GALLANTS (Clement Sze-Kit Cheng, Derek Chi-kin Kowk) Rating: NNNN
If Stephen Chow had followed Kung Fu Hustle with an action comedy set in a retirement home, it might have turned out a lot like Gallants, which opens the 14th edition of the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Tuesday (November 9).
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Gallants is a present-day action farce set in a small village, where weedy young realtor Cheung (Wong You-Nam) finds himself smack in the middle of a lopsided rivalry between two martial arts schools. One of them has been left to crumble for three decades ever since its master (Teddy Robin Kwan) fell into a coma and left his disciples to fend for themselves.
But wait! The master miraculously regains consciousness, and Cheung begs to be taken on as a new student. And it’s when he starts interacting with his fellow disciples, played by veteran Shaw Brothers kung-fu stars Leung Siu-Lung and Chen Kuan Tai, that the film really takes wing.
They’re older and thicker now – Leung, in particular, looks like an angry bullfrog – but they can still kick higher than your head. And directors Clement Sze-Kit Cheng and Derek Chi-kin Kowk give them plenty of opportunities to do just that, making Gallants a very entertaining salute to old legends who aren’t nearly ready to make way for the next generation.
See listings, for details, and next week’s issue for more Reel Asian reviews.
