From fighting to kissing
Predictably, the rest of Chu's works in subsequent year couldn't compare with the achievement of Chinese Odyssey and did fit with the situation described by Herman Yau. Shaolin Kung Fu Kid, Trouble Maker and Feeling of Love are all typical Chu Yen Ping 's films, full of low brow humor and incoherent script. As expected, those were far from her best movies or best performance. At best, they were occasions to show her comedy chops. Still, Troublemaker saw her exhibit a few touching emotions in a completely unexpected romance with Ng Man Tat (it happens only in movies!). Not too bad judging from the quality of the production.
Athena, remorseful after watching Hero of Swallow
Hero of Swallow is another production of very average quality in which the young actress got stuck probably because she wanted to grabe any opportunities to escape comedies. Hero of Swallow is the story of an Iron Monkey-like hero played by legendary action actor Yuen Biao. Unfortunately, in this year 1996, Yuen's golden age was behind him and this Kung Fu flick looks sadly old fashioned with a production value close to a TV series. This outdated film suffered also from the wound of its star, forcing the hyper active Yuen Biao to be doubled, and the lack of talent from its action choreographer, Lam Moon Wa. At best, viewers who have bought the DVD/VCD can only rely on the heavy quantity of action scenes and the good will of the entire cast. In this aspect, Athena's performance was adequate but was not unforgettable… like the whole film . |