Streaming Sleepers: In GORGEOUS, Hong Kong Action Romance With Poignant And Punch
In Vincent Kok’s 1999 flick, Gorgeous, Jackie Chan takes the lead as Chi-Ng, a rich recycling tycoon whose playboy outlook on romance changes in a chance meeting with Bu (Qi), a Taiwanese starry-eyed village girl who mistakenly traces a message in a bottle to Albert (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), a gay beautician in Hong Kong. Sparks, as well as flurries of fists and feet fly as mistaken identity takes the hijinks into perilous terrain, and Chi-Ng’s corporate rival, Lo (Emil Chau), decides to settle their score with the help of Alan (the late Brad Allan), an undefeated lightweight fighter from overseas.
The cast is brimming with a notable of supporting roles to fill in the gaps, including Richie Jen who plays Buu’s fiance, as well as Sam Lee and Daniel Wu, and fellow character actors like Ken Lo, William Duen, and Yung Kwan to name a few. Qi brings veracity and charm to the role of Buu who even gets to share some screentime with a dolphin a few times in the film.
Gorgeous also stands as one of the finer moments of Chan’s transitionary career as he’s between Hong Kong and Hollywood at this point following the success of Rumble In The Bronx and Supercop. As such, the cream of the crop here is really the action, with Chan’s centerpiece direction punctuating the film’s biggest selling point next to his team and on-screen talent, including Allan in his early ventures with Chan.
Indeed, Gorgeous runs high on volume as a blithe love story that treads onto terrain inherently preferrable for a different audience. The age difference between both stars is also worth taking into consideration depending on your take on this factor when it comes to storytelling; I remember when I first saw this on VHS I wasn’t really sold on their pairing as an on screen couple. I still feel that way to this day, although personally this and other aspects of the film don’t take much away from it’s enjoyment. Chan and Qi bring stirling performances to the screen, supported by a who’s-who roster of prolific and burgeoning stars, and core stuntwork that sets up one of Chan’s best 1-v-1s in cinema history.
To add, we’re living in a time when the Hong Kong edit is now available wherever the film is being sold on Blu-Ray (via 88 Films), now years after Sony/Tri-Star’s U.S. rollout which only included an English-dub, and characteristically, in conjuction with a few cuts and script changes, did the film a little less justice. The film’s most complete version is now available on disc or wherever the film is streamed, so if you’re in the mood for some love and electric fight action, Gorgeous is a catch. As of this post, you can catch it now on Tubi.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!
