Kam & Ronson HK Blu-ray Synopsis: In the near future, 10 men are voted as the 10 men who could lead the world. On the list is leading Hong Kong scientist Dr. Ken (Andy Lau). When some of the other important figures on the list start dying in suspicious cases of spontaneous human combustion, the Hong Kong CID and the British MI6 get involved to try and protect Dr. Ken. Ken's close friends in the Hong Kong police, Chiu (Anthony Wong) helps Ken stay out of trouble. (112 Mins)

 

Views: Dr. Ken is a communications expert who finds himself targeted by a mysterious organisation called the Brotherhood of Technology. For many other scientists that are in the same league as Dr. Ken, it's all too late, with everyone of them violently dying from spontaneous human combustion. Having witnessed some of these deaths, a member of MI6 offers to protect him, but Dr. Ken opts to stay with his police friend Chiu. Haunted by visions and flashbacks of his dead girlfriend. As the pair investigate the threats and mysteries behind the Brotherhood, they soon meet the group's violent leader who brings fear through his apocalyptic prophecies...

 

When I first saw Armageddon a lot of years back, I was far from impressed. Then, recently, I saw the Hong Kong Blu-ray on sale at a very cheap price and thought that perhaps it was time for a rewatch. Did it make it any better for me? Well, apart from the HD quality that highlighted the tidy cinematography and nice lighting, absolutely not! Armageddon was written, produced and directed by Gordon Chan, a man who has directed some fantastic titles of Hong Kong cinema such as Fight Back To School (1991) and it's sequel, King of Beggars (1992), The Final Option (1994), Fist of Legend (1994), Thunderbolt (1995), First Option (1996), Beast Cops (1998), 2000 AD (2000), Painted Skin (2008), Mural (2011), and The Four Trilogy (2012). He was also behind Jackie Chan's The Medallion (2003) which wasn't exactly perfect, but has grown on me over the years. As a writer, his name is attached to even more including many of his aforementioned directorial efforts, The Big Heat (1988), The Cat (1992), Bodyguard from Beijing (1994), Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010), and John Woo's Manhunt (2017) – not to mention an uncredited writer on most of Woo's heavy hitters. And, well, as a producer, he's behind even more – so you really have to wonder just what the hell went wrong when it came to making Armageddon?!?

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The much loved Andy Lau stars as conflicted and grieving scientist Dr. Ken, who does battle with his emotions and the cult who are aiming to destroy the earth. Having last worked under Gordon Chan in the much more entertaining Gameboy Kids (1992), Lau looks utterly bored and uninterested here for the majority of the movie. Oddly, this was an interesting year for him – mind you, it was an interesting year for the world as Hong Kong was handed back over to China and no-one had any idea of where the film world was going to go! While Armageddon would be Lau's first film of '97, he would follow up with Michael Mak's slightly more entertaining Island of Greed, and cameo in Vincent Kok's rom-com Cause We Are So Young. Incidentally, Kok guest stars here and also serves as a co-writer to Chan. Joining him is the equally prolific and talked about Anthony Wong, starring here as CID officer Chiu Tai Pang. Looking just as bored as Lau, although trying to inject a bit of fun along the way, Wong clearly just saw this as another pay-check and went onto have a busier year than his co-star, appearing in films such as Young & Dangerous 4, Midnight Zone, Jail in Burning Island, Teaching Sucks, and G4: Option Zero that saw Gordon Chan produce for director Dante Lam. Then we have Michelle Reis – the Macau born beauty and former Miss Hong Kong who previously starred with Andy in films like No Risk, No Gain (1990) which also starred Wong, The Banquet (1991), Casino Tycoon 2 (1992), and Drunken Master 3 (1994). Here, she plays Adele, Dr. Ken's late-girlfriend, although that just makes things even more confusing as the story plods along. The same year, Reis would join Wong again in Young & Dangerous 4 before going onto star with Andy one more time in Prince Charming two years later. Finally, Brit-kicker Mike Lambert delivers his one of his more dramatic roles in a Hong Kong film as the leader of the mysterious cult. Having worked with Gordon on Thunderbolt (1995), Lambert holds his own against the Hong Kong heavies and proves to be a great adversary for Lau and Wong. But it's still not enough to save this dud of a film.

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Although it's pretty well shot and comes across with high production values, Gordon Chan's X-Files inspired (yet very confused) film is a slow-burning mess that seems to be lost in itself, offer lethargic performances, confusion, and a lack of excitement unlike many of his previous hits. It just doesn't make sense and should have been so much more! The great Dante Lam serves as one of three assistant directors, and even Bruce Law's action leaves a lot to be desired – when it eventually comes about – and that hurts even more so in knowing that praised Jackie Chan Stunt Team member, Nicky Li, assists him. Ultimately, Armageddon aims to differ from its Hong Kong counterparts, and it most certainly succeeds, but perhaps just a little too much for fans of the genre and it's stars. Perhaps if it had a good 20-25 minutes cut, the film could run tighter and prove to be a little more exciting but, unfortunately, that's never going to happen. This is one Hong Kong production I'll never need to revisit again!

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Overall: Although it may sound fun, Armageddon is a hollow sci-fi mystery, juggling romance, religion, and some flat comedic moments!

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Kam & Ronson Blu-ray Extras: Trailer