Journey of the Doomed - Vamping Towards Destiny

Feb

13

Journey of the Doomed - Vamping Towards Destiny

≡ Category: Action, Exploitation, Hong Kong, Martial Arts, Romance, Worth A Look |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

Country: Hong Kong
Genre: Action/ Romance/ Exploitation/ Martial Arts
Director: Cha Chuen-Yee
Year: 1985

Rating:

WORTH A LOOK

Too bad. If Journey Of The Doomed had sustained the invention and energy of the utterly gonzo 1st act, it would have been a trash classic.

Check this out. Shui Erh (Fu Yin-Yu) is a maid at a brothel. She objects to Big Sister (Tam Wai-Mei), the madam, when her best friend, also a maid, is put out on the ho stroll. And her first customer isn’t just a scumbag, he’s a sadist. Shui Erh takes off in a huff and comes across a fortune teller, who prophecies that although she is of royal blood, she will have a horrible life and drag down everyone around her. The rest of the film reveals how this prediction will play out.

Man, the first act is perverse! There’s an amazing amount of nudity (lots of nubile young girls), but at one point, there is a slaughter that will probably make you shake your head in disbelief. The relationships are plenty twisted, too.

But then something funny happens. It’s almost as if after the first act, the filmmakers used up their script budget and just started vamping. It all gets unbelievably repetitive. There is no forward motion in the plot. The whole film just stalls.

The other main problem is that the filmmakers utilize a rock score. It’s not that the music is bad, just inappropriate. The film cries out for traditional Chinese instrumentation.

It’s a pity because the film is stuffed to the gills with attractive, charismatic, capable performers. Check out this cast: Kara Hui, Stephen Tung, Tony Leung, Max Mok, Alex Man. And that’s not even counting all the gorgeous young Chinese wimmin that get nekkid for the camera.

Another major plus is the frequently inventive martial arts choreography by Lam Moon-Wa, which is also energetically performed.

And even though it takes place in a script vacuum, I enjoyed the self destructing Fire Village in the climax.

But guys, you need a story! You need twists! It helps to have a character arc or two.

After an memorably frenzied and demented 1st act, Journey Of The Doomed goes nowhere fast.

So, should you see it? Well, if you’re a big fan of Hong Kong movies, especially of the Shaw Brothers variety, you should see it just for the first act, but expect to be disappointed with what follows.