UNDERCOVER HIDDEN DRAGON (2006) HK
review by Neo




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Fun Fun Fun...
Ronald Cheng is a funny guy, yet unlike Stephen Chow, he can be damn annoying one second and damn hilarious the next. That’s the love/hate relationship one will always have to endure with the comic antics of Ronald. With the success of Dragon Reloaded series under his belt, Cheng is now officially the next King of Comedy, so with the idea of four chicks and a guy and throw in the fat lad from Shaolin Soccer and an undercover storyline into the mix: comes Undercover Hidden Dragon. The strange thing is not the concept of the movie, but rather it being directed by the genius and cruelty behind Beast Cops – Dante Lam and Gordon Chan; both experts of the action genre. Wait a minute, isn’t this support to be an over the top comedy? The answer is sort of, its bits action and bits comedy and while at times it is damn confusing as to whether I am watching an action movie or outright comedy, the movie still entertains. Yes, Ronald is funny, Miki is cute, Theresa is pretty and Pace Wu is damn seductive.

The movie goes like this: A restaurant waiter is asked by his gangster "friend" to assassinate the leader of a rival gang...

So what’s wrong with this movie, well the answer, there isn’t much wrong as in my honest opinion the movie was a pretty fun ride with a pretty well made ending. However, the directors must be criticizing for not fully utilizing Ronald as successfully as Vincent Kot did. Common sense will tell you that Ronald is made for extreme comedy, and that’s what makes him different to other so-called comedians. From wearing chick clothes to extreme facial expressions, Ronald does it all. Sure, there are parts and bits of that in the flick, but Dante and Gordon seems more like directing an action flick at times, rather than a comedy. Nonetheless, the action scenes are surprisingly well staged and thoroughly entertaining and comical. The last 20 minutes of the flick is worthy of admiration, as it is funny, witty, without being annoying.

Ronald Cheng once again takes on the title role as the funny guy with a heart. His performance is uneven, but his duo role shows his talents of an actor. Unlike a stoic Ekin Cheng in Leave Me Along, Ronald impresses with two very different characters and the good news is: he is funny too. Teresa Fu of the Cookies, is pretty and dominating in a way, but plays off Ronald extremely well and radiates an adequate chemistry between the two. Miki is cute as ever and Neo feels sorry for her as she is paired with the fat lad from Kung Fu Hustle fame. As for Pace Wu, who is getting some work lately, is seductive without being a slut, but her role is paper thin and rarely given an opportunity to showcase any acting whatsoever.

Overall, Undercover Hidden Dragon is a fun movie, with plenty of laughs here and there and with some immensely pleasing action sequences in between. Sure, it is uneven and at times the directors’ intention of genres is unclear and the utilization of Ronald is sort of a misuse, but still it manages to not bore the audience at all. In a way it is fun and easy going, especially as I watched this flick right after a day at the library working on my legal essay. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Ella Koon being in the mix with the Cookies, and if you don’t realize it is Neo’s new flame. She is pretty, sexy and cute and almost made my day. Really, this movie isn’t a classic nor is Ronald’s best, but who cares because it just simply entertains.

I rate it 8/10

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Genre: Comedy/Action
Director: Director: Dante Lam, Gordon Chan
Cast: Ronald Cheng, Pace Wu, Teresa Fu, Miki Yeung, Ella Koon, Michelle Yip, Timmy Hung
Reviewed by Andrew (Neo), May 2006