From Beijing with Love

"From Beijing With Love" (aka "Gwok chaan Ling Ling Chat") turned out to be a very enjoyable Hong Kong action comedy that stars Stephen Chow. Needless to say that a movie that stars Stephen Chow is bound to be enjoyable. There is just something about his movies and the characters he portrays that is highly enjoyable and entertaining. And "From Beijing With Love" was no different. This is a wonderful spoof on the "James Bond" movies, but with a Hong Kong comedy twist to it. And it works out quite well, truth be told. It is a combination of a good storyline, interesting characters and nice acting performances that really brings this movie to its potential. There is a good amount of comedy in the movie. Of course there is, as this is a movie with Stephen Chow in the leading role. But "From Beijing With Love" also has enough action and drama to make it interesting. And the mixture works out quite well in favor of the movie. "From Beijing With Love" definitely is a remarkable movie from actor Stephen Chow, no doubt about that. My rating from this 1994 movie from directors Stephen Chow and Lik-Chi Lee lands on a seven out of ten stars. I was highly entertained by the movie and was enjoying what transpired on the screen. High recommendable if you have an interest in the light-hearted side of Hong Kong cinema.

Well I reckon you could also compare him to the Pink Panther - or Johnny English. Although more like the former I assume ... tough to really put him anywhere but you get the jist. Obviously if you have seen a Chow movie, you know how ridiculous his movies can be. The jokes work fine, even if you do not know the movies they are based on. There are the evil maniacs who do their best to plot against .. our main character or the world in general. There is the love interest ... that is more than that by the way. Quite feisty and with a mind of her own. What you may not like is how this handles the jokes and the serious stuff. It is not a fine line - no pun intended. The movie walks all over the place when it comes to that. Because silly meets blood and violence. Sometimes both meet each other and cuddle with each other. What you won't have is nudity, but other than that this really goes all out.

I mean, what can i add? FBWL is slow, boring, unfunny, horrid in pacing, exceptionally mediocre in acting, and only really interesting for people who are not aware that asians. Actually. Exist. I strongly recommend you watch literallly anything else. God Of Cookery, Tampopo, anything Kurosawa, anything Jackie Chan, any Shaolin Soccer, or i seriously mean ANYTHING else. My vote: a sad 5.5/10.

As many of Stephen Chow movies this movie is some sort of parody. This time James Bond has to answer. The way Stephen Chow makes fun of the perfect Bond is something you have to see for your selves. In stead of being a skilled shooter Stephen Chow is skilled in using a butcher knife. He has all sort of gadgets which aren't very useful. As a spoof it isn't entirely perfect. Most of the jokes were lost to me since you have to know Chinese to understand. The subtitles that came with the movie weren't good translations. The comedy in this movie isn't as visual as most of Stephen Chow's work but it is still funnier than other movies like this. There are some brilliant scenes that are typical of Stephen Chow's talent (as a comedian). This movie is nice enough but not quite up to the level of Chows's usual work. (I give this 6,5 out of 10)