This is a throwback to a more innocent era / type of action movies, where the bad guys are loud and moronic, guns are rarely used, and the action is mixed with lots of broad slapstick. In fact, this would be perfect kids' fare in the Bud Spencer - Terence Hill tradition, except that I'm not sure how most parents would feel about the heroine's flamboyantly gay sidekick! It's hard to say if the portrayal of this character is regressive or progressive: on one hand, he is a ridiculous (yet sometimes funny) comic caricature of a gay man; on the other hand, he is a highly competent martial artist who has no problem handling multiple opponents on his own. Cleopatra Wong's other sidekick is an overweight female psychic, who is used mostly for comic relief (she gobbles up anything in sight!), but she has her uses too: prediction powers and enough strength to lift up a car. As for Cleopatra herself, the super-cute Marrie Lee is no Bruce Lee, or even Moon Lee, but she is still the best thing in the movie, and I appreciate how her fight scenes are shot from just the right distance to let you see that she's doing practically all the fighting herself. Good work, Cleo. **1/2 out of 4.
Review of Mean Business
