Talented Mainlander Vincent Zhao stars in BLACKSHEEP AFFAIR (aka ANOTHER MELTDOWN), a Hong Kong action film that tries to answer the burning question, “How can we keep both Beijing and worldwide action fans happy with a topical martial arts film?” The answer is they can’t, at least not in 1998 and not in this film.
Nothing stinks worse than to see a dramatic, reality-based action film flippantly gloss over details and offer heavy wire fu. BLACKSHEEP AFFAIR begins in China as military special agent Arthur Dong (Vincent Zhao) takes down airline hijackers. Reminiscent of PASSENGER 57, the scene is rushed and badly conceived. Never mind though, it’s just a precursor to more sloppiness and bad acting to come. As punishment for reckless behavior, Dong is transferred to the Eastern European state of Lavernia… Lavernia? The last time I checked (about 30 seconds ago) Lavernia was a town in Texas.
Shortly after arriving, Dong immediately witnesses several murders and nabs the culprit following a subway fight that looks as if it inspired a certain fight scene in THE MATRIX (1999). The killer’s name is Keizo Mishima (Andrew Lin), a radical cult leader described in the film as the man responsible for the Tokyo subway gas attack. If that’s not enough for sketchy current events tie-ins, there is Dong’s girlfriend Tammy (Shu Qi) who fled China after the Tiananmen Square uprising. She meets up with Dong and is essentially branded a traitor to her homeland for leaving because she feared for her own safety. But never fear for she’s eventually pardoned by her fellow countrymen for her grievous crimes. I wouldn’t spend so much time on this plot point if the filmmakers didn’t make it the central theme that binds our lovebirds, apart from some random memories of a warn and fuzzy shared childhood.
As the cult leader’s followers begin a terror campaign to force his release, a corrupt Lavernian minister linked to Keizo attempts to have him assassinated. Dong and a small team of soldiers are ironically charged with protecting him. What follows is an explosive shootout on the road and a climatic fight within the Chinese embassy as Dong battles cult members and the Lavernian military that have surrounded the grounds.
If the blatant nationalism doesn’t turn you off, the acting will. Zhao lacks charisma, but his martial arts skills at least provide a good reason for him to be onscreen. Andrew Lin as a villain with a god complex is the most colorful character, but his performance is over-the-top and two-dimensional. Everyone else is really, really terrible. If you didn’t like Shu Qi’s questionable acting before, your opinion surely won’t change after this film. The worst offense is committed by the gweilo who plays the villainous minister. He looks dazed and confused as he awkwardly delivers his lines. It doesn’t help any of the Caucasian actors that they are all poorly dubbed in English, while supposedly in an Eastern European country I might add.
With nothing even remotely interesting presented in the story or characters, it’s left to the action to provide the entertainment. Ching Siu-tung is certainly up to the challenge of crafting some knockout fights and stunts, yet they still fall flat without having compelling reasons for being. In terms of screen fighting skill, Zhao is equal to Jet Li and Wu Jing. His dynamic form and legwork are spectacular. Unfortunately, it’s these same skills that hurt the action in this film. Ching frequently puts Zhao on a wire and this turns him into a comic book character which is completely out of step with the story. Yet removed from the story, the choreography is top notch, especially a wild sword duel between Zhao and Lin towards the end.
Lin makes a big entrance for his first Hong Kong feature film. Although not a big martial arts actor, he’s very physical and out-acts everyone else in the film despite having little to work with. His prison shower brawl is arguably the best fight in the film for its brutality. There is quite a bit of brutality in the film, mostly from bloody gunplay that is typically excessive.
As the political actioner that it tries to be, BLACKSHEEP AFFAIR is laughable thanks to its cornball acting and simplistic story. The dramatic and romantic elements are all cringe-worthy. In terms of action, it’s inconsistent and there’s nothing to see here that hasn’t already been done in previous Hong Kong films. For every good martial arts move, there’s a bad explosive effect or a gratuitous wirework leap that belongs in a wuxia pian. Fans of Ching Siu-tung’s excellent wirework direction might still find something of value here, but they’re better off looking to films that pair his fantasy style with an appropriate story such as SHAOLIN SOCCER or HERO.
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Blacksheep Affair (1998) • Vincent Zhao
