Bullet Points: China White
China White popped on my radar in a rather unique fashion. I noticed a poster for China White in the background of a scene in 1993’s Showdown while prepping for the Showdown episode of The Bulletproof Podcast. Nobody on the podcast, myself included, had any prior knowledge of China White. That could be a red flag for some, but for me it sparked my curiosity.
A quick visit to IMDb convinced me that I needed to track down a copy of China White. The cast is what sold me on the movie… Russell Wong (Vanishing Son), Steven Vincent Leigh (To Be the Best), Billy Drago (Death Ring) and last but not least the legendary Ku Feng (Dynamo). The fact that Ronny Yu was the director didn’t hurt, since I enjoyed Ronny’s Freddy vs. Jason and Legacy of Rage.
So my next stop was YouTube where I found a less than stellar copy of China White, but a copy none the less and it was free, so who am I to complain…
- Turf War: The plot of China White centers around the war to control the heroin trade in Amsterdam. For years Uncle Chi (Ku Feng) has controlled the heroin trade in Amsterdam’s Chinatown. Uncle Chi’s nephews, Bobby Chow (Russel Wong) and Danny Chow (Steven Vincent Leigh) aren’t necessarily pleased with the old arrangement, especially with the disrespect they are receiving from the Turks in the area (who are backed by the Italian mafia and use the Vietnamese gangs as additional muscle). This fuels Bobby and Danny’s dream to control the entire heroin trade in Amsterdam, which does not sit well with mafia boss Scalia (Billy Drago).
- Eee-Lim-Ma-Nate the Negative: When it is obvious that Bobby and Danny are going to be a problem for Scalia’s financial interests Scalia puts the pressure on his partner Amead to wipe out Uncle Chi and his nephews. Amead then goes to Phong, head of the Vietnamese gang, so Phong and his boys can eliminate the competition. They succeed on assassinating Uncle Chi, but come up short where Bobby and Danny are concerned and if the Chow boys were determined to take over the drug trade before the murder of their uncle and the attempt on their own lives, all of that cements their goals. Now Bobby and Danny don’t have access to the manpower that Scalia does, but they have some tricks up their sleeves and one of Scalia’s operations is raided by the police and is shut down in explosive fashion permanently!
- Mama, I’m in Love with a Gangsta: I need to mention the China White love story between Bobby and Anne the blackjack dealer. Bobby steps in when Anne is getting harassed by Phong which more than gets Anne’s attention… here’s the twist Anne has no idea that Bobby has dreams of being a drug kingpin and Bobby has no idea that Anne is working for Interpol. Anne is in Amsterdam working with her partner Rasta to investigate Scalia. If you are thinking that the secret lives of Bobby and Anne are sure to complicate things when one or the other finds out the truth… you’d be right. Danny is also not a fan of Bobby getting in so deep with this white woman or “blonde woman” as the subtitles said, despite Anne being a brunette but that’s the least of Bobby’s problems in the movie.
- The Dominatrix DOES NOT Sleep Tonight: I also need to mention Scalia’s henchwoman/driver… when Scalia wants answers as to who tipped off the police about his operation, he turns to his henchwoman who has switched from her chauffer’s uniform into a dominatrix like outfit that is sure to appeal to some of the movie going audience more than others. It certainly wasn’t appealing to the sad sack that was being interrogated, I can tell you that.
- Destination Rotterdam: The final showdown between the forces of Bobby Chow and Scalia takes place at an abandoned oil rig in Rotterdam giving the audience plenty of the heroic bloodshed they were likely expecting and that I felt there wasn’t enough of through out the movie. But if you are going to ramp it up, doing it at the end of the movie is a smart move and China White does end on a satisfying high note although it was not a completely happy ending.
China White was similar in tone to the Ronny Yu directed Legacy of Rage, but I feel like Legacy of Rage did a much better job balancing the action and the story which helped that movie flow much better. The highlight for me was Russell Wong, he had the leading man looks and charism that made you want to watch him move up the ranks and feel for him on the way back down… the rise and fall of Bobby Chow in 99 minutes.
Take a few more minutes out of your day to check out these Bonus Bullet Points…
- Favorite Quote: “I checked everything, ok? Bobby Chow. Bob Chow. Robert Chow. Rob Chow. Cat Chow. Dog Chow. Chow Chow. Every chow.” – Rasta
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Russell Wong have a conversation while standing at a urinal, then China White is the movie for you. And if you ever actually spot Russell Wong standing at a urinal, it is my advice to NOT engage the man in conversation. Or really any man. Ever.
- Montage Alert: There’s a romantic montage featuring Bobby and Anne when Bobby whisks her away to a trip to Paris. But that’s not the only montage…
- Familiar Face: After Uncle Chi is killed the movie goes into flashback mode and we see a montage of Bobby and Danny as youngsters spending a day with the godfather played by Andy Lau (he was not referred to as Roast Chicken on the version I watched). Andy Lau is one of Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly Kings” and for years there was a rumor that Lau was forced at gunpoint to appear in a movie being financed by the triads… according to Lau, China White was that movie! Knowing this information now and in the off chance that there are any triad members reading this review, let me take this moment to say what a fantastic film China White is, quite possibly the best Hong Kong export I have ever seen.
