7 The Death Games Review The Death Games
10/10/00
Review
Format: Subtitled VHS
Stars: Fan Siu Wong, Billy Chow, Ngai Sing, some Americans

Here's a nostalgic piece: Fan's father's fellow inmate is killed after being released from prison for killing a man who was forcing him to deal drugs. A big revenge plot is set up by Tiger, son of the guy the other guy killed, and he goes after the guy who got released from prison's friend and that guy's daughters, which are thought to be the other guy's, but aren't.

Whatever. I couldn't really tell near the end anyways because the subtitles were going out of the screen at the bottom. Doesn't really matter. This is Fan Siu Wong's show, where he gets to show off how incredibly bad ass he really is and also shows off a bunch of unknowns who perform exceptionally well. Lots and lots of fights, good ones, few weapon fights, lots of hand to hand work, fast movement, HK slickness at it's best, and wow, this is a modern HK action fan's dream... I said that about something else, think it was Deadend of Besiegers, but that movie has a different flavor. It's an oldie, this is a newbie. A newbie with lots of good fights, that seems pretty low budget, the fights are awesome and lengthy, and Fan Siu Wong really seems to hold his own here.

The first few minutes are just fights, one of them is a weapons fight (2 small staffs each), which was well done with lots of good acrobatics from Wong and the other guy, whoever he was, and they move fast. Let me remind you that these aren't two beat fights, but real good stuff, the kind that you think about for like two hours after watching a really good HK movie. Right after that, Wong trains against 4 kickers, who don't do dumb stuff like in My Father is a Hero where they just kicked around, but instead are choreographed nicely and carefully. Wong makes his way through the pack and looks good doing it.



I don't think I can go into all the fights, so as I always say, I have to cut down a little bit.

Wong fights the lady 4 times. Each one is great except the last one which is a sword fight. Wong, of course, is the leading character in all the fights. Exceptional movement on his part as well as the lady, and I wish I knew who she was because she performed really nicely as well. Each fight has Wong doing mostly defensive work. He's a sight, really. I don't know what he goes into but it looks like Qi Gong in the second one or something, and maybe the same for the third. A true expert in my eyes. He moves like a pro.



Billy Chow and Wong have a VERY impressive match in the forest. For a fight that consists of full speed, hits only stuff, that lasts for a minute 30, it's very good. Within 17 seconds the two exchange 38 punches, kicks, or elbows. That's incredible choreography in my eyes, a fight worth watching a million times like the one at the end of Tiger Cage 2. To tell you the truth, there aren't TOO many fights here, probably no more than 10, but every one of them is so good that it seemed like there were more. Chow, as you can see, is dressed in some unappealing garb and it seems to make him look, uh, dorky, plus the shaved head with a string around it. But who cares, he still moves so well for a guy his size. Wong, of course, is a bolt of lightning. Each kick is so fast and he looks damned good in a fight. Yea, he's short too, and that never hurts when you're trying to get from point A to point B faster than the next guy. Awesome power on his part.



Ngai Sing plays a Japanese fem-male it would seem at first, and he does an awesome job. He starts out as a little wimp, and then turns into a kicking nightmare. I could tell it was Ngai just by how he moved around in a spidery kind of way. The two of them square off very nicely and just kick the hell out of eachother. Very intense scene. Look at the pictures for an idea. I can't stop saying it, but Sing is such a good show for a wimp that goes mad, and by this point the movie had almost become a sort of martial arts opera. Probably the best opponent in the movie cosmetically.



The last fight is against a white guy who looks like a geek in the beginning before he takes off his sunglasses, but after he does that he looks cool. One thing, though. Wong has him by his med jacket, and the guy is doing the arms through the coat thing, when he starts making some insane looking facial gestures. Go to the Comedy Section for a picture of it. This guy, whoever HE is, is also a worthy opponent. At the end, he keeps getting his hair slicked back, and he seems to know exactly where Wong is kicking and blocks before the attack is given to him, but still his kicks are professional looking and he doesn't make the movie end in vein but instead makes a nice ending opponent.



Wong's character is almost like a Wong Fei Hung in this. He's an excellent fighter, but is plagued by virtue and will stop at nothing to do what he feels is right. Wong is an incredible athlete and should be in more movies, right up there with Donnie Yen and Biao. This film, though extremely cheap it seems based on the characters and the sets, is just as entertaining, probably moreso, than any of the HK films I've given a 5/5 thus far. It's like another Prodigal Son. Something that sticks out. A pure kung fu movie that shouldn't be missed. But then again, you can try to find this, but I doubt you'll have much luck.

5/5 - Excellent. No complaints.

UPDATE 10/14/00 - I just wanted to emphasize the quality of this movie again. I don't think I really got into it enough. First off, music is playing the entire time. These fights are of cinematic quality in terms of audio and video. Then there are the moves themselves. The fight against Ngai Sing at the end is the perfect example. There's a part where Sing is a little worn out and holds up his leg, shakes it, Wong does the same, and they go at eachother and see who kicks the other first. It's so cool. That has to be one of the best fights I've ever seen. The one against Chow is intense, but not as much as the one against Sing, but Chow's punches and kicks against Wong's are perfectly placed. And another thing, is the woman kickboxer in this movie the same lady as in Righting Wrongs who fought against Cynthia Rothrock? I bet she is because she used the rope dart in both.

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