Crystal Fortune Run (1994)

This futuristic showcase for Sharla Cheung is undone by low production values and apparent anime influences, although the premise is sound.

The story begins “somewhere” and “sometime” in the future according to an opening notice that appears at the start of the movie. It’s likely an attempt by the filmmakers to explain away the fact that their small budget wasn’t enough to create a credible future environment.

An assassin known as Wind Yip (Sharla Cheung) is thought to be a robot after she is seen ripping the guts out of the president of a large corporation and dodging a hail of bullets from police. Later, she shows up at the corporation to steal the Diamond of Emperor Chen which is the key to a vast treasure. But another group of thieves, led by Ko Kit (Anita Yuen), are also trying to steal the diamond for their boss who has labeled the operation the Crystal Fortune Run. After guards are alerted, Ko takes the jewel and leaves Wind to fend off the guards.

It turns out that the real villain is the new head of the corporation who wants the diamond for himself. He sends his right-hand man to get it back which results in the deaths of Ko’s associates. This eventually leads to a storming of the police headquarters in an attempt to kidnap Ko who has been taken into custody by Inspector Kong (Simon Yam). Ko manages to get away and goes to exchange the diamond for her remaining friend who is in the hands of the new corporate head. Kong and Wind, both arrive at an ironworks factory where the switch is to take place and join forces to stop the villain.

Had CRYSTAL FORTUNE RUN been directed by Tsui Hark or had a bigger budget, this film could have been really interesting. The film attempts to have the feel of BLADE RUNNER with Vangelis-like synthesized music, neon-lit sets and even a robot. In truth, the soundtrack is just bad, especially during the nightclub scenes. The worst film set is probably what they spent the most time on, the corporate vault containing the diamond. The walls are lined with cheap neon lights in an attempt to make the room look futuristic. With the exception of the nightclub interiors, the rest of the film is shot in present day locations. The robot in the story turns out to be Sharla Cheung’s robotic arm. After losing a finger in a shootout, we get to see the arm and hand uncovered in a scene ripped right from the original TERMINATOR and it’s pretty pathetic.

Cheung, who proved to be a welcome addition to such Wong Jing martial arts movies as KUNG FU CULT MASTER and LAST HERO IN CHINA is not able to add much substance to her role, although she does command your attention with her sharp facial expressions and a fair amount of dynamic action maneuvers. It’s a shame that only in the end do we find out that she and Simon Yam are meant to be romantically involved. Throughout the whole film, Yam is fought over by the gregarious Ko and his female police partner who is jealous and even Wing gets drawn in, even though her character is the most morose. All this nonsense is straight out of an anime series but it isn’t as entertaining and only kills some potentially engrossing drama. Likewise, it basically makes Yam’s character worthless. This is another role for him, much like NAKED KILLER, where he is just a pawn in the story’s events who only reacts to circumstances surrounding him.

Looking back, I feel that director Chris Lee and his cohorts missed an opportunity to make a better film. Had the filmmakers worked a little harder on the futuristic aspects and focused on the tension between Inspector Kong and Wing Yip, it might have happened. As is, CRYSTAL FORTUNE RUN offers a mild diversion with just enough decent action to justify watching it out of curiosity.