WEEKEND IN TAI-PEI distributed by EUROPA-CORP (France) and CAI CHANG ASIA (Taiwan) 2024. It was released in the U.S. on Nov. 8, 2024. The worldwide gross climbed to $2.8 million. It was thrashed by American critics and I laughed so hard at the absurdity. This is my review.
This film has been done before in so many 1980's action movies.
The story surrounds John who is a DEA agent. He tracks down Kwang who is a drug trafficker in Taipei, Taiwan. Kwang is married to Joey who is an Asian female mercenary driver. She has a 13-year-old son Raymond. He steals a written ledger from Kwang. It ends up in the hands of John who just happens to be in Taipei. He finds out that Raymond is his son. Joey never told John after the baby was born.
I was “howling” with laughter at all of the 1980’s action cliches. There are too many to count. The funniest is the “slow motion” scenes when John faces danger. In the hotel scene. He doesn’t aim too well and misses the “main” thug of Kwang who is right in front of him!
Kwang is supposed to have a gray hair "streak" on the top of his head. Instead, it is painted “white” which you can see on the high definition camera! Also, in those ridiculous flashbacks. John has a black wig on, but with the same age wrinkles from the present time. He was never young when he met Joey 13 years ago!
I also caught the homage to the classic movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961) with Audrey Hepburn. This film copies the opening of that movie with Joey. She looks into a window looking over expensive cars while the song, “Moon River” plays. Hepburn looked into a window and sung that song later in “Tiffany’s.”
All of the cliches are here people!... The angry DEA boss fed up with her “star” agent John.... The God-awful Asian “Rap” music which plays while Joey drives her fast car.... The stupid Kwang who writes down all his crimes in a ledger. When all he has to do is put it on computer or his iPhone.... Hahahaha.!
Then, the final fight sequence between John and Kwang. They battle in a movie theater copying Alfred Hitchcock. A popular Asian film (House of Flying Daggers 2004) plays on the big screen as they fight.
I never laughed so hard at this unoriginal movie script. Check it out if you want.
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