This is a very enjoyable movie for the fans of kung-fu flicks. While incredibly shallow, it contains some very funny situations and incredibly good fight scenes. The best part is the lack of wuxia-style super-heroes and super-villains. The ending is a bit anti-climatic, and the fodder baddies are totally inept. The boss of our two heroes, a senior police officer, is so hilarious. I was hoping to see him again before the movie ended, to no avail. But it's all redeemed by an amazing opening scene and the fights are the delight of this movie. As far as I can tell, there is no use of wires, everything is real. Everyone tries to use guns first, and only then resort to martial arts. There is a very funny borrowing from Rambo III flick. While attempting to escape prison, one of the heroes crafts a makeshift bow and arrows with dynamite "warheads". The traps in the jungle are fun as well.
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horseboxingkiller25 January 2022Ju (Ray Lui) and Leong (Alex Man) are members of the Flying Tiger squad, a SWAT team led by a cigar-chomping Jason Pai Piao. After the excessive handling of a fatal hostage situation, the two are sent to Laos to investigate some drug smugglers, where it is assumed they would not get into as much mischief. The pair are greeted at Laos airport by Ju's cousin, Jane (Ha Chi-Chun) who is a local guide there and agrees to help them get around. It doesn't take long for our heroes to land themselves in hot water. Leong is mistaken by local authorities as a drug trafficker and sent to the impregnable and notorious Devil Prison camp located in the heart of a booby-trapped jungle. It is then up to Ju and Jane to find a way to release Leong from the camp before he cracks under the pressure of the sadistic warden (Wiliam Ho) and the ruthless inmates.
After an exciting and promising opening involving mainland terrorists taking a group hostage, the action and focus switches to the jungle prison setting which forms the bulk of the film. Actor / Director Hsu Hsia, who helmed Shaw Brothers classics like Kid from Kwangtung (1982) and Lion Vs Lion (1981) kind of goes through the motions a little here. The situations and conditions Leong encounters in the prison have been seen many times before - mess hall brawls, the hero befriending a weaker inmate who is being bullied, brutal prison wardens etc . But none of these scenes are executed with any type of originality or flair, and most have been done more effectively elsewhere.
Still, Thunder Run scores some bonus points for Ha Chi-Chun who steals each scene she is in. She is used to much better effect in Angel Enforcers (1989) for example, but her few brief fights are certainly welcome here. Alex Fong's character is a bit too whiny for my liking. It's tough to accept that his spirit can be broken so quickly (he's basically a snivelling mess) after such a short amount of time in the prison camp. Ray Lui does a pretty decent job with what he has to work with. With the talent involved, the film could have and should have been a lot better. But, the strong opening and the finale, which contains a chase through the trap-filled jungle, help to make up for a slow middle section. For Hong Kong films set in the jungle, in my opinion, you are better off with Stone Age Warriors (1991); Angel II (1988) (also with Alex Fong); Eastern Condors (1987); or even Jungle Heat / Last Breath (1985).
2.5 out of 5
Review source: Ocean Shores Video, Laserdisc (Hong Kong) (Cantonese language with English subtitles)