The Last Blood (1990)

Rating: B

Dir: Wong Jing
Star: Andy Lau, Alan Tam, Eric Tsang, Leung Ka-Yan

It may be coincidence, but Wong Jing has directed many of my favourite HK films: God of Gamblers, City Hunter, and also this one, which could be said to redefine “heroic bloodshed”. The Japanese Red Army try to assassinate a Tibetan Lama; they only wound him, but he desperately needs a transfusion, so naturally, they concentrate on killing all the blood donors of the appropriate type. Against them, we have two cops and a Triad boss whose girlfriend also needs the blood. Its hospital setting foreshadows Hard Boiled [it was released in the UK as Hard Boiled 2; someone has no shame!], but hurls kung-fu, gun-play, car chases and double agents into the mix to provide a fine, vacuous 90 minutes of fun, with Lau and Tam operating appropriately tongue in cheek.