Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Weekend in Taipei’ Review: A Squealing-Tires Tour of Taiwan Sights for DEA Agent Luke Evans
In 1982, Prince urged everyone to “Party like it’s 1999.” Aiming to party somewhere roughly in the middle of that timespan is “Weekend in Taipei,” a throwback in the sense that it recalls the unpretentious — if also unmemorable — pleasures of many boilerplate action movies released in the peak VCR era. Luc Besson is both a co-writer and producer on this French-Taiwanese enterprise, which provides George Huang his first directorial feature in some time, 30 years after his very different debut, “Swimming With Sharks.”
With “Fast & Furious” alumni Luke Evans and Sung Kang as the male leads, this tale of a DEA agent venturing East to battle a crime syndicate raises expectations of flashy chase and fight scenes. Those are duly met, even if the script Huang and Besson have devised is flimsy stuff. These 100 minutes offer the kind of energetic, no-brainer fun you may remember little of the morning after — but at least there’s no hangover.
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After a hyperactive opening-credits montage of everyday Taipei life, we meet the latest CEO Kwang (Kang) of Kwang Enterprises, a vast multinational concern he’s apparently dragged into the mire — and into a courtroom, where various violations of law (from environmental to drug-trafficking related) will be scrutinized. It’s not a good moment for the temperamental tycoon, so he turns to his loved ones for support. Unfortunately, wife Josephine aka Joey (Gwei Lun Mei) makes it clear that affection is not returned. Ditto son Raymond (Wyatt Yang), whom he’s raised as his own but was fathered by another man she claims died long ago. Dad gets precious little respect at their lavish home, slights he channels into outbursts at flunkies who don’t always survive the emotional deflection.
Meanwhile in Minneapolis, John Lawlor (Evans) is working undercover, hoping to access damning evidence of Kwang’s misdeeds abroad. When his partner (Enrique Alonso Concha Cornejo) inadvertently outs them at their restaurant of temporary employment — Kwang Co.’s tentacles extend into much seafood harvesting — there ensues an elaborate kitchen fight against umpteen resident gang goons. Similar set-pieces have been done before, but this one makes it look early on like “Weekend” will offer a good mix of over-the-top violence and sufficient humor to offset the basic narrative formulaics.
Huang pretty much keeps that promise, though the aforementioned festival of culinary implement mayhem proves this film’s premature high point. Exasperated by her gonzo agent once again stirring a bloody mess, John’s superior (Pernell Walker) refuses his request to pursue the case to Taipei. Instead, she puts him on mandatory leave — which he uses to board the next plane heading there, lured by an anonymous tipster in possession of a Kwang-incriminating ledger.
Things get ugly when the wealthy miscreant realizes little Raymond was the “snitch” who stole that evidence. Mother and son must scram, landing on John’s hotel doorstep. This is awkward, since it is news to almost everyone concerned that the lad’s supposedly dead papa is really this near-indestructible, unflappably sass-mouthed Yank, with whom mom once had an ill-fated fling … before marrying his criminal quarry.
The family reunion business is cornball, not much helped by courtship flashbacks (despite comedy relief from young-ified Evans’ pageboy wig) or the stock precocity of their offspring. But then “Weekend in Taipei” seldom asks to be taken very seriously, which is its saving grace. The clichés and improbabilities are tolerable because they operate on a B-movie meta level that’s not quite spoof, yet maintains a light touch.
Gratuitous homage to “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” a movie-auditorium fight backgrounded by “House of Flying Daggers,” and orchestral arrangements of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” (gimmicked up with traditional regional instruments) are among many elements in which the film seems to be winking at itself and the viewer. Not to mention the conceit of fishing-village-orphan-turned-trophy-wife Joey as a world-class car mechanic, engineer and stunt driver fully capable of tearing up the road with either a cherry-red custom Ferrari or self-built Mad Max dune buggy.
Between enjoyable chase sequences, the movie keeps up a lively pace that only slackens for too much explication and belated family bonding around the three-quarter mark. Then it revs up again, even if the mano-a-mano showdown between hero and villain isn’t quite climactic enough. Kang does his best, but ultimately Kwang gets the short end of the stick here, his character needing to be a bit more frightening and/or flamboyant.
Still, the cast is game, the action is plentiful, the locations well-utilized. There is expert high gloss to Hwarng Wern-ying’s production design and Colin Wandersman’s widescreen cinematography. While no single contribution elevates “Weekend” above a disposable-entertainment level, all lend a confident surface shine that makes routine material seem better than it is — at least for the length of time you’re watching it.
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