Outlaw Brothers (1990)

Why so much hype?

Lack of good storyline.

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Director Frankie Chan knows how to shoot and conduct action, however in a leading role unfortunately he's mediocre. His character sticks out among the other highly charismatic protagonists, and the partnership between him and Mok feels artificial. The plot stalls out a few times with hokey sub-plots like Chan's sister and Mok's girlfriend, but besides a few moments of lame comedy the movie keeps on pace fairly well. Chan and Mok steal Porsches for a living, although a rival auto theft-ring forces them to work on their side. Chan and Mok hatch a scheme that involves a police detective (Oshima) in which would bust their rival ring. Oshima isn't enthused, and decides to do some rogue police work to corner all criminal parties involved. The rest of the movie is a chess game between our duo, Oshima, and the rival crime organization. The final confrontation is excellent and original, although once again the movie drags a bit getting to the finish. The film doesn't age as gracefully compared to other similar works at the time, for example by Jackie Chan or John Woo, but honestly it's a fun time regardless. If your familiar with Hong Kong action cinema then I'd recommend it. The movie has a great car chase in it as well, which is a rarity with HK pictures from this era. -6/10

Compared to other titles in this genre of that era Outlaw Brothers just lacks that something extra to stand out. But compared to titles of this era it still is far superior. For one thing even when the story is average it still is made enjoyable mainly because of Frankie Chan and Yukari Oshima. Her kicks are amazing! The interaction between her and Frankie is so much fun and is enough to make you keep watching.There are pitfall like so many Hong Kong movies of that time could not avoid. The humour is far from subtle but someone familiar with the genre should be used to this now.There is a vibe to this movie that reminded me of No Man's Land with Charlie Sheen and D.B. Sweeney.How can it not be since the main characters are car thieves.Let's say there is more of an eighties ambiance than a nineties one. Which is a good thing. Definitely one to watch!

"Outlaw Brothers" has three terrific fighting set-pieces within its first 40 minutes: the first showcases Frankie Chan (who is pretty dangerous with a broom!), the second is dedicated to Yukari Oshima, in the third they join forces. The fight choreography in these sequences is easily on par with (and highly reminiscent of) the Jackie Chan films of the same era: very fast, very intricate, and full of stuntmen falling from high places. In the middle section, the script bogs down. There is little action (apart from a car chase), and some pointless sequences involving secondary characters that add nothing to the film (like Sharon Kwok's brother). Finally, in the last 15 minutes the film rebounds with a few more high-standard fights, where nearly all the bad guys are white and their faces (if not necessarily their names) will be familiar to HK action buffs. Frankie is almost as good as the more famous Chan in this movie, Yukari has some awesome moves and wears some flattering outfits, and even Sharon Kwok gets a chance to show her bravery, but Michiko Nishiwaki is mostly wasted - she doesn't get involved in the action at all until the last 5 minutes or so. Hong Kong Legends have done their usual fine job in the DVD release of this film, from the slick transfer to the extras. (**1/2)

OUTLAW BROTHERS (UK) had all the ingredients to be a top-notch contemporary Hong Kong action fest. Frankie Chan, Yukari Oshima, a gaggle of "gwei-loh" thugs led by Hung Gar exponent Mark Houghton. It even has the incredible Michiko Nishiwaki, though she's completely wasted here. So what went wrong?The chief liability is the script. Though it finds room for the required 6.5 kung fu fights and a couple of so-so gun battles, the characters are unfocused. I could see Chow Yun Fat as the car thief romancing police-woman Yukari Oshima (you'd think she would have gotten her teeth fixed, wouldn't you?), but somehow Frankie Chan just doesn't have the charm to be convincing.It's a real shame because Chan is a major talent, who just seems to make unfortunate choices. He's never really reached the 1982 pinnacle of PRODIGAL SON, under Sammo Hung's direction.If you want to see Michiko Nishiwaki in a better showcase, try MY LUCKY STARS, where she has a (brief) bout with Sammo Hung, or MAGIC COP where she's really impressive as a weird witch.Yukari Oshima comes out of this with the most credibility. Her martial arts skills are extraordinary, though I'm not mad on that 1990s "one-style-fits-all" generic martial arts that every choreographer seemed to use at the time. How much more interesting would it have been if some of these characters used real kung fu?If it shows up on TV, fine, but I wouldn't go out and buy this on DVD ...