In Weekend in Taipei, a former drug enforcement agent and a former undercover operative revisit their romance, unaware of the dangerous consequences of their past. Source: Australian Catholics.
When it comes to easy action/romance entertainment, many audiences know what to expect and what they want – which is very much the case with this film.
We meet wealthy Taiwanese businessmen and drug dealer Kwang (Kang),and witness his declarations of innocence when he is accused in court of involvement in drug dealing, especially exporting drugs to the United States.
Then there is his wife, Joey (Gwei), styled as a modern Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s type. She has a 13-year-old son, Raymond (Yang), who is hostile to his stepfather Kwang, critical of his killing of dolphins in his fishing business and destroying the environment.
Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, Joey’s former lover, Agent John Lawlor (Evans) is working undercover with an associate in a Chinese restaurant. He becomes involved in a huge fight – amazing how much damage can be done with a wok and set to the tune of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire.
Obviously, everything has to come together. Lawlor, despite orders against it, makes his way to Taipei to confront Kwang.
This might have been over happily with fights and guns early in the film, but there is plenty of time for an escape, some romance in the country village and for Raymond to discover details about his mother’s past life.
Review by Fr Peter Malone MSC, Jesuit Media.
Weekend in Taipei: Starring Luke Evans, Sung Kang, Lun-Mei Gwei, Wyatt Yang. Directed by George Huang. 100 minutes. Rated MA (Strong action violence).
FULL REVIEW
Weekend in Taipei (Australian Catholics)
