''Hong Kong '97'' is a 1994 American

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

action thriller Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

film directed by Albert Pyun starring

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparke ...

Brion James Brion Howard James (February 20, 1945 – August 7, 1999) was an American character actor. He portrayed Leon Kowalski in ''Blade Runner'' and appeared in ''Southern Comfort'', ''48 Hrs.'', '' Another 48 Hrs.'', '' Silverado'', '' Tango & Cash'', ...

and

Tim Thomerson Joseph Timothy "Tim" Thomerson (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Jack Deth in the ''Trancers'' film series and for his work in numerous low-budget features and for his comedic television r ...

. The story revolves around the

transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admini ...

from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. An assassin kills several high-ranking Chinese officials and must get out of the country quickly before he himself is murdered. The movie was released directly to video on November 9, 1994.

Plot

On June 30, 1997, assassin Reginald "Reg" Cameron enters a club and assassinates a high ranking People's Liberation Army officer, General Wu. Fearing revenge against him, several friends and colleagues urge him to flee Hong Kong. To add to the troubles, at midnight, the Chinese army will begin to enter the city as British rule expires on July 1. He must escape to avoid any further attempts on his life. After escaping multiple assassination attempts against himself, his colleagues Simon and Jack drop him off at a safe house, Chun's Martial Arts School for the time being while they attempt to find out who is trying to kill him. Chun's is owned by Reg's ex-girlfriend Katie and her grandfather Master Chun. Katie reveals to Reg that her grandfather defected from Red China during the Cold War and will be wanted once Chinese rule goes into effect by the government. They plan to flee on a flight to Malaysia just before midnight. While Master Chun is delighted to Reg again but Katie eagerly dismisses him when Simon calls with information about his would-be assassins. On his way to meet Simon and Jack, more would-be assassins attempt to kill Reg. He is intercepted by Simon and Jack in a car where they explain that Triad gangs are attempting to kill him due to the high price put on his head for his earlier assassination. Knowing he must finally flee, he decides to meet with Katie and Master Chun for their flight to Malaysia. On the way he explains why he is such a successful assassin. He does not care about anything caught in collateral damage as he had to witness his parents being murdered in India when he was 11 years old. At the airport, Reg prepares to part ways from Simon and Jack by giving his guns to Jack, whom the latter had no idea he was an assassin at first. However, as Chun, Katie and Reg are about to board the plane, more assassins converge on the airstrip. Jack decides to finally use a gun and starts shooting at the assassins, killing some. However, he eventually is shot and killed, which Reg witnesses and deeply affects him. While fleeing the airport on a motorboat, Chun is shot in the arm. Reg's protégé and lover, Li, arrives at the port to assist in their escape. However, she is killed and her death affects Reg even more than Jack's death. Knowing they need medical attention, they stop at a Chinese checkpoint as troops are rolling in from the mainland for assistance. Katie is skeptical due to Chun being a defector but reluctantly accepts help from the guards. Chun receives treatment for his wounds and tells the others to meet him at Kennedy Port in the morning. They eventually travel to Reg and Simon's company to call off the hit on Reg's head so it will be easier for them to flee the country. Going through a shootout to the main computer, they are able to mark Reg as being dead and the bounty collected by Simon. But before they can escape, a colleague of Reg and Simon, Malcolm Goodchild, appears and reveals that it was he who placed the bounty on Reg, knowing that he would be labeled as a national hero for killing an assassin of a Chinese General. Reg and Malcolm fight on an elevator and as Malcolm gains the upper hand, the door opens and Katie shoots Malcolm. That morning, the four escape Hong Kong via boat from Kennedy Port along with Chun, who meets them there as promised.

Cast

as Reginald Cameron *

as Simon Alexander *

as Jack McGraw *

Ming-Na Wen Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film '' Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec ...

as Katie Chun * Selena Chau-yuet You as Li * Michael Lee as Chun * Andrew Divoff as Malcolm Goodchild

Reception

''Hong Kong '97'' attracted mixed reviews, and currently has a

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

public rating of 53%.

References

External links

* {{Albert Pyun 1994 films American action thriller films 1994 action thriller films 1990s chase films American chase films Films set in 1997 Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong Films directed by Albert Pyun Films set in the future Trimark Pictures films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links