The wonderful Danny Lee isn't shy of a cop role or two in his illustrious career in Hong Kong cinema. Almost 8 out of 10 films after his days at Shaw Brothers, features him in such a role - some proving to be middle-of-the-road, and some being highly enjoyable. Thankfully, Lee's Asian Connection is the latter...
Produced by the man himself through his company, Magnum Films, we follow cops Lee and Michael Chow as they try to bring down some local drug dealers. When a fake deal goes awry; seeing them lose $5,000,000 after the dealers disappear down a manhole as well as having their undercover agent brutally murdered - an extended cameo by a young Nick Cheung. The pair are soon sent to Taiwan to work on a connecting case, where they soon see their HK dealer, played by Ricky Yi Fan Wai - actor from hits like The Outlaw Brothers, Unmatchable Match, and a number of Danny Lee films. He also has an uncanny resemblance to a certain Tony Leung Ka Fai.
It doesn't take long before things get out of hand, with murder, car chases, explosions, and HK cop Michael Chow getting caught up on the inside, pretending to be a drug dealer under the watchful eye of a villainous, Blackie Ko. I have always enjoyed Chow as an actor, having seen him in a number of Jackie Chan films of course, and in Asian Connection he continues to entertain bringing some laughs to the action thriller as well as getting in on the action!
Director David Lam, the man behind Ti Lung's classic First Shot, as well as the latest run of 'Storm' movies with Louis Koo; is joined by the popular Yuen Tak who also serves as the film's action choreographer. Between them, they manage to provide a highly entertaining action film with a host of great actors on board and some very memorable moments. Tak's action choreography brings a grittiness to things, with some brutal moments and strong violence that work well, from bullets to the head at point-blank range, one-on-one fights, and some cool shoot-outs. There's even some neat car chases, one featuring Lee and Chow on a moped which is hilarious as the extra-tall Chow screams in fear because of Lee's driving - his big legs sticking out, and knees hitting the passing traffic.
A hint of romance is teased between Danny Lee and Jean Wang, but it never really gets the chance to go anywhere with such a serious storyline taking centre-stage. Wang plays the assistant to the Taiwanese the police chief, played by veteran actor Chen Sung Yung from movies such as The Big Boss, Child Of Peach, and Prison On Fire 2.
Although it may have a run-of-the-mill plot-line, Asian Connection stands a bit taller than the rest with its great cast, some brutal violence, and some great stunt work and action scenes. That includes a fun finale with Danny Lee giving his best impression of Michelle Yeoh in Police Story 3: Supercop, as he drives his motorbike up a ramp to land on top of a moving train in order to catch the bad guy. When all is done and dusted, our heroes say goodbye to Taiwan leaving viewers with a comical freeze-frame that put a smile on may face...
Overall: Very entertaining and a lot of fun, Asian Connection will keep fans of Danny Lee and Hong Kong cinema very happy!
