Review Rich and Famous a.k.a. Gong woo ching (1987): Average Heroic Bloodshed title! / Review Tragic Hero a.k.a. Rich and Famous II a.k.a. Black Vengeance (1987): Slightly better!

genre: action, crime, drama

 

 

Rich and Famous is a title that tries real hard to capitalize on The Godfather and A Better Tomorrow. Normally I would applaud such a venture especially if that would bring me the epic bloodshed I am craving for. Unfortunately, Rich and Famous is average at best and simply fails to deliver on the drama and the action that one would expect.

 Two brothers who are immensely loyal to each other until one of them, played by Alex Man, loses his way. One could argue, that he was never good in the first place and basically relying on his brother played by Andy Lau. Andy Lau does his best to be loyal to his boss and brother. But it's obvious he is struggling. There is not that much the story offers. It's pretty much a real drag from start to finish.

 

The action is not up to the standard of a good Heroic Bloodshed title. Story wise, it's even more disappointing. Not one I can recommend!

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Tragic Hero is a direct sequel to Rich and Famous. But for whatever reason was released first. So if you were confused and didn't know which to watch first, you aren't alone. Honestly, you can skip the entire original and just rely on the brief summarization given in Tragic Hero. It's all you need to know.

Kwok ( Andy Lau is retired from the criminal life and Yung has fully embraced it. His ambition is to become the biggest crime lord and is not afraid to eliminate anyone on his path. Where Yung had something redeemable about him in the original, he is full on crazy and unhinged. Why anyone would follow him is beyond me? One could argue, that this is only intended for outside people, I mean, someone who pretends who is crazy is more dangerous than a real crazy person. But every time we get to see Yung he is highly unlikable. Tragic Hero is therefore basically about him making moves and Boss Chai (Chow Yun-Fat) responding to his antics culminating in the wonderful finale full of action and bloodshed. 

The finale is glorious. Not perfect and without flaws but with cool gun fu I can watch over and over again. For this alone this film will be worth it. I do have to admit, that I skept almost all non action sequences because I got the gist of it very clearly. I watched enough to give context to the action which does become more immersive due to the events that transpired before. Overall, a decent viewing experience.

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