An affair to remember (The Black Sheep Affair (DVD))

Name: MykReeve

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Product:	The Black Sheep Affair (DVD)
Date:	25/12/00 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great action sequences, superb pacing

Disadvantages: Adequate plot, poor dialogue in places

There's an impressive team behind 'The Black Sheep Affair'. The director, Lam Wai Lun, is probably best known for directing Category III "classic" 'Satan Returns', and was responsible for writing the Jet Li film 'Dr. Wai and The Scripture With No Words'. The action director, Ching Siu-Tung, was also fight director for fantasy swordplay classics 'Swordsman II' and 'New Dragon Gate Inn'. The main stars of the film are Chiu Man Cheuk, the action star who took over from Jet Li as the star of the 'Once Upon A Time In China' series and also appeared in the superb fantasy swordplay title ' The Blade', and the beautiful Shu Qi, who is probably best known for bearing all in her Category III debut 'Sex & Zen II'.

Given this talent, the film is a little disappointing. In the film, Chiu Man Cheuk plays Yim Dong (consistently translated in the subtitles as 'Arthur Dong'), a soldier in China who single-handedly foils a hijack in an airport, against his commander's orders. As punishment for disobedience, he is sent to the fictional East European former-Russian state of Lavernia, as an attaché to the Chinese Embassy. There he meets an old army buddy, Hung Wai-Kwok ('Andrew Kwok') played by Ken Wong. Within minutes of his arrival in Lavernia, Yim witnesses a killing carried out by a group of Japanese led by terrorist and religious extremist Keizo Mishima, played by Andrew Hoi Lin. He gives chase, and eventually, following an exciting fight along a subway line, captures Mishima and hands him over to the Lavernian police.

We soon learn that Lavernia is a hotbed of political corruption, with the unscrupulous minister of defence quite happy to sell arms to any lunatic extremist who turns up, which is exactly why Mishima's group have come here. However, now with Mishima arrested, and threatening to reveal the extent of Lavernia's corruption in front of a Japanese co
urt, the defence minister is keen to see him disposed of. Also, with Mishima in jail, his zealous followers are keen to put his explosive plan into operation across the country. As if this weren't enough, a group of Chinese boat people is slowly starving in the waters around Lavernia, seeking asylum there, and the Lavernian government are doing nothing to help them... Yim certainly has his work cut out for him....

To be fair, the plot isn't bad by Hong Kong movie standards, in as much as there is one. However, it is at times difficult to follow, and there are stunningly large plot holes. How did the boat people get to Lavernia, for example? Also, the script is a bit weak in places, most notably in when it deals with the relationship between Yim and Pun Chan ('Tammy Chan'), played by Shu Qi, an old sweetheart who he re-encounters in Lavernia.

The pacing is very good throughout the film, however, starting with Yim's action-packed thwarting of the hijack, and keeping up the pace right through to the final battle. The action sequences themselves are first rate, and the final battle between Yim and Mishima is outstanding, as the two battle with guns, swords and finally, punches and kicks. There are considerably more gunfights in 'The Black Sheep Affair' than in most Hong Kong movies, but they are well realised, and very well choreographed. Chiu Man Cheuk is unquestionably a superb action movie star, and he carries out some extremely impressive manoeuvres in the course of the story, revealing his incredible skills at Wu Shu, the same martial art at which Jet Li excels.

One thing that struck me as consistently odd throughout the film was the fact that the former-Russian Lavernians all spoke perfect English. This obviously isn't a problem with the film as such, but it did seem peculiarly incongruous. The locations in the film are quite interesting too, it having been filmed around Budapest, admittedly choosing to fo
cus on some of the less glamorous areas of the city!

If you're into Hong Kong movies, you'll almost certainly enjoy 'The Black Sheep Affair', it has some superbly well-choreographed fight sequences, and a reasonable plot. If you don't like Hong Kong movies, this film is unlikely to convince you otherwise. A better introduction to contemporary Hong Kong movies would be Jet Li's 'Hitman'.

I watched the Hong Kong Legends Region 2 DVD release of 'The Black Sheep Affair', which is, as ever, extremely well presented. The film comes with two audio tracks, the original Cantonese audio track and an English audio track. There are English subtitles too, but these oddly disappear when the characters speak English. By way of extras, the DVD includes a biography of the stars of the film; Chiu Man Cheuk and Shu Qi, an interview with, and demonstration of Wu Shu by, Chiu Man Cheuk, and a photo gallery.

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