Year: 1995
Director: Ringo Lam
Screenplay: Ringo Lam, Yip Kong-yam, Sandy Shaw
Starring: Andy Lau, Paul Chun, Rosamund Kwan
I went into Ringo Lam’s The Adventurers blind, obtaining the
screener disc early without the time to do any due diligence. I had little idea
as to what I was about to watch. I did view the trailer beforehand. A
confounding, bite-sized chunk of schizophrenic tone switching. That's not
particularly surprising for a film from the Far East. But it was no real help
in providing much detail to what I was about to watch. Amusingly, after
digesting the movie, I felt that the trailer was note-perfect. The Adventurers
is a film that is all over the place. Yet, as the trailer suggests, it is also
heaps of fun. Something that can’t be taken too seriously. Even with the film's
notable geopolitics, it's too busy chasing plot strands like a dog discovering
its tail. The film begins as a rather standard revenge plot, before turning
into something unexpectedly melodramatic. In addition to this, the film itself
is a medley of neo-noir aesthetics, Hong Kong action and soap opera-style
drama. It’s not the best drop of Hong Kong cinema in the cinematic ocean. It
is, however, a film that takes chances and feels fresh because of the creative
choices made by the filmmakers.
The Adventurers’ title may sound like a forgotten 80s
off-brand Amblin offering, but don’t let that fool you. Ringo Lam’s film
doesn’t hold that sentimentality until later in the plot. At the start, The
Adventurers is a blunt vengeance tale. It’s a calculated quest for Air Force
Pilot Wai Lok-yan (Andy Lau), who hatches a plot to assassinate a former Arms
dealer-now billionaire, Ray Lui (Paul Chun), who brutally murdered his parents
when Yan was still a child. When the plan fails, Ray’s mistress, Mona (Rosamund
Kwan), helps the injured Yan before sharing a brief intimate moment. Yan soon
flees to the United States, and things take a turn. But to say anything would
certainly spoil things.
What follows is a convoluted, action melodrama. One which
provides future shocks for texts such as Infernal Affairs (2002), which Lau
also stars in. Yan finds himself compromised by an identity he has chosen to
embrace. Suddenly, the film skirts between humour, neo-noir aesthetics,
sentimental drama and well-designed action. The Adventurers feel schizophrenic
in tone. Broad humour sits next to explicit violence. The Adventurers wishes it
could be more cynical but feels sanded down to keep its audience onside. The
balance always holds a sense of unevenness.
However, you can see from the amount of plate juggling why
Lam soon went to America after this movie. The airborne scenes alone seem to
have whispers of Top Gun (1986), particularly at the beginning. You can
see the sensibilities and aesthetic that would carry over well across the pond.
Despite taking a year to make, the storytelling in The Adventurers is highly
economical. It manages to fit a lot of background and plot into its humble
running time. In the Blu-Ray extras, Film Critic Gary Bettinson mentions Lam’s
love of shooting on location. This trait probably appeals to any producer
wanting to avoid expensive set builds. Lam’s bold colour schemes, canted angles
and smoke-filled streets are also welcoming. As are the cast that may not have
complex roles but deliver some enjoyable performances.
Eureka has provided Hong Kong completists with a good
quality Blu-ray. The film's print has had decent transfer and clean-up. While
the extras feature two up-to-date interviews. Film critic Gary Bettinson, as
mentioned earlier, provides a good overall framing of Lam within the golden age
of Hong Kong cinema in his interview. The second interview is with screenwriter
Sandy Shaw, one of the three screenwriters on the film. A trailer rounds up a
light but entertaining disc.
The Adventurers Blu-Ray is released on 28/04/2025
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