Orphans Alan (Alan Tang) and Ah Tien/Gary (Chow Yun-Fat) grew up on the streets of Macau together, graduating from petty thievery to being fixtures in the local Triad scene.
While they do gambling and prositution they don't push drugs, thereby following that long gangster tradition dating back at least as far as The Godfather . So, when another Triad, Chui seeks to bring them in on his drugs trade, Gary politely refuses.
Chui, angry at losing face, has Gary kidnapped in a bid to force Alan to acquiesce to his demands. But Alan has one of his mensecrete a gun in Chui's club (shades of both A Better Tomorrow and The Godfather ) and thereby turns the tables on Chui when he goes to negotiate Gary's release.
The brothers' troubles are only starting, however, as Chui's boss, Kao (Patrick Tse Yin), calls them in for a conference. While willing to accept their no drugs policy and even the killing of his underling, Kuo can't let them continue to act independently and offers (in a "can't refuse" way) to bring them into his organisation. Alan agrees, without enthusiasm, to go negotatiate an arms deal with Kuo's Thai contact, Poi, as a test. In what appears to be an uncharacteristic case of generosity, Kuo agrees to split the money for the deal 70/30, himself taking the smaller share.
Negotations between Alan and Poi are tense, until an attack by a rival gang on Hsu's base brings the two men together against a mutual opponent. Celebrating the victory at a night club, Alan meets Jenny (Jenny Tseng), a singer and, after a spot of bedroom farce, realises that she's the woman for him.
Meanwhile, back in Macau, Gary discovers that his boyhood love Ka Hsi (Pat Ha) has returned and is now working as a teacher at the orphanage where she was once a pupil. At first he conceals the fact he is a Triad but, inevitably, the truth soon outs. Nevertheless, Ka Hsi realises that Alan is a decent man at heart and agrees to marry him. He, for his part, resolves to abandon his old way of life – a decision that causes some friction with Alan on his return.
Next, Kao double-crosses Alan, splitting the proceeds from the arms deal 20/80 in favour of himself. With Alan thereby compelled to go to war or lose face, the brothers find their old loyalties to one another in conflict with their new situations…
Conceived of as an obvious cash-in on the "heroic bloodshed" genre inaugurated by John Woo's A Better Tomorrow , this gangster drama, known as both Flaming Brothers and (a more literal translation) Dragon and Tiger Fight , with romantic and comedic elements works well enough in toto, but also lacks the special something needed to elevate it out of the pack.
Though boasting the presence of Chow Yun-Fat – who is cool, charismatic and compelling as always – along with a Wong Kar-Wai script it's important to realise that in 1987 when the film was produced neither man was really an established name domestically or internationally. Instead, the film was designed first and foremost as a showcase for the talents of its producer/co-star Alan Tang, then a relatively big name in the Hong Kong industry. (Tellingly, director Joe Chueng describes Tang as "the Chow Yun-Fat of the 70s.")
The shoot outs, while well enough arranged, full of bullets flying and bodies falling in slow-mo, are neither quite as accomplished as those in Woo and Yun-Fat's collaborations, nor sufficiently parodic or self-deprecating to work as they might have done in a Kar-Wai piece. (Though it's worth noting that Wong Kar-Wai's directorial debut As Tears Go By is conventional by the standards of his sophomore effort Days of Being Wild – both produced by Tang – and subsequent features.)
Much the same could be said of the film's production design and costuming, which showcase the worst of 80s style outside a Miami Vice DVD. Are these fashions in there are as genuine attempt at stylishness that has since dated horribly? Are they a conscious commentary on the vulgarity of the gangster, a tradition that dated back at least as far as the 1930s with the likes of Scarface ? Both? Neither?
While Flaming Brothers comes across as more a curio than a genuine classic, it's pleasing to see that Hong Kong Legends have not skimped on their presentation of the film on this Region 2 DVD.
Image quality, while not outstanding, is more than adequate, being another decent 16:9 anamorphic enhanced (re)mastering job that is essentially free from scratches, damage and artefacting – other than a slightly distracting line across the image near the end – and which presents the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
The English and Cantonese tracks have both been given the 6.1 treatment, a move which added an extra element to the gunplay scenes, while the English subtitles are legible throughout and mercifully free from translation goofs.
Bey Logan's commentary is, as usual, of a high standard. Though he rambles a touch at times, there is no disputing that he really knows his stuff, providing all manner of background detail on the film, its cast and crew and the heroic bloodshed/gangster genre in general. Fans will get a lot out of it.
The interview with director Joe Cheung runs 45 minutes and splits into two parts.
The first discusses Flaming Brothers and, while inevitably reiterating much of what is in Logan's commentary – such as the use of Macau because the architecture in Hong Kong changes too rapidly for there to be many period buildings left – it is worthwhile in its own right for providing insights into the film-making process from the director's perspective.
The second focusses on the present situation, where Cheung is heavily involved with the Hong Kong Film Director's Guild, an organisation that is attempting to develop the organisation and infrastructure of the industry in the hope of improving on its present somewhat parlous state and get back to something more akin to the glory days of the 80s. Here he talks about the problems of piracy, low-budget copycat productions forcing the good films out of the market, and the need for the industry to move away from its overemphasis on pretty boy pop idol types with little or no training and/or ability as actors.
While the casual fan might not find such discussions terribly interesting, they do illustrate HKL's genuine commitment to its product; one that would put many of the bigger labels to shame.
The UK and Hong Kong trailers for the film, along with a showcase gallery for other HKL product round off a nice package.
Copyright © K H Brown 2002-2005
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