听 Anyone who has an interest in how action movies are made in Hong Kong will want to see "The Stunt Woman". It's a film that blends real elements of the industry with a fictional plot. Sadly, the fitful delivery of the story compromises the visual highlights of this unusual motion picture.
Michelle Yeoh is Yeung, a martial artist who comes to Hong Kong to seek her fame and fortune in the movie business. She gets work on a film that's being directed by Sammo Hung, and she's soon impressing him with her resilience as she's blown up, catapulted through walls, and suspended from cranes.
The opening 20 minutes contain many elements that are true to film-making in Hong Kong. There's the daily lack of a script that leads to the art department having to construct sets at a moment's notice. This combines with the pressure of the leading ladies demanding crazy acrobatics from their stunt doubles so that they're made to look good. The wire work, the explosives, and the incredibly fast pace at which everything moves all mirror actual Hong Kong production processes.
Into this springs a plot of many strands that includes a local gang taking on the film crew, Yeung falling in love, leaving the business, and some savage violence. While director Ann Hui has a clear talent for the visual, and the camera-work is at times inspired, the only consistent element in the film is Michelle Yeoh, and she provides an effective link through a movie that's as fascinating as it is disappointing.
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