Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky 力王

 Released Year: 1991

Directed by 藍乃才 Lam Nai Choi

Casted by:

樊少皇 Louis Fan as 賀力王 Lik Wong / Ricky Ho

大島由加利 Yukari Oshima as 黃泉 / 西倉天王 Huang Chung / Rogan

樊梅生 Fan Mei-Sheng as 單眼蛇 / 副所長 Assistant Warden Dan

何家駒 Ho Ka-Kui as 典獄長 Warden

陳國邦 Chan Kwok-Bong as 阿沙 Sha

陳治良 Frankie Chin as 嗚海 / 北倉天王 Hai / Oscar

杉崎浩一 Koichi Sugisaki as 泰山 / 東倉天王 Taizan / Tarzan

黃貴雄 Wong Kwai-Hung as 白神 / 南倉天王 Baishen / Brandon

葉蘊儀 Gloria Yip as 瑩瑩 Keiko / Anne

 Story: 

The plot closely follows the events depicted in the original Japanese comic and its anime adaptation, with some minor modifications in certain instances.

By the year 2001, all correctional facilities have been privatized. Lik Wong/Ricky Ho, a martial artist and former music student, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter after killing a crime lord who was indirectly responsible for the death of his girlfriend Keiko/Anne. Flashback scenes reveal that a group of thugs had captured her after she had witnessed their heroin deal. Anne was so scared in captivity that she ran upstairs and then leapt off the roof to her death.

One morning in the prison bathroom, an elderly inmate named Ma/Omar is viciously beaten by the captain of the cells, Wildcat/Samuel. As Samuel leaves, Ricky trips him, and Samuel falls on a piece of wood with nails on it, hand and face first. As Samuel devises a plan to get back at Ricky, one of the inmates suggest that they should have Zorro, a dangerous, morbidly obese inmate, kill him. Omar is later informed by the guards that they turned down his probation after Samuel tells the guards that Omar was spreading rumors although this was untrue. Stricken by grief, Omar hangs himself.

The next day, Zorro attacks Ricky, but is quickly and horribly killed along with Samuel. Shortly after, a member of the fearsome Four Heavenly Kings (Gang of Four in the English dub) named Hai/Oscar, the leader of the North Cell, suggests that Ricky should see the sadistic one-eyed Assistant Warden Dan. After Ricky confronts Dan, he suggests Oscar to kill Ricky. Outside the prison yard, Oscar and Ricky engage in a fight, which ends with Ricky defeating and killing Oscar.

Later on, Ricky soon discovers that the Gang of Four is growing illegal opium for profit. Huang Chung/Rogan, leader of the West Cell, discovers that Ricky had set the poppy garden on fire and they both fight. As the fight goes on, Brandon, leader of the South Cell, throws his needles and ties Ricky up with them, leaving him defenseless. Meanwhile, the guards report to Dan that the Warden is returning from his vacation in Hawaii, prompting Dan to raise the Zero Alarm. While the fight continues, Tarzan, leader of the East Cell, interferes, claiming that he wants to fight Ricky. As the Zero Alarm goes off, Ricky and the Gang of Four part ways for now.

The next day, the Warden and his spoiled, overweight son return from their vacation. Dan informs the Warden about the incidents during his absence, including the poppy garden which infuriates the Warden. Dan escorts the Warden to Ricky's cell. As the Warden questions him, Tarzan bursts through the wall and fights Ricky once again, which ends with Ricky brutally defeating Tarzan. The Warden then activates a ceiling trap to crush Ricky. As Ricky struggles to stay alive, Tarzan regains consciousness and saves him from being crushed by the ceiling, at the cost of Tarzan's life.

Later, the Warden orders the inmates to bury Ricky alive, which they reluctantly obey. The Warden claims if Ricky survives by staying underground for a week, he will consider freeing him from prison. As the week quickly passes by, Ricky survives, but the Warden does not free him. Later that night, Ricky is chained in his cell. A fellow inmate, named Freddy, brings him food so Ricky can regain his power. However, another inmate sees this and informs Dan about it and in response, Dan mortally wounds Freddy. Dan, dragging Freddy's body with his hook, then opens Ricky's cell to show the body to him. However, Dan and the other inmate find that Ricky has broken free from the chains, and Ricky kills the inmate and knocks out Dan's remaining eye. As the guards rush to the scene, the inmates rebel and violently ambush Dan.

In the kitchen, Ricky, the prisoners, and Dan burst through the wall and the Warden shoots Dan with a gas-pressured bullet, causing him to inflate and violently explode. Rogan and Brandon then confront Ricky one last time, which ends with Ricky gravely injuring Rogan. Brandon, realizing Ricky is far too powerful for him, flees from the scene, but not before the Warden shoots and kills Brandon. The Warden, revealing that he too, is a martial artist, transforms into a grotesque creature and battles Ricky. The fight quickly ends with Ricky crippling and throwing the mutated Warden into a meat grinder. In the finale, the prisoners rebel once again and start to attack the guards. Ricky then breaks the prison wall, allowing all the prisoners and himself to go free.

 L² Scored: 8/10

L² Comment: 

This movie is based on the Japanese famous violence comic of many years ago. I was surprise when I was able to found this on a website and its not censored after all... The gruesome and violence is shown exactly how it was portrait by the comic itself. And it was also the first time i ever watch Yukari acted as a male and a villain in a movie :) 

Legend of the Liquid Sword 笑侠楚留香

 Released Year: 1993

Directed by 王晶 Wang Jing

Casted by:

郭富城 Aaron Kwok as 楚留香 Xiang

邱淑贞 Chingmy Yau as 无花 / 昙花 Wu / Tan

叶蕴仪 Gloria Yip as 苏蓉蓉 Rong

袁咏仪 Anita Yuen as 李红袖 Xiu

刘小慧 Winnie Lau as 宋甜儿 Tian

温兆伦 Deric Wan as 胡铁花 Hu

黄韵诗Wong Wan Shi as 水皮阴姬 Pei

张敏 Sharla Cheung as 水母阴姬Mu

袁洁莹 Fennie Yuen as 中原一点红 Hong

刘子蔚 Liu Zi Wei as 蝙蝠公子 Bat

李丽珍 Loletta Lee as 宫南燕 Yen

 Story: 

Xiang is a handsome warrior who brings along his 3 friends - Rong, Xiu & Tian at his journey. They met Hu (whose fallen for Xiu) and Pei (who is out tricking others for money), together they went Shaolin and met Wu (but actually Wu is Tan, sister of Bat). Bat used Yen (apprentice of Mu) to attack the Shui Ling Gong... in the end, Mu taught Xiang the secret martial arts to defeat Bat, but Tan was hurt and might not be able to be cure again...  

 L² Scored: 4.5/10

L² Comment:

This movie definitely ran out from the original fiction of Gu Long and it was criticized badly by Gu Long's fans during that time... For me, this is just so so, comedy part also very predictable. A lot of the original characters were changed to female version and ... well... i'm kinda speechless after watching it...

Flying Dagger 神經刀與飛天貓

 Released Year: 1993

Directed by 朱延平 Chu Yen Ping

Casted by:

梁家輝 Tony Leung as 「大飛刀」韓沖 Chung

林志穎 Jimmy Lin as「小飛刀」韓林 Lam

張敏 Sharla Cheung as「大風騷」風二娘 Lady Fung

葉蘊儀 Gloria Yip as「小風騷」風鈴 Ling

張學友 Jacky Cheung as「九尾狐」朱星 Ninetail

張曼玉 Maggie Cheung as 飛天貓 Flyingcat

 Story: 

The Hon [Dagger] Brothers, Chung and Lam, who are in fact uncle and cousin, are rival bounty hunters to the Fung [Bewitchment] Sisters, and take glee in thwarting each other because Chung refused to marry Lady Fung. Fung Ling and Lam are also in love, but do not acknowledge it.

Emperor Tsao hires the Hons to capture the Nine-Tails Fox, whom he claims has made a major robbery of his household, including the rape and murder of his daughter and the murder of 41 servants. The Hons are distracted when they find the Fungs captured by Never Die and his brothers, who in spite of decapitation and loss of a hand, proceed to chase them (the severed hand grabbing at one of them) chase the Hons to the lair of Nine-Tails Fox, who has recently caused his wife, the apsara known as Flying Cat to walk out on him. The group discovers that Never Die is allergic to glib talk, and begin speaking to each other glibly, Chung, too embarrassed to speak to Lady Fung in that way, speaking to Nine-Tails Fox, and the two pulling off each other shirts, and trap him. Never Die soon dissolves, and the four bounty hunters and Never Die's hand take him away. Flying Cat returns to find drawn images of what has gone on previously, including what she interprets as her husband's homosexual behavior, and chastises the old man who sends the drawings out through a slot for not intervening, which he says is not his place.

Nine-Tails Fox, who proudly admits to being a thief but insists he never hurts anyone, escapes from the bounty hunters to the inn of Pang Tin-hong, where he becomes involved with numerous courtesans. The bounty hunters follow him, but not before Flying Cat catches up with him. Still other bounty hunters, including the burly Western Ace, a gay man who sings 1980s American pop tunes, and a transsexual who delivers poisoned kisses, arrive at the inn. Because the Hons and Fungs pay well and are supported by the police, Pang sides with them against the new bounty hunters, claiming that he and his wife are Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui. The transsexual kisses Chung, causing him to turn green and infect him with poison. After the other bounty hunters are defeated, Pang sends Lam and Ling outside, insisting that they are under eighteen, although both claim to be eighteen, in order to explain that the cure for the poison is to have sex nine times, then eat the strange fetus that will be born three days later. Chung tries to take Lady Fung to bed, but inadvertently passes the disease to Pang, whose wife and he fight a lot and never want it at the same time.

While Ling and Lam are outside, Never Die's hand grabs Ling's shoulder, and she thinks it is Lam's and rests her head on his shoulder. Thus distracted, Tsao captures the two of them, and the thieves and the bounty hunters team up against their common enemy and rescue the young ones.

At the end of the film, Pang's wife gives birth to the strange fetus, and the Hons, Fungs, Fox, and Cat seemingly forgetting about the idea that it is to be eaten and ready and excited to receive it as if a normal birth, are horrified to see that the baby is in fact Never Die.

 L² Scored: 7/10

L² Comment:

 I still feel that the old Hong Kong Martial comedy is funnier than the new Hong Kong comedy movie... At least there is a strong storyline and the fighting part is good also... Love this combination and it has been such a long time i didn't see Jimmy & Gloria in the movie, miss them~