After working together in the live-action version of “City Hunter”, Jackie Chan and Wong Jing had a falling out in which Chan went on to disown the film as well as attack Wong through the press. In return Wong, had a go at Chan through this action comedy starring Jacky Cheung as a fraud who is a cowardly womanizing action star dressed in a yellow jumpsuit. In addition, he also had a field day spoofing just about most if not all of the Hollywood's action films imaginable.
The film kicks off with a bunch of school kids trapped inside a bus with a time bomb ticking away, while Kit Li (Jet Li) is trying desperately to disarm it. Although he manages to cut the right wire, the bomb still goes off a few seconds later killing all the kids including his wife and son. The tragic experience was so traumatizing for Li that he left the bomb disposal squad and he eventually became a bodyguard and secret stunt double for Frankie Lone (Jacky Cheung) a popular local action movie star. Meanwhile, a pretty television reporter Helen (Chingmy Yau) who is doing a scoop on Lone discovers that he is a phony who doesn't do his own stunts and is therefore keen to expose him.
Fast forward to a local luxury hotel where there is a jewelry exhibition in progress and a wrap party for Lone's latest film is being held. Making an entrance is a group of terrorists headed by “The Doctor” (Kelvin Wong) who was also responsible for the school bus bombing which killed Li's family. In no time at all, the prolific Wong promptly turns the whole production into a “Die Hard” clone in which fearless Li and a reluctant Lone swing into action to save the day.
Although Jacky Cheung's portraying of Frankie Lone can be incredibly annoying and silly most of the time, Lone turns out to be the most interesting character after all. Furthermore, Cheung manages to steal the show from Jet Li with a performance which is both funny and exuberant. In fact, the movie's best moments come from him especially during his rip-roaring final fight with henchman Kong (Billy Chow) which is an interesting combination of Jackie Chan's boxing and Bruce Lee's kung fu styles.
In contrast, Jet Li plays his character fairly straight but it is nice to see him exhibiting his physical moves as seen in his exciting hotel fight where he uses nearby objects to his advantages. However, he is less convincing when it comes to gun shootouts, especially when he just rolls around or hides behind cane furniture while dodging the terrorists' machine gun bullets which unfortunately renders him into being a far-fetched superhuman.
Likewise the supporting cast is wild and memorable; spotting dark shades and long hair Billy Chow is almost unrecognizable playing henchman Kong. “The Doctor”, the leader of the terrorists portrayed by Kelvin Wong is a suave, well-dressed but cold-blooded character. His partner in crime Fai Fai, played by Valerie Chow, is a just as sinister and eerie. The attractive Chingmy Yau turns up as the lively television reporter besides sharing good screen chemistry with Jet Li as his love interest. Elsewhere, veteran Wu Ma has a brief but convincing role as Frankie Lone's father.
Fundamentally a comedy to start with, “High Risk” turns into a full blown off-the-wall action flick and Wong is certainly creative in his incredibly violent action department. As soon as the radicals gatecrash the hotel, bystanders are either gunned down or cut in half by helicopter blades. Moreover, there is a bunch of colorful characters spread through the whole production; one terrorist even equips himself with a bag full of venomous snakes and lizards so he can throw them at the unsuspecting hostages. Interestingly, this is a few years ahead of Hollywood's “Snakes on the Plane” (2006) starring Samuel L. Jackson. Nonetheless, credits must go to action choreographer Corey Kuen Kwai who does a fantastic job of bringing the carnage and the equally exhilarating martial arts action to the screen with the limited budget.
With this production plus his everything goes and at times crude and silly approach, Wong is obviously aiming to excite his viewers. In the end, this is a frantic action comedy with a solid climax which makes it strangely entertaining though somehow mismatched and clumsy in its overall execution.
