Other Titles • Shu dan long wei (1995) • High Risk • Jeung hok yau • Meltdown
Synopses for Meltdown (1995)
1.
When a military officer (Jet Li of Romeo Is Bleeding and Fist of Legend) miscalculates and causes the explosive death of dozens of children on a school bus--something you'll never see in an American movie!--he leaves his position to become a bodyguard for an egomaniacal movie star named Frankie (Jacky Cheung from Bullet in the Head and A Chinese Ghost Story 2, doing a satirical parody of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee). The star claims to do all his own stunts, but in fact Li has become his stunt double. An investigative reporter (Chingmy Yau, Naked Killer) catches them switching places and decides to do an exposé. From this point on, Meltdown (also known as High Risk) turns into a Hong Kong version of Die Hard, with terrorists taking over a skyscraper in order to steal valuable jewels, as well as a couple of young lovers, a villainous kung fu master who wants to challenge Frankie, and a hip-hop soundtrack. Meltdown is a delirious romp, crammed with as much low comedy and high-powered action as three Hollywood flicks. Despite (or partly because of) some clumsy special effects, logical absurdities, and cheesy plot developments, the movie is hugely entertaining, and Jet Li is in fine charismatic form. However, be warned: though the movie's tone is light, there's some extremely graphic violence. --Bret Fetzer
2.
A Hong-Kong DIE HARD starring international action star Jet Li, who stars as Kit Li. Li works as a stunt double and bodyguard for Frankie Laine (Jacky Cheung), a cowardly, tippling, flabby has-been action hero. During an exhibition of the Russian crown jewels in Hong Kong, a group of terrorists try to steal the jewels while taking over the building, Laine with the help of his skilled, brooding bodyguard, must get his act together in time to save a group of partygoers --and save his public image in the process. Plenty of Wong Jing's celebrated industry jabs.
3.
Jet Li can always be relied upon when it comes to action movies, and Meltdown is no exception. No surprises with the story line: Kit Li witnesses his wife blown up in a gangster attack masterminded by the nefarious Doctor, only to be confronted by the same "no risk, no reward" gangster two years later, now aiming to steal the Russian crown jewels from a hotel complex. The shadow of Die Hard falls heavily across the action, with its skyscraper stunts and marauding helicopter, given an appropriate twist by the high-velocity martial-arts sequences and director Wong Jing's stylish take on the high-tech metropolis that is Hong Kong. Jackie Cheung adds a comic element as Frankie Lane, the action-movie star seemingly past his sell-by date, and Kwan Sau Mei's Doctor is the epitome of suave nastiness.
On the DVD:Meltdown on disc has a 1.85:1 widescreen picture that reproduces the plethora of monochrome conference rooms and exploding glass panels with dizzying clarity. This release comes ready dubbed into English--don't check the synchronisation too often and you'll hardly notice--with subtitles in 12 languages. The photo gallery is enlivened with Jet Li trivia, while the filmographies are unusually frank about the commercial nature of the Hong Kong film industry in general and Wong Jing's contribution in particular. But done with this degree of panache, films such as Meltdown are never less than 110# entertainment. --Richard Whitehouse
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