REVIEW: Seoul Raiders (2005)

In this glossy sequel to TOYKO RAIDERS (2000), Tony Leung Chiu-wai returns as a kung fu-fighting international super sleuth on a mission to recover stolen U.S. currency printing plates. Aided by three female assistants, Leung tails a suspect (Ritchie Ren) to Seoul where he takes on a local crime organization while competing with an attractive thief (Shu Qi).

By Hong Kong standards, SEOUL RAIDERS is a big-budget production that benefits from interesting locations scattered throughout Seoul, director Jingle Ma’s eye-catching visuals, frequent fisticuffs from action director Ailen Sit (MARTIAL LAW), and the presence of A-list leads Tony Leung (HERO), Ritche Ren (EXILED) and Shu Qi (THE TRANSPORTER). However, a little too much stock may have been put into these elements for the film’s lightly comedic plot is less than compelling, the characters woefully underdeveloped and action sequences, thankfully bereft of green screen effects, are still unable to compete with Hollywood or Hong Kong action of a decade earlier.

The theme is something akin to James Bond by way of Charlie’s Angels. The overall tone is closer to the ditsy vapidness of the CHARLIE’S ANGELS film franchise. Leung is a playboy mystery man from Hong Kong with three Korean hotties perpetually at his beck and call while he tracks Ritche Ren who is in possession of printing plates used for counterfeiting U.S. currency. Ren intends to sell them to a Korean mobster known as “Polar Bear.” In an especially underdeveloped role that seems tacked on at the last minute, Shu Qi is a thief who wants the plates for herself. In an example that seems out of step with the typical “modern woman,” she ultimately places a higher value on her affection for Leung.

Jingle Ma and a team of writers put together a breezy caper devoid of any real excitement or substance, the kind that in Hollywood is usually thinly built around personalities like Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, the Rat Pack, or Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. The idea is that audiences should be entertained enough by seeing their favorite stars doing what they do best, regardless of how flimsy the set up is. The problem for SEOUL RAIDERS is that none of the stars have icon status, nor are they doing what they do best. Leung shines brightest in serious dramas, mostly from director Wong Kar-wai. His personality isn’t strong enough to carry this movie. He doesn’t have an angle or hook to his personality and neither do any of the other actors.

In contrast, MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER is an example of how to make action and comedy work well together. That film, and to a lesser degree its sequel have well-defined characters, a very strong premise that is adequately followed through and just the right amount of edginess to keep the action interesting. It’s interesting to note that the franchise took a dip downward when Shu Qi was brought in to replace the irreplaceable Shin Eun-kyung.

Back on topic, there is never a point in SEOUL RAIDERS where the action is anything but perfunctory filler. This is where the film really falls flat. Something has to drive the action in the movie for audiences to be engaged but in SEOUL RAIDERS the fights and chase sequences are there only to remind us that this is an action movie and not a very good one. Although it’s been done before, the only memorable action scene is the final chase sequence involving a Cesna airplane.

One of the bonuses of the movie is the varied use of real-world locations such as city streets in broad daylight and a subway train. This is the kind of staging that is all but impossible in Hong Kong where the local government has never been supportive of the film industry and permits are rarely given out for location shoots in the city. A brief tussle between Leung and Ren on a commuter subway train is interesting but having recently watched Joseph Sargent’s crime classic THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974), which is largely set on a New York subway train, I am reminded of how banal and trite action films have become in recent years. SEOUL RAIDERS is the homogenized Disney version of the great action capers of the 1970s and does nothing to improve on them.

Ailen Sit, a veteran of Hong Kong cinema is action director. He has worked alongside other top-tier ADs on films like POLICE STORY 3 and FONG SAI YUK. His solo work has been on films that display more generic action such as TOKYO RAIDERS, CHINA STRIKE FORCE and SILVER HAWK. The action and fight work in SEOUL RAIDERS is also generic but it has the added brawler feel of Korean gangster films, undoubtedly because of the mostly Korean stunt crew.

Korean action cinema has grown substantially in the last decade despite limited local interest in the martial arts genre. This has led to the territory playing host to increasingly talented stunt and screen fight professionals. That said, they tend to rely too much on indigenous Taekwondo moves that look great in a period or tournament film but are definitely out of fashion in modern, stree-level actioners where audience expectations have risen with the popularity of MMA fighting. Korean stuntmen also like doing group fighting with a lot of peripheral movement that could be seen as a backwards step to the swordplay shuffle of Shaw Brothers’ early wuxia films. Another Korean action trait seen in SEOUL RAIDERS is the hip and sometimes humorous money shots where slow motion, freeze frame, revolving pans, and other gimmicks are used to enhance a scene.

Adding to the canned hip factor is Tommy Wai’s frequently used variation on Tomoyasu Hotei’s “Battle Without Honor or Humanity,” a driving guitar anthem that became world famous with its use in Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL: VOL. 1. Here, it’s used for mildly comic effect to add to Leung’s mock coolness.

On the topic of mock coolness, Leung is briefly seen whipping out a giant comb to fix his hair during a fight. It is meant to be a running gag. The messed up hair is mentioned again later during a fight with Ren in a spa but the comb only reappears in a deleted scene with Shu Qi. I have no idea if it’s related but CITY OF VIOLENCE director Ryoo Seung-wan previously introduced a giant comb gag in his DACHIMAWA LEE short film which is being turned into a featured film in 2008.

It was a smart idea for Media Asia and producer John Chong to collaborate with South Korea on this film. Korea’s film industry has been on the rise at the same time that Hong Kong’s film industry has been in decline. Yet Hong Kong still maintains strong international appeal from its top stars, filmmakers and stunt teams. As previously mentioned, Korea’s action film community is also on the rise and there is much that both industries can benefit from by working together. SEOUL RAIDERS, however, is far from the perfect marriage between these two Asian territories. Better results have been produced from SEVEN SWORDS and MUSA where Korean and Chinese actors were exchanged.