China White (1989)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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.

According to the article at http://blog.ifeng.com/article/2737487.html, one of the actors in the film, Carina Lau, was forced to appear in this movie for free. She was the victim of an infamous kidnapping shortly before this movie was made, and later photos of her in distress were published in a magazine, which has since been forced to shut down and its publisher sent to jail. The actress denies she was assaulted but there was a movie leaked on net that allegedly showed her being gang-raped. (The Hong Kong press, out of respect for her, has mostly refused to report on the incident, but google will turn up a few articles about it.)

China White is being typecasted as one of many bad martial arts movies. If you judge this movie by the cover (woman with high heels, Saskia van Rijswijk, champion Kickboxing), you would certainly think it is. Wrong, it is a Hk action movie with some martial arts in it. " China White" is to be compared with other heroic bloodshed titles made in Hong Kong. There are a lot of slowmo shootouts (very cool to watch), which take place in Amsterdam, Holland. The story is about a Chinese gang getting into war with the Italian mob in their quest for ultimate control of power in Amsterdam. The story is interesting enough to watch and short enough to be enjoyed. I have also seen a longer version (the HK version), where you get to know more about the background of the main characters, also starring Andy Lau. But for the action part of the movie not very important, so can be missed as is the case in the 98minute version (English version). This is crime drama with heroic bloodshed at it's best.