Zodiac Killers
5.2 /10 1 Votes
| 5/10 IMDb Duration Language CantoneseJapanese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date 20 July 1991 (1991-07-20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zodiac Killers is a 1991 Hong Kong action thriller drama film directed by Ann Hui and starring Andy Lau, Cherie Chung and Junichi Ishida.
Contents
The inspiration of Zodiac Killers came from the case of a mainland Chinese female student studying abroad in Japan who died when she fell onto the tracks. Zodiac Killers is Hong Kong New Waves representative Ann Huis first attempt at making a commercial film, which, however, did not perform very well at the local box office. Even after finishing the film for a long time, no film producers came to her to make a film.
Tokyo's Shinjuku District is the tragic setting where several Chinese students are caught up in Japan's underworld. [Tai Seng Catalog] Most of this story concerns a number of Chinese working and living in Tokyo. Ben Li is an aggressive meathead who is attracted to fights. Any fights. His sensitive pal, Chang Chih, asks every Chinese girl he meets about his runaway girlfriend. Another pal is about to marry the sister of a yakuza. In between picking fights, and getting involved in the fights of others, Ben becomes enchanted by Tieh-Lan, a bargirl mainlander who hates her local sponsor and is carrying on with another man, Asano. Ben pursues her, despite considerable obstacles, and eventually tries to help her flee the country. Tieh-Lan has to flee, because Asano, dying, hands her some evidence of double-dealing to be delivered to his old boss.
Plot
Hong Kong student Ben Lee becomes friends with his mainland Chinese classmate Chang Chih while studying abroad in Japan. Ben is unmotivated to study and only cares about money and on the other hand, whenever Chih encounters a Chinese person, he would ask whereabouts of his childhood sweetheart. Ming is also from Hong Kong and in order to elevate his social status, he becomes involved with a bar hostess and owner Yuriko, hoping to become Yakuza leader Yamada Ishikawas brother in-law.
In Yurikos bar, Ben encounters Chinese student Mang Tit Lan, who is there to earn some extra money, and falls in love with her at first sight but is not favored. Lan and her friend Mei Mei live with their guarantor and suffers a lot of humiliation.
Lan is in love with Hideyuki Asano, who works as Yamadas top assassin, who went to South America to kill Yamadas enemy, nut eventually came back to reunite with Lan. However, Yamada send his men to have Asano silenced and right before he dies, he asks Lan to expose Yamada to the police but Lan faces the underworlds pursue to kill her.
Since Lans passport was detained by her guarantor, Ben had to help her sneak out of Japan on a boat, but the thugs arrive right after hearing the news. Ben and Lan attempt to leave the oppressing country.
Cast
Theme song
Release
Considering its large budget for this commercial film compared to Ann Huis other art films, Zodiac Killers grossed a disappointing HK$9,081,083 during its theatrical run from 20 July to 8 August 1991 in Hong Kong.
Reception
Ben Sachs of the Chicago Reader wrote, "As an action movie, this is just fine [..] But as a portrait of cultural displacement, this is evocative and sometimes very moving."
Awards and nominations
References
Zodiac Killers WikipediaZodiac Killers IMDb Zodiac Killers themoviedb.org