to Frankie Lone, a kung fu movie star played by Jackie Cheung. Frankie is legendary for doing his own stunts and his fans worship him, but he's become a womanizer and over the years has stopped doing the hard stunts, secretly using Lee as a stunt double. This parody of Jackie Chan is the base for most of this action/comedy's comedy side. The action side centers around the activities of the bad guy, Doctor, played by Kelvin Wong Sui. Doctor, assisted by his trigger-happy private army, is attempting a jewel heist during an invitation-only showing. Hong Kong must be an incredibly noisy place because these guys can have mini-wars and not draw the slightest notice. Lee gets involved in trying to defeat Doctor after accidentally overhearing him and recognizing him as the mastermind he'd encountered during his days as a supercop. Doctor's voice is not one Lee Git will ever forget, as Doctor was the cause of great trauma earlier in his life. And since Frankie is one of the guests at the jewelry show, the comedy side and the action side merge for the film's final set piece. Chingmy Yau is also here, but all but her most diehard fans will be disappointed. This is not the Chingmy of Kung Fu Colt Master or Royal Tramp II. Valerie Chow is one of the bad guys. Her acting seemed flat, but maybe it's more to do with her trying to maintain her action side role while being merged into the comedy side. I don't know, it just didn't come off. Charlie Yeung appears as Jayce, strictly a flower vase. The scene where Chingmy is trapped in the bathroom and one of the bad guys, on the upper floors of a commercial highrise, suddenly acquires boxes full of snakes and a leaping, man-eating lizard to attack her with was pathetic. Presumably the gang used up all the ammunition during the big shootout downstairs, leaving nothing left in the arsenal but the reptiles. There are some good comedy scenes with Jackie and some good action pieces, but, as a whole, it doesn't work. Not one of Jet Li's better outings; he's very dull. I'd give it about a 6 out of 10. It's not an awful movie by any stretch, but falls way short of the potential of the plot setup. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 07/23/2003 Summary: Entertaining The plot I can forgive, because the movie features one of the best stunt sequences yet, when a stuntman jumps out of a helicopter to grab the outside of a building, followed by the helicopter spinning 30 times in the building, blowing up all kinds of things and people. Jet Li is the forgettable part. Billy Chow is great. [7/10] Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 01/27/2003 A more appropriate title for the film would have been "Liar Liar Pants on Fire." Once upon a time director Wong Jing and Jackie Chan made a film based on a Japanese anime ("City Hunter"). Chan publicly voiced his distaste for the project a departure from his previous work that performed lukewarm domestically. Wong retaliated with "High Risk" a mean-spirited satire of Chan that portrays the action icon as a retarded boozing womanizer who secretly uses stuntmen. Some of the gags are actually funny but the "Die Hard" template Wong uses falls flat a la "City Hunter." Years after the fact star Jet Li personally apologized to Chan for his role in the film. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Sahid Yaqub Date: 07/26/2002 Summary: WELL I'D GIVE IT 4/5 Nothing much to say: Die Hard meets-City Hunter-meets-John Woo-style gunplay-meets-Jet Li-style kung fu and some more parodies of Bruce Lee done by Jacky Cheung performing the nunchakus in a yellow cat suit (hint, hint). But I thought it was a great movie- thank god I watched the Hong Kong version, otherwise it would've been less enjoyable and a big load of bullshit!!! Just as usual- American video companies have fucked up HK classics like DM2, and a bundle of Jet Li movies by editing them to shreads and dubbing them so it sounds like a bunch of nobodies just READING!!! But the HK version was pretty enjoyable- make sure you DON'T watch the US version. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Waiguoren99 Date: 07/10/2002 Summary: Action film and cruel parody of action superstar Hong Kong category II (equivalent to R) for graphic violence, adult situations, adult language, and full frontal nudity (close-up shot of male urinating). Comedy/Action. After failing to stop a bomb from killing his wife and son along with a busload of children, former police officer Li Kit (Jet Li) has become the bodyguard and stunt double to international action superstar Frankie Lone AKA Long Wei (Jackie Cheung). Frankie, who is famous for doing all his own stunts but is actually a drunken, crudely womanizing coward, is being stalked by a TV reporter (Chingmy Yau) determined to "out" him on her program. When Frankie is invited to an exclusive party in a high-rise hotel showing the Russian crown jewels, the reporter follows. Kit discovers that the same gang that caused his family's death has targeted the jewels, and he, the reporter, and Frankie must try to foil the robbery and rescue the guests. Half of this film is a fine over - the - top action drama (Die Hard raised to the nth power, with amazing special effects, terrific martial arts, and extremely graphic violence) and half is a merciless but very funny send-up of a certain reigning Hong Kong action superstar famous for doing all his own stunts. And the more you know about this particular star the closer, funnier, and crueler the parody becomes. Parents (or any others) who object to male full frontal nudity take warning: there is a close-up shot of Frankie urinating; the insult here is particularly crude. Director Wong Jing made this film after reported "difficulties" with the star in question on the set of CITY HUNTER; and HIS intentions are fairly clear, I think, especially when you see that the original Chinese title translates as "Mouse Courage Long Wei". Cheung has studied his subject and does a very fine and instantly recognizable take - off, although his fighting style is pure Bruce Lee. He puts his considerable comic talents to good use as Frankie, the cowardly superstar, but portrays his transformation into a reluctant hero very well. Li is excellent as Frankie's stuntman and bodyguard with a tragic past history, and Yau has a lot of fun with the "Hard Copy" - like TV reporter who develops an outspoken yen for the brave bodyguard. Special mention goes to veteran character actor Wu Ma, who plays Jacki ... oops, er, Frankie's father with panache and humor. This film is so well-done, so humorous, and so much fun that it is only its extreme mean - spiritedness that keeps the rating down -- if it wasn't about a real person, it would rate considerably higher. Gee, and people wonder why Jet Li hasn't worked with the other reigning king of action yet .... 3 out of 5 thumbs - up. Note: memories of the events of September 11, 2001 may make one scene particularly painful. In 2001, Columbia - Tristar released an Enlish - language version, re-titled MELTDOWN. The dubbing and a few cuts have made several significant changes in the film which amplify the insults and reduce the comedy, and thus the enjoyment. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Dyogenez Date: 05/06/2002 Summary: Not too bad As a comedy, this suits Jacky Cheung, but not soo much Jet Li's character. It's funny to a point, but most of the story was lacking. The parody of Frankie, Jacky Cheung, as a martial artist who doesn't do his own stunts adds enough comedy to make it watchable. For the comedy and the usual Jet Li action this movie is worth it. 6/10. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: ksbutterbox Date: 01/22/2002 Summary: Fun Flick This movie rocks! Yes it's a rip off here,there & everywhere but so what? This movie has alot of stars doing some wild stuff. Never seen Valerie Chow so hot and violent! Never seen Charlie Yeung look so beautiful! Great action film. Pissed off some Jackie Chan fans but so what...if he was upset maybe there's some truth to the parody.

Reviewed by: Inner Strength Date: 01/19/2002 Summary: BEEN THERE DONE THAT UPDATE: This is MY opinion (INTENDED AT ksbutterbox), I don't care what you think. Although I think one thing that did put me off this film, is the fact that most of it is aimed at Jackie Chan after his fall out the previous year with Wong Jing. ---------------- Hmmm...where have I seen this before? Oh I know, in a million US movies! Nothing new here at all, average Jet Li 'wire kung fu' and very boring. Oh, and Wong Jing is behind this, that explains it. Jacky Cheung is not that great either, but slightly better than Jet Li. Rating (out of 5): 1 (This rating is based on the year & genre, so don't think it's based as a comparison on new releases etc.) Reviewer Score: 2

Reviewed by: Kncklz2000 Date: 06/27/2001 Summary: A bit too much of everything The movie starts out with a terrorist/hostage situation. It ends up with the bad guys getting away and Jet's wife being killed in the explosion. Don't you worry, Jet gets those bastards back later on in the movie. So anyways, Jet becomes a bodygaurd for Jacky Cheung, who plays Asia's most famous action star (like a Bruce Lee idol you can say). Jacky is just another typical actor- he wants to get as much head as he can, and he wants to be drunk all the time (we got a lot of those here in the U.S.). Once again, you have your dumb female that Jet has to save (this time it's a reporter), and she falls in love with him. There's a lot of gun play, which was so-so (the best Jet gun play would have to be in HITMAN). There is one fight with Jet. Not too bad, considering the fact that it was the usual Jet fight- he gets out somekind of material and uses it as a shoalin weapon- this time he used somekind of lamps as poles. The highlight of the movie is the fight between Jacky Cheung and Billy Chow. The choreorgraphy wasn't great, but it was a great comedic fight- with a few neat moves from Jacky. I think it lasted about 5 minutes, if not more. There is a lot of humor in the movie, considering the fact that Jacky is in it. But then there is your wanna-be drama and all that other stuff. It was a bit too much of everything. But it turned out to be a good movie. A definite recommendation from Jet's work.

Reviewed by: xiaoka Date: 06/22/2001 Summary: Jacky makes this movie great... While most people watching this movie will want to see it because of Jet Li, what really makes this movie great is Jacky Cheung's performance. He plays, Frankie, a parody of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and has some pretty biting satire of both of them - mostly of Jackie Chan, which is why he got pissed off by this movie. To really appreciate this films on all its levels, you really need to be an HK film fan. They portray Frankie as a playboy, party-animal womanizer who's out of shape and fakes doing his own stunts - all of which have been said about Jackie (and we have since discovered that some of them are true), likewise the portrayals of Frankie's father and manager are nearly identical to Jackie's father and his manager Willy Chan. The Bruce satire is more limited - mostly about his yell, but also about the fact that people view him as being the ultimate martial artist simply because he makes popular movies. The diehard rip-off plot and other stuff make for a good movie, but its the biting parody of one of HK's biggest stars and one of film's greatest legends that makes this film the most noteworthy. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: s**** Date: 05/09/2001 Summary: another review The last thing HIGH RISK needs, from the look of things, is another review, but I thought I should briefly add a detail I noticed. I've seen this film on both laserdisc and DVD, and I noticed that the DVD version I saw (a Universe DVD with burned-in subtitles) was slightly cut. Specifically, some gory shots were missing and some sex-related dialogue. It was barely enough to notice, just a split second here and there, but it was enough to make me go "Damn!" and immediately sell the DVD I'd just bought. I don't know what's up with this; I know a lot of Wong Jing productions exist in all sorts of weird versions, but I don't even fully understand the reasons for cutting a Hong Kong film for its DVD release. I hope this DVD is re-issued in an uncut version, though, as Wong Jing's excesses are what makes some of his films watchable.

Reviewed by: alienlord Date: 05/07/2001 This movie was far better than expected. It delivers the right amount of violence, to keep your adrenalin pumping, and comedy, to lighten the sometimes heavy mood. The only thing wrong with it is that Chingmy Yau looks the worst I have ever seen in any of her movies, and the obvious lack of chemistry between her and Jet Li. ***/4 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Fuck You Date: 02/23/2001 Summary: 10/10 Kit Lee (Jet Li) is a police officer who is called to the school where his child attends and his wife is a teacher. It seems that a terrorist named "The Doctor" has placed all of the children and staff on a school bus that is rigged with explosives and is just sitting in front of the school and plans to extort some money out of the rich parents of some of the students. Lee tries to defuse the bomb (is it the red wire or the blue wire?), but in a rush calls for the wrong wire to be cut and causes the entire bus full of children to be blown up. Two years later, Lee is still plagued with nightmares of the incident, but has quit his job as a police officer and has become a stuntman and personal bodyguard of action star Frankie Lone (Jacky Cheung). Lone is the biggest box office draw in Hong Kong and supposedly does all of his own dangerous stunt work, but in reality he is just a drunk whose martial arts skills are rapidly fading. When Frankie is invited to the unveiling of some rare jewels from the reign of Czar Nicholas II that is taking place in the penthouse of a swanky hotel, The Doctor shows up with plans to steal the jewels so he and his syndicate of criminals can retire. Recognizing The Doctor's voice from the day his wife and child were killed, Lee infiltrates the hotel in an attempt to bring the terrorists down and avenge his family. Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: ICU Date: 12/09/2000 Summary: Very Funny Jacky Cheung makes a very funny impression of the legend Bruce Lee and a very good imitation of Jackie Chan. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 08/04/2000 Summary: EXCELLENT!! This, believe it or not, is my favorite JET LI movie!! The entertainment value you get from this movie is comparable to Jackie Chan's older work (like "Dragon's forever") The comedy is very funny and the action is very good!! NOT a movie to take seriously by the way. A excellent chinese version of 'Die Hard.' Watch Jackie Cheung do his impersonation of Bruce LEe!! 9/10 Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 04/02/2000 Summary: Big bang for your buck. Wong Jing's movie from the summer of 1995 is a slam-bang action-adventure. Hong Kong's most prolific filmmaker working at this time, Wong Jing put together a nifty tale about the bodyguard/stunt double[Jet Li] of a famous HK film star [Jacky Cheung], a dead ringer for Jackie Chan in Bruce Lee's clothing. Scenes have been lifted from various American made films which have played to big audiences in Hong Kong; for example, SPEED, BLOWN AWAY, and Renny Harlin's DIE HARD 2 and CLIFFHANGER. In fact, the literal translations of High Risk and Die Hard are very similar. This is the best film I've seen Jet Li in since KUNG FU CULT MASTER. Jacky Cheung fairs very well under action director Corey Yeun Kwai. His take-off of Jackie Chan's and Bruce Lee's martial arts skills is quite an impressive display. For my $6 HIGH RISK had more thrills per frame than anything Hollywood put out in the summer of 1995. Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: allan Date: 12/21/1999 It stinks!

Reviewed by: jfierro Date: 12/21/1999 The basic premise is great. Famous action-superstar Frankie Lane(Jacky Cheung) is a drunken womanizer who has let his martial arts skills deteriorate. Kit Li (Jet Li) is his loyal bodyguard who is dedicated to ensuring that the public does not find out the sad truth about Frankie, to the point where he even secretly performs Frankie's trademark stunts himself. Jacky is hilarious as a cross between Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, and Jet is his typical stoic self. Unfortunately, Wong Jing can't leave well enough alone. He throws in a distracting DIE HARD plot complete with a team of expert terrorists laying seige on an upscale party in an extravagant high-rise building. While I normally like Wong Jing's helter-skelter style, this time he should have kept it simple. This is still an enjoyable movie with fantastic moments, but it could have been great all the way through.

Reviewed by: kjohnson Date: 12/09/1999 The first half or so of the movie is a very enjoyable, though silly, comedy. During the last half, there's too much action, which, when it's supposed to be serious is not very exciting, because the director (Wong Jing) can't take it seriously and it comes off slapdash. The action parts that are supposed to be funny work very well. Not a great movie, but worth seeing for the funny bits.

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 If you just want to have fun watching a movie, rent this. The plot is an obvious ripoff of Die Hard (with the one exception being who everyone is and what they do), but this thing blows Die Hard away. Jacky Cheung does the best imitation of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee I've ever seen. Jet Li is there, too, but his talents are wasted as he never gets into a real fight. Look for the helicopter careening through the high rise. Unreal! (8.25/10) [Reviewed by Dale Whitehouse]

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 A hilarious, superfast paced movie that doles out a full dose of Jet Li, AND a full dose of Jacky Cheung, and more than a little Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee (though neither appears in this movie.) Somehow, director Wong Jing and action director Corey Yuen manage to cram about three films worth of entertainment into one movie. Jet Li gets to be tough and tragic and do some real kung fu; Jacky Cheung gets to be zany and goofy and hit on girls and do lots of fake kung fu; and then, being a Wong Jing movie, you also get a nice healthy dose of Chingmy Yau to top it off. We laughed so hard we couldn't breathe. If you're just in the mood for a good time, can't go wrong with this one. And if you're at all a fan, watch for the millions of insider jokes. Jacky does Jackie. What a concept. [Reviewed by Michael Perry]

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL The girls go wacky over drunken action/stunt star Jackie Cheung (a comic amalgam of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan), but don't seem to notice his stunt double/bodyguard Jet Li (playing, well, Jet Li); but all that might change if reporter Chingmy Yau has any say in things. They all end up at a black tie exhibition of Tsar Nicholas II's crown jewels, when a cadre of jewel thieves take over the build ing. This HK variant of Die Hard has some wild stunts: like when Jet Li and a cop pal drive through a plate glass window, gun down a bunch of fake guards, and then take the sub-compact up the elevator to continue the mayhem at the crime scene; there's also a high-rise helicopter battle (shades of True Lies?) and some fab fu. Worrying about the bullet-holes in the plot will only ruin things for you -- enjoy the ride. (3/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 7