| |
To
win the love of Carmen Lee young delinquent (Aaron Kwok) takes up
kickboxing and less by skill than determination, knocks out a line
of worthy opponents. But he ends up accidentally killing her older
brother in the ring, severing their affair and leading to his descent
into the world of underground fighting. He returns to kickboxing
again for the All-Asia title again, a decision that paves the way
for victory and his undoing.
The main problem with this film is the characterisation of the lead
actors. It is hard to feel any compassion towards them as they lack
any depth and are not actually very likable. They seem to act on
animal instinct alone and as such do not come across as being particularly
clever. However, the action sequences pack the necessary punch and
you do find yourself wanting the good guys to win. Sammo Hung is
well cast as Aaron's teacher, but his character is too underwritten
to allow you to believe in his abilities. He looks the part but
the majority of his scenes just consist of him wiping down Aaron
Kwok's brow. It is a shame that Sammo does not get one fight scene
to make us believe that he was once a champion fighter. As a lead
Aaron Kwok is the most physically gifted of the Canto pop stars
and makes a very convincing kickboxer both in terms of looks and
fighting ability. The director tries adding some nice touches, and
some of them work but the real problem is the story. This has been
done many times before and tries too hard to manipulate the audience
and ring every last drop of emotion from them. Where the film succeeds
is in its representation of the darker side of kickboxing. The scene
in which Aaron Kwok struggles against a blood clot on a rooftop
is very well played. This film is not a love story by any means
and in some parts is quite nasty.
It is admirable that the editor and director are trying to make
this film stand out from the crowd but the end result is just too
contrived for its own good. This is not to say that 'Somebody up
there likes me' is a bad film. With more attention given to characterisation
and a less ambiguous and more satisfying conclusion added this could
have been quite good. As it is it is a acquired taste and a bit
of a waste of talent.
|
|
