For many of us, the first thought the title 100 YARDS evokes is of a football field. But this is a period Chinese martial arts drama that’s long on action and short on plot coherence. An old wushu master dies and designates his top student (Andy On) as his successor, rather than his son (Jacky Hueng). Both are top-notch fighters, but the old boy thinks the future of their discipline is bleak in the early 20th century, and that his scion should embrace the region’s burgeoning international economy by becoming a banker. Jacky don’t like that none.
The tedious story involves periodic flareups between the two guys, plus threads involving a gang of slingshot-wielding dock workers, a council of martial arts elders, a handful of foreigners and probably others I’m forgetting. It covers China at a time of its opening up to economic and social influences from abroad, sexism, racism and fading traditions.
But it doesn’t cover any of them well. That’s primarily because there’s no emotional hook to be found. This is a genre that reliably plies the waters of good underdogs overcoming evil despite long odds. But this script never makes that distinction even remotely clear. Viewers won’t know who to root for, and may windup switching allegiances a few times as the story unfolds. The solution might be to just enjoy the first-rate sets and costumes, while waiting for the next fight.
The action is the only big asset here. Many sequences are superbly choreographed – several on a large scale. The gritty clashes are fast-paced without wire work, exotic weapons or prominent CGI enhancers. Those scenes are satisfyingly energetic, piling up a hefty body count without showing much blood and gore. The clashes are reminiscent of Hong Kong chopsocky flicks of the 1970s, when budget limitations generally kept the physical bits more within human capabilities for most of the productions.
One could derive the perks of this one by fast-forwarding through the talky parts, allowing the fine action portion to shine. Since the dialog won’t steer your loyalties, anyway, why not just cherry-pick the goodies?
100 YARDS, in Mandarin with English subtitles, is available on digital formats from WellGo USA starting Tuesday, Feb. 18.
RATING: 1 out of 4 stars
