Director: Andrew Lau

Starring: Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan, Shu Qi, Gigi Lai, Sonny Chiba, Peter Ho Yun-tung,

Featuring: Jerry Lamb, Chin Kar-lok, Jason Chu, Michael Tse Tin-wah, Roy Cheung, Sandra Ng, Blacky Ko Sau-leung,

Born to be King (aka: Young and Dangerous 6) marks a departure from the Young and Dangerous series, of which the film is the latest episode. Boasting more than just a name change, the film notably lacks the youth dramas and Causeway Bay street heroics that I expected on entering the auditorium. Hints of Japan settings in the lobby cards also come largely unfulfilled, with much of the action instead occurring in parallel to the recent Taiwanese presidential elections.

The film kicks off with gangster Chicken (Jordan Chan) heading off with his Hung Hing triad mates to Japan. He’s to be married to the daughter of a Japanese gang leader (Sonny Chiba); a union to bring together two underworld organisations. Honeymoon period is brief; before long he’s sent off to Taiwan to hook up with the gangs there.

In this global age, Asian gangsters are working together and in Born to be King we see the links between the Japanese Yamada Gang, Hong Kong’ Hung Hing’s and the Taiwanese San Luen Gang. Chicken, already heading up a triad sector in Hong Kong, is drafted into the Taiwanese gang scene. He arrives amid fierce plays for power alongside the leadup to Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian’s May inauguration - members of the underworld are planning to build shady dealings with the new government and forge a triad monopoly.

The plot, as such, becomes centred on gang connections and power plays in the underworld, much of which admittedly flew right past me. From a snappy opening of saturated flashbacks, loud music and scratchy credits, the film quickly slows down to a far less extravagant pace for its 119-minute span. Outside the Chicken-led main plot, padding revolves around character Chan Ho-nam (Ekin Cheng). Nam, like Chicken, is one of the central characters in the Young and Dangerous series. Here he offers occasional support to Chicken but is mostly followed in his relationship with his girlfriend (Shu Qi) and in dealing with the loss of his previous girl several years ago. The sequences involving Nam at best help offset the relatively dull Chicken-heavy plot. And with the lean towards Nam’s relationships, the sequences pump up some date movie appeal for cinemagoers disinterested in gang negotiations, corruption and Taiwan party politics. Another detour seemingly included for added audience appeal is the reappearance of actress Gigi Lai. That she returns to the series at all is an interesting development, considering her character kicked the bucket in Young and Dangerous III.

In the acting stakes, leads Chan and Cheng put in unremarkable turns as gangsters, though Chan does keep a consistency in his central role. Cheng - ever the swordsman these days - also gets to do battle briefly with Sonny Chiba. But while their fight images look nice on the lobby cards, the scene holds little consequence to the plot. Actress Shu Qi’s on hand as a perky addition to the cast, hamming it up at one point with an absurd take on Japanese fashion. Other actors hold too little to screen time to get excited about, especially with Sonny Chiba’s strong presence cut down by what appears to be a mid-shoot injury. The look of Chiba’s fight with Cheng gives the impression that a far bigger role had been planned for him, and I hope this didn’t impact the overall flow of the film. Sandra Ng comes back in a couple of cameo-like appearances; folks expecting more of the Sister 13 character after Ng’s award-winning role in Portland Street Blues shouldn’t hold their breath. And finally, Singaporean actor Peter Ho seems somewhat out of place among all the toughies on display. He simply looks a bit too pleasant to convincingly play a gangland kingpin.

Film Review by: Daniel Messer

You can buy this DVD now at: www.hongkong-store.com