The Iceman Cometh DVD Review:

First of all this has got nothing to do with the play of the same name. Just to clear things up, this is in fact a martial arts flick billed as an all-action, time-travel sci-fi epic.

The epic starts off during the Ming Dynasty where Yuen Wah plays thoroughly bad egg Fung San; an imperial guard whose favourite pastimes are raping and murdering women – including a princess. Luckily loyal and brave guard Ching vows to exact revenge on the Emperor’s behalf.

But Fung San has bigger ideas than merely carrying on with his usual unsavoury habits. After getting his paws on the black jade Buddha and the wheel of life and death, he plans on travelling through time causing havoc.

Ching tries his best to lock up Fung San before any harm’s done, but the pair’s fight ends with them falling into a crevice and freezing. Donkey’s years later, they’re defrosted and have to adjust to modern life in Hong Kong. Ending up as a prostitute’s skivvy (played by Maggie Cheung) Ching eventually resumes his quest to arrest Fung San, who surprise, surprise is busy robbing everyone.

It’s all completely ridiculous, but enjoyably so. There’s plenty of daft humour worked into the fair amount of impressive ass kicking (and more that’s probably inadvertently giggle worthy). The time travel part allows for plenty of fish out of water jokes. Amusingly hateful hooker Maggie Cheung isn’t the best guide to modern life for Ching and fails to correct him that toilets aren’t “electric wells”.

It’s all a tad too long, with one too many near confrontations between the warring pair before the final face off. But for the most part it’s enjoyably daft. Stick it on when you come in from the pub.

EXTRAS
As well as a trailer and gallery, there are interviews with Yuen’s Wah and Biao. Both reveal the stress of working in teeth chattering weather. Talking of being an action actor, a jolly Biao reveals his interesting theory that anyone can act given enough takes. Meanwhile, Wah explains how he joined director Clarence Ford in overseeing the action sequences. He also briefly comments on how embarrassing it was to strip off in front of Maggie Cheung.



Natalie Hunt