Middle Man aka In the Line of Duty V - A Really Dumb Action Flick

Jul

29

Middle Man aka In the Line of Duty V - A Really Dumb Action Flick

≡ Category: Action, Bullet Ballet, Girls with Guns, Hong Kong, Martial Arts |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

Country: Hong Kong
Genre: Girls With Guns/ Action/ Bullet Ballet
Director: Cha Chuen-Yee
Year: 1990

Rating:

WORTH A LOOK

In Middle Man aka In the Line of Duty V, the music is chintzy, the acting is often horrible (especially from the white members of the cast), and the plot is surpassingly stupid, even for a cheap Hong Kong action flick.

The General (Goo Goon-Chung) runs an outfit which sells American military secrets to the highest bidder. If anyone’s cover in the operation is compromised, they and their family are targeted for assassination. When one of their number is killed in an absurd bar fight over dog shit laced marijuana (I wish I were kidding), everyone involved is marked for death.

That would include David (David Wu) a dumb as dirt U.S. Navy grunt.

Fortunately for David, his cousin is Inspector Yang Li-Ching (Cynthia Khan), a kickass Hong Kong cop. Together they hunt down the General and his men.

Most of the time, Middle Man is painful to watch. David Wu can’t act a lick. When he mourns for a dead colleague, it’s unintentionally funny. Another one of our heroes, May, is played by Alvina Kong, a dreadful actress with one of the most annoying voices ever, a repertoire of high pitched shrieks and squeals.

What saves Middle Man from being a complete stinker is the martial arts coordination of Chris Lee. Most of the people in the picture can either fight or fake it: Cynthia Khan, David Wu, Chris Lee, Billy Chow, Goo Goon-Chung, Kim Maree Penn, and Bruce Fontaine all show some slick moves. There are also some pretty neat stunts.

If you’re looking for a good movie, run far, far away from Middle Man. On the other hand, if you’re into Hong Kong martial arts flicks, my advice is to watch Middle Man with your finger poised above the fast forward button.