On a personal list of very favorite martial arts films(very long list) and possibly on a list of my favorite films ever, Pedicab Driver is certainly in the top ten period. The last in a trilogy of amazing films directed and starring Sammo Hung(the classic Shangai Express and Eastern Condors being the other two) Pedicab Driver brillantly mixes dazzling Kung-Fu and a wonderfully melodramatic story.
In Macau the awesomely named Malted Candy (Max Mok), who falls in love with a young beauty (Fennie Yuen). Little does he know that she hides a dark secret that will not only test his love, but his ability to fight for their lives. Malted Candy's closest friend and fellow pedicab driver Lo Tung (Sammo Hung) forms a challenging romantic relationship of his own with a young baker's apprentice (Nina Li Chi), but that's played mostly for laughs. When Malted Candy and his girl find themselves in serious trouble with a contemptible local crime boss named Master 5 (John Shum Kin-fun), Lo Tung races to their aid and eventually faces the crime boss and his men alongside fellow pedicab driver Rice Pudding (Mang Hoi) for some serious payback.
The story is amazingly melodramatic in the best way(I love this in Hong Kong films) with a rather odd mix of all out comedy and tragedy side by side. Tears are shed, people are killed, and revenge is to be had and all this is backed up by some of the most amazing fights you will ever see.
The first fight starts everything off on a light tone as two factions of pedicab drivers(one lead by Corey Yuen) square off in a comedic mass brawl which is finished off with a great Star Wars joke.
The second fight though is the best and one of the greatest duals in martial arts history. Sammo Hung takes on a corrupt casino boss played my the great Lau Kar-Leung. The fight starts off with rapid fire hand to hand and then switches into a incredible pole fight. It's one of the best fight scenes ever filmed and the center piece of the movie.
Of course the last fight isn't anything to sneeze at either with Sammo Hung taking on both Eddie Maher and Billy Chow in a extremely brutal kickboxing match. The fight is so intense you'd figure somebody would wind up in traction at the end of it.
Although hard to find in it's DVD form Pedicab driver is one of the films you must own if you claim to be a fan of Hong Kong movies and is the first film you should watch if you want to get into Sammo Hung's body of work.
Random fan of Full House on Jump the Shark
i love this show i still watch old reruns they shouldnt have cancled it, so what if stephanie went through it, we all do right? it just made the show more interesting i think, and niky and alex were cute so ha
Jul 10, 2007 12:59 PM Guest
Jul 10, 2007 12:59 PM Guest
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