Fatal Contact
by Dennis Law
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DVD details
Actor: Jacky Wu, Miki Yeung, Ronald Cheng, Siu-Fai Cheung, Theresa FuDirector: Dennis Law
Brand: Wellspring Media INC
Writer: Dennis Law
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Cantonese (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-01-22
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Dragon Dynasty
DVD Reviews of Fatal Contact
DVD Review: Excellent Action Movie That Shatters Genre Clichés
Summary: 4 Stars
Anyone familiar with East Asian cinema knows that Bruce Lee is like some kind of revered God. Yes, he had great influence in many ways, but we need to stop lying to ourselves when thinking that his movies were any good - they weren't. With the exception of a few good martial arts maneuvers, his films are beyond awful. Horrible plot lines, horrible dialogue, horrible characters, horrible humor - and in many cases - subpar, repetitive, and boring action scenes.
Fast forward to the present: Wu Jing is one of the most talented action stars on the planet (along with Tony Jaa), and he definitely gets to show his goods in Fatal Contact. In fact, EVERYTHING in Fatal Contact is about 10 times better than ANYTHING Bruce Lee ever did. Now, that's not saying that Fatal Contact is the best martial arts film ever made, because it's really not that difficult to make a movie more entertaining than Bruce Lee's films. Even Jackie Chan's lesser efforts are better than anything good ole Bruce ever did. Hell, Jean Claude Van Damme had better movies, and that's not saying much.
During the opening 50 minutes of Fatal Contact there are a series of short (yet sweet) fights, but the two best action set pieces occur during the second half of the film as Wu takes on 3 street fighters (one played by ultra-cool Andy On) and a champion kickboxer, both of which are very well choreographed and violent. Quite literally, the fights seemingly explode on the screen with remarkable intensity. No doubt this is attributable to the choreography and the skill of the performers, as well as the soundtrack, but there's an X-factor here that's difficult to place. Whatever it is, Fatal Contact had me dodging and ducking in my seat along with the characters. A remarkable success indeed. As an added bonus, watch for the hilarious training sequence involving Wu's heavily padded girlfriend.
[..]In all honesty, I can't see the problem. Especially considering how some of the most revered "classics" of martial arts cinema have some of the worst plots and characters imaginable - which brings us to comparisons of those archaic Bruce Lee movies that seem to be popular more for sentimental reasons than actual film quality.
There are two reviews on IMDb as I write this (which proves in and of itself that this film is criminally ignored and underrated). Brucev13 says that the story is "ridiculous", but provides no compelling reasons as to why. He only says that this film "doesn't need the drama." This statement is actually quite ironic considering how many complain that nothing new is ever offered in martial arts films. Well, I can tell you this: No martial arts film in existence has ended quite like this one! Brucev13 also contends that the pace is "a bit slow." I disagree. The pacing is fine if you recognize that the most important character is Siu Tin (played by Miki Yeung) because she influences Wu and how he exerts his power. Every single sentence and action of Siu is an interesting character study that contributes a lot more to Fatal Contact than most other action movies are capable of achieving. Heck, that one friggin scene (you'll know when it happens) is FOREVER embedded into my mind, and will undoubtedly provoke "gasps" of shock from most viewers. You can't say that about the dramatic elements in ANY Jackie Chan or Jet Li movie. Fatal Contact should be commended for executing such an insanely unpredictable scene that is still completely consistent with previously established character psychology.
Now, I do think that the spacing of action is unorthodox here. A few fights are peppered throughout the opening 50 minutes, then the two action set piece showcases follow within the next half hour, leaving the final 30 minutes for . . . something else. And that's the heart of Fatal Contact: follow the "Martial Arts Movie Guide" to a T, only to then completely shatter genre conventions to provide a point that hits the viewer like a ton of bricks. Nicely done! Ace52387 claims that the "whole setup is pretty nonsensical" because "some guys walk into an opera performance, and somehow recognize skill in a performer." What Ace52387 doesn't realize is that those guys already knew that Wu was part of the National Kung Fu Team, and intentionally seeked him out by finding where he worked in his spare time. It's really not that difficult to understand if you pay attention.
Some have even gone so far as to criticize Wu Jing of overacting. Please! If Wu Jing overacts, what does that say about Bruce Lee? Heck, Bruce makes Donnie Yen look tame in terms of flailing arms, stupid screams, and cheesy mannerisms.
As far as the action choreography in Fatal Contact is concerned, virtually no one complains about it. And for good reason - it's awesome! And yes, it's much better than anything Bruce Lee ever did. In fact, the Wu Jing/Andy On fight is about 1,000 times better than the obscenely overrated Bruce Lee/Chuck Norris fight (or any of his other revered battles, for that matter).
When all is said and done, Fatal Contact provides remarkable action AS WELL AS an interesting scenario for the action to revolve around. In other words, it mops the floor with any Bruce Lee film.
Description of Fatal Contact
(Action) A naïve young athlete joins an underground prizefighting circuit to earn a little extra money to support his girlfriend. Surrounded by greed and ruthlessness, he is hardened into a brutal fighting machine, defeating opponent after opponent in a series of vicious battles, until he reaches the ultimate showdown where both his life and his soul hang in the balance.Bestsellers in DVD
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