Forces of Geek’s Man from Hong Kong Big Mike Leeder climbs down into the dark and dusty vault of Hong Kong Action Cinema, and retrieves a complete rarity, a sci-fi martial arts thriller.
The film directed by Lo Gin, stars Austin Wai, Chin Siu-ho, Deborah Sims, Eric Tsang, Blackie Ko & Yuen Wah, produced by Golden Harvest in 1987.
There are times when you come across a relatively unheard of movie and read the synopsis and immediately want to nothing more than watch he film, and then there are the other times when the synopsis really doesn’t seem to be trying to get people to watch the film at all.
Just read the Rim Films catalog synopsis for The Final Test…
An ambitious young executive is happy when he lands a job managing a busy, modern factory. He is determined to keep productivity high and earn advancement, but the workers start to walk out faster than they can be replaced. In the course of discovering the reason, the young man learns there is more to succeeding in the real world than is taught in business school.
Doesn’t really jump off the page and make you want to see the movie, does it?
Especially when the film is actually a sci-fi action thriller which borrows somewhat heavily from elements of mid 80’s sci-fi films such as Peter Hyam’s sci-fi western Outland, the original V series, and music that’s shall we say borrowed from such films as Escape from New York and The Terminator, and delivers a flawed but ambitious sci-fi martial arts hybrid.
Following the ‘accidental’ death of the Security Chief played by Chin Siu-ho in the opening scene; the Corporation dispatches Sum Ying-mo (Austin Wai Tin-chi) to replace him at the space colony’s manufacturing plant. Sum is introduced in the midst of a battle against longtime Donnie Yen and Yuen Woo-ping associate Mandy Chan, better known as the janitor from Bloodsport, as he demonstrates his martial arts skills to full effect. (Ok he’s a Security operative, not a junior executive! Did you even watch the movie before you write the synopsis Rim Films?)
The manufacturing plant is based on a far-flung and dangerous mining colony, where it would appear that a powerful narcotic is being sold to the workers. The main dealer of drugs appears to be the plants foreman, played by a badly permed Blacky Ko (Curry & Pepper), and the major problem would appear to be that the drug doesn’t have any benefits unless you include driving the workers into mental breakdown and murderous outbursts of violence.
But as Sum investigates, he finds that the true power behind the drug dealers is non other than the plants manager played by a clean shaven Yuen Wah, who SPOILER ALERT is revealed to be part of an android conspiracy out to enslave humanity once and for all.
The Final Test wears its influences very heavily on its sleeve, the main plot being borrowed from the Sean Connery ‘realistic sci-fi’ thriller Outland, which in turn borrowed heavily from several westerns, with the addition of elements from The Terminator, as well as V influenced costumes (or it could just be red jumpsuits were on special that month), and music from Terminator and Escape From New York. There are also plenty of flashing neon signs a la Blade Runner and video monitors that seem to have been stolen from nearby Space Invaders machines and dotted around the set. But the film could have benefited from perhaps an injection of cash and some more futuristic ideas for some of the weaponry.
But now onto the plus points, the film opens with a great intro scene featuring the man who should have been king, Chang Chet discovery Chin Siu-ho, being hunted down and murdered. Chang had such a great look and skill set, its always been a mystery why he never really became a bigger star, he came close so many times but never got to lift the championship cup.
The films leading man is played by the late great Austin Wai, the brother of Shaw Brother’s premiere fighting female Wai Yin-hong. Austin has a great look and solid physical skills as can be seen in such films as Five Superfighters, but always seemed to be under-served by the roles he was given apart from in this film. With its off the wall ideas and a character he could get his teeth into, Austin delivers a solid performance which gives a glimpse into what could have been, had he been given more roles like this.
His leading lady is played by Deborah Sims, a former Ms Hong Kong who dabbled with movies but is best remembered for running a chain of fitness centres. She’s Eurasian and has a striking look, and while at times her acting is a little stiff, she acquits herself well as the love interest.
Eric Tsang turns up as the recruiter who gives Sum his assignment complete with trench coat and trilby hat, and the ever-reliable Blacky Ko gives another nutball performance as the drug dealing and self-medicating foreman. While the one and only Yuen Wah who found fame shortly after this movie with his memorablele turn in Eastern Condors, makes a chilling plant manager who hides a deadly secret, and is revealed to be a Terminator styled android of death and lets loose with some robot styled kung fu in the finale.
The films fight scenes were staged by Austin Wai himself, assisted by Brandy Yuen Jan-yeung, younger brother of Yuen Woo-ping.
They are pretty rough and ready and at times that’s the problem, you want to see a little sharper techniques and clearer exchanges, but you have to admire them for experimenting with a less stylized take on action choreography during the height of Hong Kong’s most stylized action period. The film’s cinematography by Raymond Lam gives the film a suitably bleak and menacing feel, while I’m a big fan of the soundtrack by Violet Lam which includes a great 80’s raunchy guitar riff’s a plenty rockout used during several fight scenes.
It’s by no means your regular Hong Kong movie, and its mixture of styles may not be to everyone’s taste, it got a very mixed reaction from local audiences and seems to be another HK movie that the majority of people have forgotten.
I first saw the film as part of an afternoon double bill just off Chinatown in London in 1988, and the fact it delivered something I wasn’t expecting to see in a HK movie really appealed to me, and upon finally seeing it again a few years later in Hong Kong, it was great to see that it still held up.
Its entertaining and yes, it’s flawed, but it offers a rare glimpse at a sub genre that we never really got to see any more of, the HK martial arts sci-fi action thriller. The film has never received an official UK or US DVD or VHS release, but thanks to JoySales recent remasters, it can be picked up as a pristine print for less than a pittance.
