"Wheels on Meals" (1984) | Sam Gall Movie Review Issue #49 Gem Mint 10.0
“Wheels on Meals“ aka "Kuai can che", "Powerman", "Weapon X", "Spartan X" (1984)
Director: Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Writer: Edward Tang, Gwing-Gai Lee
Starring: Jackie Chan, Biao Yuen, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Benny Urquidez, Keith Vitali, Lola Forner
Rated: TV-14 for brief nudity, fight scenes and mild language
Runtime: 1h 40min
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Martial Arts
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese | English (I prefer original language, in this case Cantonese with english subtitles, over an english dubbed version)
“Two Chinese friends, who operate a food truck in Barcelona, Spain, use their martial arts expertise to help their private investigator friend protect the pickpocket Sylvia, who's been targeted by a ruthless gang.”
You might like this if you like: Jackie Chan(s movies), Biao Yuen, Benny Urquidez, Keith Vitali, Sammo Hung, martial arts movies, martial arts, action, comedy, action comedies, Kung Fu, Hong Kong action films
Jackie Chan (left), Sammo Hung (middle) & Biao Yeun (right) in "Wheels on Meals" (1984)
One of my top Jackie Chan/Sammo Hung films. Maybe some of the best fights on film I've ever seen and is also just riotously funny! The title alone.. And if you don't know by now, Jackie Chan is one of my favorite human beings. He's a hero and an inspiration. I love his bloody contribution to cinema. He's done so much for film and so much that never made the final cut! Broken so many bones! Made so many people laugh and done so much for Asian culture and cinema. He's a legend. "Police Story" (1985), "Armour of God" (1986), "Project A" (1983), "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" (1978) just to name a few of the classics!
I’ve watched hundreds of Hong Kong/Chinese/Shaw Brothers films dubbed and subbed and all of the above so I may be a little more attuned to the style, way of storytelling, humor, martial arts action and abrupt genre changes that come with those types of films and are almost inherently the DNA of those films.
Biao Yeun (left), Lola Forner (middle) & Jackie Chan (right) in "Wheels on Meals" (1984)
I first heard about the movie from director Gareth Evans ("The Raid: Redemption" 2011, "The Raid 2" 2014) having been a fan of his work but hadn't quite yet deep dived into Jackie Chan's lesser known masterpieces like "Wheels on Meals" (1984).
The opening training sequence is one of my favorite scenes. It's almost humorous how ridiculously insane it is especially when they start sparring. You almost just have to laugh later at the stunts because your brain isn't used to seeing that stuff except in cartoons! Jackie Chan, Buster Keaton and Johnny Knoxville are masters at it.
Jackie Chan (left) & Biao Yeun (right) in “Wheels on Meals” (1984)
“Wheels on Meals” (1984) stands out amongst Chan’s work in its casting/characters. It’s got a good mix of people to put in a martial arts film. Our leading boys are fun and entertaining even when they aren’t training or fighting. The antagonists, played by Benny Urquidez & Keith Vitali feel fair, challenging and a good match for Chan, Hung and Yeun.
The sc