Weekend in Taipei sees Agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) return to the city for the weekend, where he hopes to collect a ledger from his informant to bring down Kwang (Sung Kang) as it contains every detail of his operation; however, it turns out that the informant (Wyatt Yang) is the son of his former lover, Joey (Lun-Mei Gwei), which further complicates Lawlor weekend.

Recently added to Prime UK, I have always had a soft spot for action film vehicles where your leading man or woman is the main attraction alongside fun action sequences, and everything else becomes secondary. Examples include Taken (2008) or Colombiana (2011), and even all the way back to Bullitt (1968).

In the sense that yes, film becomes predictable, and the conflict between Joey and Lawlor is resolved very quickly, but Evans is effortlessly so cool–who wouldn’t want to watch that?

George Huang evoked that excitement and disregard for strong storytelling with Weekend in Taipei for me. A smart decision is that action sequences are spread out, which enables Alain Figlarz, stunt supervisor, and Amedéo Cazzella, assistant stunt coordinator, to experiment.

One that stands out the most is the introduction of Lawlor at a sting operation, where he is an undercover pastry chef (making very good Creme Brulee). His cover is blown, and in one long take, we see him breathlessly fight his way out–every punch is felt.

There are a lot of fun gags. Lawlor uses tools in the kitchen. He knocks out a guy with two frying pans. His colleague keeps getting hurt during the confrontation. He accidentally throws boiling water at one of the gang members. And at one point, surrounded, he asks if they can all stop so he can get a drink of water.

Evans brings a strong ‘good-guy’ charisma to the role, making it easy to root for him and focus only on whether he can get out of whatever sticky situation he’s in.

Opposite of Evans, Sung Kang brings a slimness to Kwang. You want him defeated, off the screen, which is unusual because, as Han in the Fast Films, he is the coolest guy ever. Here, he is fake and desperate. 

Gwei Lun-mei brings a confidence to her that you understand why Kwang is so desperate to impress her. Even now, when Lawlor has met her again this many years later, he is still a bit shy around her. She rounds out the three lead performances. Even though the characters of Kwang and Lawlor are these dangerous individuals on opposite ends of the spectrum, she doesn’t buy into that, and that confidence is really fun to see; she uses it to make both vulnerable.

Weekend in Taipei is not going to break any new ground; however, it is still successful as the action is entertaining and well spread out, with three good performances. You get what you came for. 

Review Courtesy of Matthew Allan

Feature Image Credit to Ketchup Entertainment via MovieInsider