Synopsis:

When the boss of a ruling Hong Kong triad is arrested and executed for counterfeiting money, mayhem ensues as the mob's leading contenders circle the throne.

Story Revu:

Bad Blood is made by the same team who made 'Fatal Contact' (review here) and a lot of the same things can be said in criticism of it, and in it's defense. When mob boss Andy (Sui-Fai Cheung) is executed for counterfeiting (apparently they still do this in China... and there's stadium seating!) he leaves all his money to his children Audrey (Bernice Liu) and Jason (Lok-yi Lai.) This doesn't sit well with Funky (Simon Yam) the new boss of the family, who is looking for money Andy had been responsible for paying back. When Jason and Audrey's lawyer are both killed, she talks her half brother, the disfigured Calf (Andy On) into killing the other gangsters before they kill her. This movie really seems beneath Simon Yam, there isn't much character development for him to work with (except that Funky seems to like peanuts a whole lot, and has terrible fashion sense.) The plot isn't so much incomprehensible, as it is a little muddled and a little boring, and god damn does Dennis Law hate women. After this, and 'Fatal Contact,' he undoubtedly had some serious heartbreak problems. This film isn't quite as frustratingly predictable as 'Fatal Contact' was, but at a script level, there really isn't anything working in favor of this film. None of the characters are intriguing and the plot is forgettable.


Action Revu:

Andy On is quite good in this film, and after being the main villain in 'True Legend' this year as well, his star is definitely rising. However the real draw is his mute adoptive daughter(/girlfriend? I dunno) played by Luxia Jiang. She performs in several strong fight sequences, that hopefully will bring her other (read better) roles. The fight sequences here are pretty fantastic but there aren't really enough of them to make up for the humdrum plot. 'Fatal Contact's saving grace was that it was like 50% fight sequences. This film is more like 20% tops. That's not my biggest complaint. Bernice Liu is super hot, but she's not a martial artist and the fact that the film tries to convince us that she is, while we're watching other talented up-and-comers do battle with Hong Kong film veterans is just laughable. I'm not saying "Don't have Bernice Liu in your movie" because, again, she's super hot. Just someone make her do a few months of training before you strap her in a wire harness and tell her to kick someone in the face.


Overall:

Dennis Law and Nicky Li aren't making high concept art films. They're making kung-fu schlock. The film itself is terrible (although it's not as frustratingly terrible as 'Fatal Contact' it doesn't have as much great fighting) but it showcases some young talent that deserve to be seen.


2.5/5 Stars

Finally caught up on requests now, so if you have a martial arts or Asian film your wondering about, let me know and I'll take a look at it!