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Film Review: Coolie Killer (1982) by Terry Tong

An impressive early take on the more stylish Hong Kong action/thrillers to come later

A massive star in his native Taiwan, actor was mostly known for his roles in romantic comedies that played an advantage on his good looks and natural acting talent. To see him step outside those roles in something like this, a dark and gritty amoral action/thriller that predates the work of action master John Woo by several years, helps to make 's obscure film “” an underrated gem.

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After refusing to carry out a hit, veteran assassin Ko Tut-fa (Charlie Chin) finds him and the rest of his team targeted by a mysterious group of killers that leave him as the sole survivor from the gang. Tracing the activities back to a former boss of his in the local Triad gang, he sets out to get back at him for what he suspects is a setup in a power struggle, but becomes increasingly concerned with determined Inspector Chung () on his trail to stop the series of activity in town. Heading out to the countryside, he meets local girl Ton Ke-yee () who nurses him back to health, and sets out on a final quest to seek revenge and stop the Triang gang from finishing him once and for all.

For the most part, “Coolie Killer' serves as a stylish action film. Among the more impressive qualities is the general air and attitude of the lead Ko Tut-fa, the assassin we're following. Despite being presented as the leader of a gang of assassins, Ko Tut-fa is a skilled, competent professional in this environment that includes backstabbing friends, cold-blooded thugs, and ruthless police officers looking to get to the bottom of the crime spree around them. Bringing together these grimy personalities in this kind of film where they're not at all ashamed to shoot each other in the back due to a higher boss giving them the order to do so, locking away Ko Tut-fa for minor indiscretions and forcing him to seek revenge on the gang that killed his team. It's quite different from the majority of the roles we've seen him play over the years and creates a fascinating antihero.

On top of that, director Tang creates a real sense of immediacy among the brutal encounters which are quite enjoyable. The first attack in the apartment complex with the roller-blading rival assassins creates a wholly impressive sequence, offering some dynamic tactics of the group using this skill to their advantage and some ingenious escape methods. Likewise, the brief skirmishes with the motorcycle gang on the highway, a surprise assassination at a bathhouse, and several shootouts in a parking garage bring about some high-energy confrontations, offering the kind of brutality that the genre would become more famous for, several years later. This becomes carried over into the finale where the shootouts become quite vicious and thrilling including various gunplay and hand-to-hand combat. The stunt-work isn't over-the-top but kept to a more realistic state with the exploits being more modest yet still energetic and engaging. This creates that realistic tone quite easily, which makes for a fun film overall.

There isn't much wrong with “Coolie Killer' and what flaws are here merely serve as nitpicks. The main issue is that the film had been doing incredibly serving as this subtle exploration on how age catches up with everyone, but to introduce a series of unnecessary subplots on top of that is rather unnecessary. While the relationship with Ke-yee is necessary to get him back to health, this serves more as a distraction to the revenge motive that had been built up previously. Moreover, the relationship runs its course and never even gets a proper send-off with her missing from the final twenty minutes of the film, making her inclusion in the film and especially as a romantic partner all the more curious. As well, the film does keep things gritty and more realistic, which loses a lot of the grandiose spectacle that would become commonplace in the style later on. That makes the film appear cheaper than expected. Still, neither of these are detrimental or damaging in the slightest.

An impressive early take on the more stylish Hong Kong action/thrillers to come later, “Coolie Killer” becomes a solid example of a genre that would be better served with the lessons learned from this particular piece. Viewers with a particular interest in the genre or looking for something different from its stars are well-advised to check this one out.

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Don Anelli

  • Nice review. Yes, there’s something really gritty and mean streets about this film that makes it work well, and the action scenes are effective, especially with the acrobatic physicality of the lead. The romantic subplot suffers from injudicious cuts. The version I saw fills in most of what appears to have been missing in the one you saw. She disappears because the lead shoots her dead on the beach, presumably because he discovered (or she confesses to him) she was initially involved in the plot against him, but fell in love with him in the course of their interaction together. My version had a cut of the actual discovery or confession, so it jumps from them making love on the beach at night to him moments later hesitating with a gun by his side and slowly raising it to shoot her. The look on her face before she falls dead is a mixture of understanding, sadness and loss. This fuller scene obviously reinforces the lead’s disillusionment and sense of betrayal which begins early in the film and recurs several times at crucial moments, building up to his final revenge and complete lack of faith in human interaction.

    It’s unfortunate that so many movies from this time period were subject to bad prints and injudicious cuts. I would really like to view the full, uncut version of this film someday.

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