From Beijing with Love (1994)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Memorable, crazy movie

Great Film overall

The acting in this movie is really good.

I am amazed about the fairly high ratings this rather boring picture got. As far as James Bond spoofs go this one is forgettable. It suffers partly from being a JB parody - JB is in itself a parody - and more from an uneven script which can't decide if the main hero is a kind of Uber James Bond (with knives) OR kind of stumbling wannabee (Get Smart, Austin Powers).The suits remember more (bad taste) gangsters of the 70s than Secret Agent "dressed to kill"-code. For better spoofs from Hong Kong try "Magnificent Warriors" (Indy Jones "coveress").Rating 3.5/10

I think Stephen Chow is the most genius director and actor in Hong KONG,China. The way he demonstrate something is first class in Hong Kong. After seen all 9 comments i want to say something about the "gore" and something else that make some people feel uncmofortable.Actually this film has criticism to Hongkong films through the contrast of two kinds of performance,make-up,consum and other things. You can find the different way to perform violence.The shot of the robbery in the mall has nearly no blood but only with the way criminals eat,silence and few words the horror can be felt.And the next scene is the usually way diretors used in Hongkong,two people was stabbed with knives in their body and one people was sliced off his fingers.But this scene cant be compared to the previous one with respect to convulse in the audience. There is another example.The bullet removal scene nearly don't have any detail about the wound.They haven't shot the wound since they begin to work but the pain can be still strongly felt. That is what i talk about, Stephen Chow want to say performance is the best way to impress audience.The excessive detailed scene without decent performance backfired. Watch carefully,the difference of two rhythms of conversation, ways they make up, switches of scenes can be found in the movie.

As many of Stephen Chow movies this movie is some sort of parody. This time James Bond has to answer. The way Stephen Chow makes fun of the perfect Bond is something you have to see for your selves. In stead of being a skilled shooter Stephen Chow is skilled in using a butcher knife. He has all sort of gadgets which aren't very useful. As a spoof it isn't entirely perfect. Most of the jokes were lost to me since you have to know Chinese to understand. The subtitles that came with the movie weren't good translations. The comedy in this movie isn't as visual as most of Stephen Chow's work but it is still funnier than other movies like this. There are some brilliant scenes that are typical of Stephen Chow's talent (as a comedian). This movie is nice enough but not quite up to the level of Chows's usual work. (I give this 6,5 out of 10)

I have watched this movie on cable television re-runs several times and is always amused by the comedy. I have a high humour threshold and have to admit that 'From Bejing With Love' meets my expectations.The living room scene where Siu Kam (played by Anita Yuen) tries to shoot Ling Ling Chai (played by Stephen Chow) is extremely funny. She was greeted by a reverse shot by the gun. Ling Ling Chai heard the gunshot and turns around to explain to her that the gun shoots the opposite direction. While Ling Ling Chai is testing the gun's silencer, Siu Kam points the gun towards herself and shoots Ling Ling Chai again. To our surprise, she gets shot again. Ling Ling Chai explains that the gun's bullet alternates every shot. Looking defeated and injured, Siu Kam runs comically into the toilet with both her arms badly wounded.Another scene worth mentioning is when Ling Ling Chai enters the bathroom while Siu Kam is wrapped in a towel. Ling Ling Chai with a smoking pipe and two iron balls resting on his palm, looks cool. (In the early days of Chinese gangsterism, a stereotyped powerful boss usually rotates two iron balls on a palm.) The angry Siu Kam tells him to close the bathroom door. Ling Ling Chai closes the door but he is still inside the bathroom. Siu Kam shouts him to get out and close the door.Towards the end of the movie, Ling Ling Chai was in a party function and tries to take a glass of wine from the waiter's platter. However someone took it before he has the chance. Then Ling Ling Chai and the waiter looks at the platter, waiting for a miracle to happen. This is actually a parody of the famous Guinness beer commercial endorsed by George Lam.Made in 1994, this movie is still a classic. With several notable comical 'nonsense' scenes and the funny scene of 'extinguish cigarette butt on a hand' that was repeated in Shaolin Soccer (2001).Mao points: 9/10