Streaming Sleepers: Killers And Killer Gimmicks Run Amuck In Chris Huo’s THE COMEBACK
The Comeback is currently streaming on Hi-YAH!, and is available on Digital from Well Go USA.
Mainland action titles tend to fall by the wayside for me. This is mainly because I don’t have an iQIYI account like some of my mutuals do, and so I rely on the good will and economic viability of a streamer like Hi-YAH! to obtain these kinds of titles for their output to the niche Asian film crowd which I’m a part of. Alas, we get The Comeback, which marks the most recent reteaming of director Chris Huo and his Blind War star Andy On, who takes a seat here as antagonist to lead thespian Simon Yam.
The streamer’s logline would have you thinking differently as it cites Yam’s role as Mr. Hua, a revered antique dealer in a small village who helps fight back against a violent gang trying to seize the properties. There’s more to the story though, especially for one that involves a team of mercenaries, hi-tech warfare, holographic computer overlays, and a vengeful grudge – a longstanding impasse that eventually starts to unravel by the film’s halfway point as we learn more about Hua, his past, and the stakes involved.
Along the way, we meet Hua’s granddaughter, Xiaoye (Abigail Ren), as well as her ward at a nearby orphanage Zhen (Jiang Peiyao), a nun at the orphanage who herself is way more than meets the eye, and Qiang (Lei Mu), the town constable. We also meet Cao (Yuen Hua), an old beggar who lives inside of a truck close by to Hua’s shop, as well as Boss Hong, played by late screen veteran Norman Chui.
The addition of the gang is a serviceable plot tool to the more core events of The Comeback that involve Hua, and Jie (On), the head of a clandestine unit of assassins called “Technicians.” Thankfully, it’s not long before the gang subplot takes a back seat and the film finally gets on track with its intended development. One other plus the film falls on are flashbacks that are retold in different versions leading up to the film’s climatic finale, eventually filling in some holes left throughout the film’s 108-minute duration.
The action is as slick and ambitious as you might expect if you’ve seen Huo’s previous work, although you’re forgiven if some of the more jarring visuals and equally inutile drone shots sweeping several scenes don’t exactly beat your expectations. There’s one flashback moment that uses timelapse photography, and a plethora of slow-motion edits largely used as decour for impact moments during the action. Close-ups ar taken as fists and objects leave shockwaves as they hit faces, which at best feels just as gimmicky when it all boils down to a lot of what is included in this straight-to-streaming affair.
The most anyone might take away is the value that Yam, Hua, and On bring to the table for Huo’s efforts, specifically when it comes to the senior film stalwarts who’ve been around for decades. That their posterity continues in a post-Expendables era where fan favorites can still put on a worthy show in an action-packed thriller alongside the likes of On lends some promise to fans of all three. Questions of the hit-or-miss editing and style notwithstanding, The Comeback is a snackable popcorn Asian action thriller that, at best, guarantees the old guard can still deliver the goods.
