City War
Hong Kong| Cantonese, English subtitles
1988 | 97 Minutes
Director: Sun Chung
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung, Tien Niu
Chow Yun-Fat and Ti Lung reunite on screen in City War, to create another masterpiece of Hong Kong cinema. The duo, best known for A Better Tomorrow, are again incredible together in City War. One of the greatest oddball buddy cop pairings cinema has ever seen.
While A Better Tomorrow is a well-known film, its counterpart, City War, for whatever reason unjustifiably never really received its due admiration outside of Hong Kong. With a new restoration of the film commissioned, and shown here at Fantasia Festival tonight, perhaps the steps to right that wrong are finally in place, all these years later.
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Yiu, a notorious crook, has been released from jail. His private parts were badly shot up by officer Chow before he was jailed. Revenge for his prize jewels lingers on his mind. On a somewhat more positive note, he reunites with his boss, his girlfriend, and his bodyguards. Meanwhile, Officer Chow and his buddy Officer Lee are living good lives. But Lee is also a player with the ladies, he even starts to have a fling with Yiu’s girlfriend! The wrath of Yiu’s jealousy starts to kick into higher gear. He and his men are ready with their arsenal of guns and fists to start some ballsy attacks on Chow, Lee, and their family and friends.
On first thought, the plot feels like your typical revenge film. A jailed criminal is released and wants to make the law enforcers that punished him pay. Sure. Been there, seen that. Something about a tee-shirt. But there’s more to City War than just the usual rigmarole. At its root, this is a film about relationships. Family in both the tradition, the criminal and the cop comradery way – and of course drama is going to ensure or there wouldn’t be a story to play out. It just so happens that this excels in every way needed for it to stand above the rest of the pack.
And yes – this is a martial arts film, with a healthy helping of gun-fu thrown in for good measure. Some will gravitate towards this and films like it for those very reasons, while others will avoid it for those same reasons. That’s fine. For those of us that like enjoy the more violent side of the cinematic arts however, this is a pretty great place to be. City War is a thrilling and fun film that has depth to it in many ways.
Of the many brilliant action scenes in City War, watching a man attack our good-guy duo with a presser washer, while he slowly lowers a city bus down upon them off a service lift, is not only a memorable scene but one I will keep with me forever. The sheer creativity of it was groundbreaking and still as poignant nearly four decades later. Such a brilliant idea, turning a seemingly innocent every day item into a powerful weapon is just… chef’s kiss!
Truth is, there are many over the top, completely bonkers action sequences throughout City War. Many notable but I do want to leave some surprises for those that haven’t seen this classic film yet. This is, after all, a new restoration of the cult classic so I would assume that a physical media release is on the way – although, every single time I use the word assume, I hear my high school teacher, Mister Mathews, saying “every time we assume you make an ass out of you and me”. Every single time without fail. That is the mark of a good teacher…. aaannnnddd I’ve derailed this whole article, haven’t I?
There are some genuinely funny moments in City War. Some intended and others not so much. Part of that can be attributed to either cultural differences, watching from a North American perspective, or just the sands of time showing us the way things were. Still, these elements combined to deliver another aspect to the film other than just the intense actions sequences. City War is a superbly written film with an intriguing storyline and great character building that, as the film progresses, has you rooting for the cops more and more.
Yiu, as you’ll come to understand, is an utter shit. A real bastard. There are some brutal moments in this film, and times where you’ll mutter what the fuck to yourself – or at least, I did. Then again, I did that on the subway ride home too. City life I suppose.
The final moments of the film, while brutally violent, aren’t over done or stretched out into some long set-piece that dilutes the impact its meant to have. Instead, the end comes fairly quickly and gets right to the point. I respect and applaud that.
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Another minute detail that I really loved, was the wrap-up text that explains what happens to the characters after the film ends. Unlike Hollywood, there is a more realistic ending for everyone involved and I truly wish more films would show this sort of climax. City War just does everything right, which again, beggars believe as to why North American audiences didn’t soak it all up when it was a fresh release back in 1988.
How lucky we are in Montreal, to a festival that brings classic film to the silver screen again. Much like A Bullet In The Head at last year’s festival, City War was a revelation and a pleasure to watch.
