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 he biggest problem I can foresee with Daniel Lee's
"Star Runner" is keeping the men in the audience from walking out
before the film kicks in gear at about the 40-minute mark. Of course I wouldn't
blame the men one bit, since Lee, who shares writing credits, has dived
headfirst into a ridiculous love story between his two young stars (both pop
idols) and remain there for half of the film. I can see Lee's point: the two
stars are the movie's main draw, so he's probably working under the thesis that
he needs to keep the squealing 13-year old girls from walking out. Of course
this means he's neglected all the men, as well as the female audience over 13.
"Star Runner" stars one of those interchangeable
Asian pop idols -- in this case, one Vanness Wu -- as Bong, a student
preoccupied with winning a fighting tournament called the Star Runner. Enter
Korean teacher Kim (Hyun-joo Kim), who has come to Hong Kong to teach as well as
to forget about an affair she had with a married man in her native land. The two
fall immediately (as well as incredibly, unbelievably, and a lot of other words
with the -ly suffix at the end) in love. Of course questions may arise at this
point, such as why a teacher is making eyes at her student and all those other
nagging, not to mention creepy, issues.
As mentioned, if the men and over-13 females in the
audience can survive the film's poorly written and badly executed Teen Lovey
Dovey sequences, the rest of "Star Runner" is gravy. The film's best
moments are the all-too short training interludes where Wu's Bong is trained in
various martial arts to compete in the Big Fight. In it, legendary star Ti Lung,
most known to modern audiences for his gangster role in John Woo's "A
Better Tomorrow", plays a pot-bellied has-been who teaches Bong
traditional Chinese kung fu. Another welcome return to the big screen is David
Chiang, another legend of the chop socky kung-fu films of the '70s and early
'80s. Like Lung, Chiang has no dialogue, but his presence is more than enough to
class up this potential stinker.
Which brings me to this point: the Hong Kong film industry
is shooting itself in the foot. It seems that 9 out of every 10 movies that the
island state churns out in recent years have been starring vehicles for
interchangeable pop stars with no apparent acting ability. Unless, of course,
you count being bubbly for no apparent reason (the girls) or moody for no
apparent reason (the boys) a talent. Vanness Wu, making his film debut, figures
into the Ekin Cheng school of acting, right down to his impressive ability to
let his hair do most of the acting for him. Korean import Hyun-joo Kim (who is
also a pop idol in her native Korea, in case you were wondering) is an insanely
beautiful young woman, but her character seems to exist only to introduce one
cliché after another into the film.
When it comes to the movie's Big Fight storyline,
"Star Runner" doesn't offer anything new. In fact, if you've seen the
so-awful-it's-fun '80s Teen Kung Fu flick "No
Retreat, No Surrender", then you've seen the last 40 minutes of Daniel
Lee's movie. Stepping into the thankless Jean-Claude Van Damme role is Andy On
("Looking for Mr.
Perfect"), who is the Unbeatable Opponent that Bong must find a way to
defeat. The final match between Bong and Tank makes up the movie's other stellar
moment. The fight is beautifully executed, with the match turning into a bloody,
free-for-all alleyway brawl by the end. The script even manages to give the
potentially mindless cardboard Tank character some personality.
Does skinny Vanness Wu convince as a martial arts master?
Well, he doesn't do any worst than, say, Ralph Macchio in the "Karate
Kid" movies. Wu looks mostly unprepared for the movie's physical
stunts, although he seems to have all the fighting poses down. Then again, the
13-year old girls that will flock to see their pop idol in his debut film could
care less. They won't even "get" that Bong's use of traditional
Chinese kung fu is director Daniel Lee paying homage to the films and the people
that built the Hong Kong film industry. Ironic, then, that star Wu's
inexplicable turn as a leading man is the primary reason the "old
days" are long, long gone.
"Star Runner" is only worthwhile if you can
survive the insipid first 40 minutes. While Lee throws us a perfunctory
fisticuff early on, the film has all the maturity or believability of one of
those Teen High School romance films that usually stars Freddie Prinze Jr. Every
time you think the film is about to take off, the Kim character wanders onscreen
and manages to pull the whole endeavor back into treacherous waters. Who knew
such a beautiful face could spell such doom?
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