Pedicab Driver (1989)

Very disappointing...

best movie i've ever seen.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I was really not that impressed by this movie, there is some really good fight scenes, and the star wars reference is brilliant. But overall there is a LOT of time wasted by pointless "running around being silly" in an atempt to make comedy; its fails bad. Im not one of those not understanding the beauty of slap stick kung fu comedy, but in this movie the comedy fails, only the fighting is good.

PEDICAB DRIVER is one of Sammo Hung's most well-developed films of the 1980s and clearly a labour of love for the writer/director/star. It's a shame that few western viewers have seen it given that it has had a very limited release history in the west, which I'm quite surprised about given that it's up there with rival Jackie Chan movies from the same era. This is a film which has everything and plenty of everything at there: there are not one but two romantic sub-plots, there's some slapstick comedy, the usual one-of-a-kind Chinese humour that's difficult to describe or replicate elsewhere, and of course copious action in the form of vehicle chases and incredible fight scenes.Sammo has also assembled a quite incredible all-star cast for his movie. Sure, Jackie and Yuen aren't present, but there are other all-time greats here, including not one but two immortal and near-indestructible fighters, Billy Chow and Dick Wei. The latter only has a one-scene cameo, but Billy Chow has a fantastic henchman role. Mang Hoi has a very good supporting role as an ally as does Lam Ching-Ying, and John Sham hams it up a treat as the chief villain of the piece. Watch out for Corey Yuen, Lau Kar-Leung, and Eric Tsang in various roles too. Sammo's love interest in the film is meanwhile played by Nina Li Chi, aka Jet Li's real-life wife, and makes quite the impression as someone you could readily fall for.Pretty much everyone who sees PEDICAB DRIVER is going to come into it looking for great action and they won't be disappointed. There are only three or four fight scenes in this film but they really make an impact, from mass brawls to one-on-one demonstrations of skill. Inevitably the best part of the movie is by far the powerhouse climax, in which Chow comes into his own and the stunts and hits are out of this world. All in all a fitting close to what has been a superior, well-rounded fight flick.

"...The film is like a battleground. Love. Hate. Action. Violence. Death. In one word...emotion." -Samuel Fuller, "Pierrot Le Fou"Before "Kung-Fu Panda" there was Sammo Hung, who is a burly martial arts action star, and in "Pedicab Driver" a five star director who knows how to throw his weight around without missing a beat. Like Jackie Chan (who he choreographed fight sequences for), Hung combines physical comedy with self propelled stunt work, showcasing both the fury and the funny. In 1930's Macau, China two rival groups of pedicab drivers negotiate how to split up the cities work, half will take passengers, and the other half will take cargo, and civil war is nearly averted until a chef chases a cat into the room and all hell breaks loose. The subsequent battle seamlessly recalls both "Star Wars" and "The Three Stooges", without loosing any of it's frantic energy or becoming a parody.Pedicab Driver is first and foremost a Hong Kong action film, but while watching it you don't get the sense that each scene is designed to introduce a new excuse to fight. Some sequences, like the battle in the gambling den, do seem non-sequitters, as we never return to that set or it's characters, but the execution of this scene is so flawless that you rarely ease back from the edge of your seat long enough to mind let alone gripe. Sammo and his friend "Malted Candy" are passenger drivers, who both fall in love in with different girls at the same time. Sammo has to compete with a lecherous baker to win the heart of his girl in classic slapstick fashion. While Malted Candy's story, which is minimized early on but expanded later, takes the form of a romance, and then a tragedy once it's revealed that his love interest is not all she seems. This does not have the makings of a great tale, but it is very much a great movie, that handles these stories with a poise that genuinely enhances the action sequences, which are almost submerged under the story and characters (a rarity if not a freak, for an action film of this caliber).Yes, the bad guy is ugly, the good guy is handsome which is all very obvious, but Sammo is big ol kung fu teddy bear, whose agility and lightening fast speed belie his Chris Farely physique, and it's his performance which elevates the movie into something amazing. The comedy is funny, the romance is sweet, and the action is one of a kind combining the best of martial arts cinema, with an easily accessible drama that makes us care about the characters and their pains, joys, and inevitable revenge.Pedicab Driver is badass and brutal at times, but never sacrifices the charming lightness that makes the movie so enjoyable and gratifying in a way few of it's exciting peers (then and now) permit themselves to be. It's the type of film that gives the impression that everyone involved was enjoying themselves by effortlessly doing what I do best. This joy pours from the screen, and it's hard not to become immersed in it.I recently watched another HK action film featuring Sammo called "Zu: Warriors Of The Magic Mountain" and though it had similar sizzling combat (though largely artificial; wire or animation driven), it lacked a humane element, like reading a dry translation of an ancient myth. Pedicab Driver has a face, and a heart, and a fist, and watching them collide is a true joy to behold. I challenge anyone to not be entertained by this movie. Go on, I dare you!

This is one excellent Sammo Hung movie. Actually, this is a great piece of Hong Kong action cinema. The story tells the story of pedicab drivers in Macao looking for love and getting mixed up w/ a vicious pimp. The performances are excellent and the characters are all likable and well-defined. The story is involving and has enough romance, drama, comedy, and suspense to keep one watching between fight scenes. Sammo Hung proves here that he's probably the best fight choreographer in the business. The action is simply amazing, esp. the fight w/ Lau Kar Leung and the finale. Billy Chow and Sammo Hung are amazing. A must see for any fan of action.