Deltamac DVD Synopsis: Three young Chinese – Ben, Ming and Chuck – come to Japan for study and adventure. Ming wants to make it fast. So he marries Yuriko, sister of underworld godfather Ishikawa. It is in Yuriko's bar where Ben falls in love with Tieh-lan, a Chinese girl who follows her Japanese lover Asano to Tokyo. Teih-lan and Asano met in Hong Kong when Asano was riding out a police arrest order for killing Ishikawa's enemy. He was Ishikawa's number one killer. Before Asano's death, Asano tells Tieh-lan to expose Ishikawa...

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Views: In a nutshell, Ann Hui's Zodiac Killers is a dark tale about 3 friends from Hong Kong who go to film school in Tokyo. After some unfortunate events, they soon find themselves embroiled in the Japanese underworld when Ben falls for Meng, a Chinese girl who hates her local sponsor and who also happens to be in a relationship with a local gangster. After crossing his boss, Asano gives Meng a tape that contains enough information that could start a war between Tokyo's Yakuza families. Ben offers to help her deliver it to the police, but quickly finds himself in deep trouble with the local gangsters!

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I'd waited a lot of years to get my hands on Zodiac Killers and was super excited to watch it upon first viewing. Admittedly, it wasn't the film I was expecting but I wasn't disappointed either. Produced by the wonderful Eric Tsang and directed by critics favourite, Ann Hui, Zodiac Killers starts as a more light-hearted piece that would fool you into thinking that things were going to go in a different direction altogether. But as the film rolls along, it's tone and plot suddenly darkens – as if Wong Jing handed the reigns over to Ringo Lam to some degree. While I haven't seen a lot of Ann Hui's work, I always quite enjoy what she delivers such as Stuntwoman Ah Kam (1996), The Postmodern Life Of My Aunt (2006), A Simple Life (2011) (again with Andy Lau), and even her involvement on Swordsman (1990) with Sam Hui in respect to King Hu who had taken her on as an assistant many years before. Like many young western viewers, my first encounter with Ann would have been that of her cameo in Winners & Sinners (1983) where she plays the cashier of a fast-food restaurant, before catching her again in Jackie Chan's Twin Dragons (1992) many years later. Ann was born to a Japanese mother and Chinese father, so it was interesting to see her set Zodiac Killers in Tokyo. Having been there recently myself (and specifically in the Shinjuku District), it was nice to see the city captured through a different lens, and in such a different time, as I really loved the place and look forward to getting back. I had been in Hong Kong just prior to my visit and could see many similarities in both places – so I'm sure Ann Hui and her team felt relatively comfortable considering...

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The delightful and never-ageing Andy Lau Tak Wah stars as Ben, the Hong Kong student that catches the eye of Meng, who is played by the wonderful Cherie Chung. Lau had been in the business for almost a decade by this stage and had actually been given his breakthrough role in 1982 on Ann Hui's The Boat People (1982), alongside George Lam. Perhaps this is why we see Andy on a boat during the opening and closing scenes of Zodiac Killers, as a nod to that project. But at this stage of the game, Lau had more feature film credits behind him than most Hollywood stars would have in a lifetime, and Zodiac Killers would only be 1 of 13 he would star in that year alongside titles such as Tricky Brains (1991), The Last Blood (1991), The Tigers (1991), Lee Rock 1 & 2 (1991), and Saviour Of The Soul (1991). Cherie Chung – who also kicked off her career in the Ann Hui directed Chow Yun Fat vehicle, The Story Of Woo Viet (1981) – does another fine job as the love-torn Meng, caught up in a life of gangsters and abuse who unfortunately dies after getting hit by a train towards the end of the film. Interestingly enough, as if it was signaling an end to her own career, Cherie soon retired from the film industry to get married – albeit for an appearance in An Autumn Diary (2002) that used footage of her from An Autumns Tale (1987). With over 50 credits to her name, it was a loss to fans of Hong Kong cinema regarding this decision, leaving John Woo's Once A Thief (1991) and Zodiac Killers as her final film projects as an actress. Taiwanese actor Tuo Tsung Hua, who is more famously known as Charlie in Island of Fire (1990) (the guy with the mouse) to western fans, plays Lau's friend Chang while Sun Peng plays Ming. There's a strong cast of Japanese actors involved, including Ishida Kyoko who plays Asano, but anyone hoping to catch martial arts powerhouse Yasuaki Kurata in action will be highly disappointed, as he only cameos as a subdued Yakuza boss – lending his face and name to help draw the fans in as opposed to his moves this time.

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While heavy on the melodrama for the most part, Zodiac Killers still contains some exciting action scenes. From Asano's escape and fight against his gangster brothers, to the big chase finale in the scrapyard that sees the action interrupt the shooting of a porno – there's enough to keep fans of Hong Kong action cinema happy, in-between the drama. This is all down to Dang Tak Wing, a little known actor and action-choreographer who starred in films such as The Brave Archer And His Mate (1982), Zen Master 6 (1987), and College Kickboxers (1991), while directing his only film in 2008 – Only The Way with Moon Lee and Susan Yam Yam Shaw. Throughout his career, Dang would also work as the executive director on Iron Angels 3 (1989) and assistant director on Zen Of Sword (1992), as well as working as a choreographer (or as part of the team) on titles such as Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992), Drunken Master 2 (1994), Iron Angels 2 & 3 (1989), Handsome Siblings (1992), Golden Swallow (1987), and Taking Manhattan (1992) for Kirk Wong.

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Although I wouldn't say it's the best film from Ann Hui's filmography, Zodiac Killers offers enough to keep you watching. From decent performances to impactful action scenes and stunts, as well as a well-captured scenic tour around Tokyo, it definitely has enough of a charm to save it from being a waste of time. And as the final starring role for the beautiful Cherie Chung, it's most certainly worth it for that...

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Overall: While a little uneven a times, Zodiac Killers still proves to be entertaining enough to warrant a watch – even with it's bleak ending.

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DVD Extras: Trailer