What goes on fight film fans?!! Hai! Karate returns with one of the more critical films of the genre for you today! That film? Jumping Ash, starring martial arts legends like Josephine Siao, Chan Sing and Michael Chan Wai Man! We'll get more into the meat of why this film was so important in a few...
Jumping Ash begins with a shot overlooking
the city of Amsterdam, on a clear morning
late in the spring. A news-like blurb tells
us that there's been several deaths that have
taken place within the Chinatown district.
We see Smiling Tiger(Sing)and a cohort travel
in a car speaking briefly about it before
pulling up to a windmill house. Because,
Amsterdam. The next scenes introduce us to
a mysterious dude(Chan Wai Man)who gets off
a boat, hops the fence and gets a lift on a
tandem bike from a dude who greets him in
code. After their scenic ride through the
streets of Amsterdam(complete with the 'killer'
haggling with a prostitute in a window), we
see the dude meet up with Smiling Tiger in
a gambling parlor looking for someone. When
he finds who he's looking for, that person
winds up hanging from the windmill.(Gotta
wonder how that went over with the tourist
board.)
We then cut back to Kowloon and see Detective
Callan Leone(Ga Lun) out conducting a drug
raid. When the raid doesn't go well, he takes
a breather to hit a local nightspot and see
his girlfriend, Pui Shan(Siao Siao)sing. But
he's not the only one checking for her - the
killer is stalking her as well. Leong then
gets called into the precinct to take care
of both a homicide and to verify if it is
linked to a teeming war between two drug
lords - Smiling Tiger and Tung(Nick Kam
Wai-Fei). The ensuing drama boils to a fever
pitch on the streets of Hong Kong with one
veritable conclusion...
Jumping Ash is significant because it is the
embodiment of a couple of 'firsts'. For one,
this is not only the first film for director
Po-Chi Leung, but it's also the first(and only)
film that the great Josephine Siao directed.
She also co-wrote the film, which was a bit of
a remarkable thing in Hong Kong cinema at this
stage because of the more chauvinistic elements
still at play. Their combined efforts make the
film a real gripping dramatic piece. There's a
good mood set by the cinematography, with some
shots done to really bring home the tense scenes
(the bathroom scene above being one of them.)
It's more sleek than previous crime drama efforts.
The Amsterdam setting isn't new; a few Hong Kong
pictures would take place in the Dutch city before,
attesting to the cultural impact they had in the
West. It's actually a good place-setting move
to begin there and center all action within
Hong Kong. There's a nice balance of drama and
comedy throughout to keep things entertaining.
Okay. I know you want to know, what about the
action? Well, Chan Wai Man does well as a cold
killer in this picture. So much so that there
will be a few spots where he just gets eerie.
In contrast, Chan Sing as Smiling Tiger is
ruthless, but with a bit more charm. Surprising
since the dude is literally jumping all over
the place all swollen, slashing and generally
beating the brakes off cats. You forget that he's
a villain as well. Josephine Siao has a bit role
here, but she makes the most of her scenes. Ga
Lun as the tough-minded cop is decent here. He's
more of an anchor figure, charismatic enough
so that things don't get TOO far off course.
However, that doesn't mean there's not any
kooky elements at work here. For one, there's
a reason Smiling Tiger walks around with a
gigantic stuffed teddy bear. I had to admit,
when I saw the balding pate of Chan Sing
carrying that around I was like, 'what the
hell?' Also, when Detective Leong does make
an interesting ally later on in the picture,
the ruse to get that person to safety is rather...
offbeat. Also, it's wild that they never really
bothered to give Chan Wai Man's character a
name.
Jumping Ash wound up being the third highest
grossing film in Hong Kong - not bad for a
film directed by one of their most prominent
actresses & a TV director. (Side note: another
actor who'd go on to prominence, Phillip Chan,
also worked on the script.) The movie would
be hailed for introducing a new look for films
done in the area, and break open the doors for
others looking to make pictures in that style.
John Woo being a prime example. Jumping Ash
would also bolster Josephine Siao's transition
into a more multi-dimensional figure in Asian
cinema; her 'Plain Jane' character would be
born the following year and heighten her fame.
Jumping Ash is a cool film to check out, and
worth the time for any fan of the genre.
RATING: 3.5 OF 5 DRAGON PUNCHES
