Skyline Cruisers (2000)

"Skyline Cruisers" would make a catchy name for a gang playing it fast and smooth. So I presume it's the title for the apparently unnamed grouping of characters in this movie. The team's individual members are just four: Mac (Lai), Sam (Lee), Michelle (Saram) and the rather uncool-sounding Bird (Chan). There was once a fifth, named Apple, but she's long-gone. The Cruisers, as I'll call them here, are a group of globe-trotting cyber-wizzes, always ready to crack the tightest of security during their high-flying crime escapades. No mission is impossible with their ultra-techy touches. A term like "cyclotron resonance" can be pitched their way and they'll still know what it is and how to use it.

While resting up in Australia, the gang is approached by one Dr Lee Man-cheut. His plane had crashed under mysterious circumstances and, now sporting burns and staying in hiding, he needs their services. Former partner Dr Kam has stolen the formula for Lee's cancer-curing medicine, Combrestatin SPAT, and has destroyed the original files. Lee, needless to say, wants the drug prototype back. Accepting the deal as a "Mission Noble", the intrepid four assume Thai identities and jet over to Kam's brand spanking-new Cancer Tumour Cardiology plant to snatch the wonderdrug. Action ensues.

Skyline Cruisers is another film in the vein of 1997's fun Downtown Torpedoes. And like that film, Skyline Cruisers opens with a mini action plot to set the scene for the characters. It's an efficient warm-up, even if much of its action is meaningless. Then the movie shifts to its far less spectacular whole, complete with an orangutang (named Cheetah!) included to please the children. Other juvenile moments include a feeble profanity password. Characters are completely undeveloped. When one person tries to shed background info, it's purposely drowned out as a time-wasting joke. Sometimes it seems more effort went into the abundant product placements. There is little closure to the film either, with three different endings (plus some bizarre additional text messages) placed in feeble wrap-ups. One ending is a good closer with a cop but none of the stars. The second relies on background info not given. And third is some filler, claimed to be set in Australia.

This may make Skyline Cruisers sound like an poor film. It isn't all bad. The movie closes with on-screen advice to "Wake up your friends" but I didn't find it the sleeper this message alludes to. The general capers and the leads' jargon offer brainless morning viewing and all is pleasant to look at in the cinema, barring a dreadful car chase sequence on a bush road. The film keeps to a fairly enthusiastic pace and when it slows there are some nice compositions and moments of pleasing film entertainment. With a better plot, fewer absurd scenarios, less blatant product placements, and that ape killed off, Skyline Cruisers could have been a snappy a little actioner with four very attractive leads. Indeed, I liked the casting for the four leads (Leon Lai, Jordan Chan, Michelle Saram and Sam Lee), and wouldn't mind seeing a sequel if there was a stronger story to build around them.

Some anticipation for the film was built up on the reputation of the director. Yet Skyline Cruisers ultimately doesn't reach the heights of Wilson Yip's recent work, notably the three films preceding this one. But then, nor should it be expected to. Bio-Zombie, Bullets Over Summer and Juliet in Love are far more personal, tight-knit lower-budgeters for an older and local Hong Kong audience. Skyline Cruisers is instead an international production, shot in Malaysia and tending to emphasise more anonymous big action filmmaking, pitched towards kids. The previous three films also benefited from the Matt Chow scripts, while this one's coming from a weak story by Greg Melliot. If film comparisons need to be made with Skyline Cruisers, it's better to look to another high-budget international escapade from Golden Harvest - the far superior Tokyo Raiders.

The Imperial Cinema posted this hand-painted billboard to promote the film.

Credits:

Directed by Wilson Yip Wai-shum
Starring Leon Lai Ming, Jordan Chan Siu-chun, Sam Lee Chan-sam, Michelle Saram, Shu Qi, Terrence Yin and Ken Wong