China White (1989)

Best movie of this year hands down!

That was an excellent one.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

What could have been just another chop chop martial arts film, instead is somewhat above the norm, mainly due to authentic and colorful Amsterdam locations, creative brutality, and a strong performance from the always menacing Billy Drago. The story of rival drug gangs competing for valuable territory is nothing new, but a rapid pace negates some of the familiarity. Drago and his female bodyguard are definitely the most memorable characters, easily rising above the generic Asian gang members. Even skeptical non fans of this type action movie should find enough entertainment value in "China White" to maintain interest. - MERK

Here's a story that really sticks by it's guns, somewhat based on a true story, or not, as we learn in an afterword at it's end. It's a tight action thriller with lots and lots of action, in wonderfully staged shootout sequences, you almost feel you're in a John Woo film, and even though you aren't, this is what makes it the more impressive. The story that takes place in beautiful Amsterdam, between the warring Italian and Chinese mafia, to properly control the heroin market, you almost have flashes of Ferrara's China Girl, both these films incidentally, starring the cool Russell Wong, an underused actor, and one my favourite Asian stars. His younger and sometimes, hot headed brother, played adequately by the much lesser known Steven Vincent Leigh, (both small players in the drug game) is the less serious brother who likes to have fun, and that includes getting a little payback and bedding beautiful women that stand in window fronts, one sadly meeting her demise, an expendable victim in a shootout scene. What a waste. Two other assets are of course, the deadly, and evily faced Drago, an untouchable Italian drug lord, who steals the scenes, and his lethal right hand, a silent partner you could say, and she's feminine with hands that will paralyze you before you're shot up with heroin during the Q and A, you'll actually be checking your neck and throat, later. Wong also makes the mistake of falling in love with a beautiful woman, who's more than just a casino chick, her act of vengeance in it's finale, will catch you by surprise. CW is an underrated and very good quality film, that has almost everything, you will find when viewing it. This is one of the many examples of films, that are unjustly passed off because it didn't play theatrically. Hopefully you'll looks pass this, when choosing this one.

Brothers Bobby Chow and Danny Chow (Wong and Leigh, respectively) want control of Amsterdam's Chinatown for their drug trade. Seriously hampering that is Italian crime lord Scalia (Drago) and his minions. In one of the many gambling houses the brothers frequent, Danny meets card dealer Anne Michaels (Schrage) and they strike up a romance. As it happens, Anne is an undercover DEA agent working with her partner Rasta (Sheppard). Amidst all the shootouts, both Anne and Danny are torn between their respective professions and their love for each other. If the Chow brothers are going to control their turf, it's going to take a lot more than CHINA WHITE...Kicking off with a shot of some Asian tattoos and some classic wailing 80's guitar, it sets the scene for what we're about to see. There are a lot of ethnic tensions at work in Chinatown, and some classic racism along the way. One of the best things about this movie is Billy Drago as Scalia (although wouldn't it be weird to see Jack Scalia as Ivan Drago?)...anyway, he puts in a strange and menacing performance. Since he almost exclusively plays bad guys, he's probably always thinking about how he can put some kind of twist on it. Here he speaks quietly and has many strange mannerisms. He's definitely a highlight.While China White is a gangster drama, it features some very impressive stunts in the mix. There's one especially great action scene, but there are a few others as well. Once the action moves to "The Golden Triangle", the pace slacks considerably, and you realize this movie is too long. Other things that stand out are Ricky Ho as Kong, and his amazing wardrobe. The "nothing stereotypical going on here" character of Rasta, and Scalia's bodyguard Saskia (Van Rijswijk) are also memorable. Saskia makes Brigitte Nielsen look like a wimp. There could easily be a movie where Van Rijswijk plays the starring role. More Saskia would have been a good thing for China White.A great moment in the dialogue department comes when Danny tells Anne all his heroes are American. When she assumes he's talking about John Wayne and Ronald Reagan, he retorts, "H.Ross Perot"! First of all, it's great that Perot finally gets a mention in an foreign 80's violent gangster movie. Secondly, he used his proper name, utilizing the "H". Has Perot himself ever seen this movie? That was a great moment. Too bad there weren't more of them.While China White should have been shorter, with the brighter elements turned up like you would the "brightness" on a TV, it would still make an interesting double feature with Amsterdamned (1988). Just be sure to watch China White first.

After a long time I have finally been able to get a copy of this and watch it again. Now I do know that there are several versions out there so there is no sure way to tell if the version I saw now is the same as it was the first time I saw it. The action is still top notch. Only those sequences aren't as long as one would expect from a movie in the genre. I have seen a lot of so called heroic bloodshed titles that tried to copy the master John Woo and never came close to it. "China White" is much better than most but also fails to come close of what John Woo has defined. There is one very big plus and that is the setting.Which is China town in Amsterdam. You get the impression it is a large district. But having lived in Amsterdam myself I know it is only a small area part of the red light district which happen to have a lot of Chinese stores and restaurants. But because of the way they shot the movie it actually looks like a big and important territory where people know not to mess with the triads. Besides the action "China White" is a somewhat compelling gangster drama with some decent acting. But could have used more intrigue if the focus was on the story. Russel Wong and Billy Drago do what they can with the material they are given. After careful consideration and comparing it to other titles in the genre this movie still is strong enough.Certainly worth watching.