Gallants: Movie Review

Gallants: Movie Review

Gallants
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Teddy Robin Kwan, Wong You Nam
Director: Derek Kwok Chi-Kin, Clement Cheng Sze-Kit
Wong You Nam stars as loser Cheung in this chop socky old school kung fu martial arts film which is part of the Hong Kong Film Festival.
Cheung is a dweeby kind of guy - the kind who would practice kung fu when younger but would still get beaten up - and has been beaten up both physically and metaphorically in his life ever since.
Cheung's sent to the backwaters by his bosses to help with real estate deals and get the land ready for redevelopment - however, he ends up being bullied and befriends those who run the Master Law teahouse which is in the bad guys' sights.
So, it becomes about regaining honour and nobility as Cheung ends up taking part in a martial arts tournament&will he be able to save the day?

Gallants has an old school feel to it - which isn't a negative thing at all; it simply feels like a nod to the past and with the zero to hero angle, it's quite a welcome piece of comic fun.

There's some great fight scenes which feel like they're from a computer game but updated with freeze frames and slow mo - and there's a frenetic energy to the editing which seems the film jump from place to place in its plot with ease - and thanks to some of the comic acting, it feels nostalgic rather than mocking.