I use the date “1992” very loosely, of course, as this film feels more 80s than an actual film from the 1980s. Big hair and shoulder-pads and corporate sleazebags and everything. It’s glorious!
I’m pretty indifferent towards martial arts movies, but I’ll take a good one any day. Like anime, there’s a whole lot of it, with me preferring to skim the cream off the top. This is either showing a discerning attitude, or a lack of adventurousness. I guess I’ll leave it up to you to praise or criticise me at will.
Just so long as you praise me.
While certainly a beautiful ballet and just a great way to stay in shape, my assumption is that, if someone really wants to hurt you, all the fancy flailing about in the world won’t save you. Just as conservative Americans erroneously believe that arming themselves to the teeth will keep their families safe. It won’t, but it’ll make them feel safe, which is a very different thing entirely.
Moving swiftly along…
My experience of Cynthia Rothrock movies has been, up until this point, zero. More fool me! I have become instantly charmed by the world she creates. Everyone knows martial arts and such fights break out in the street almost at random. It’s also a very sweet world, with the good supporting each other emotionally and physically, while the bad get their inevitable comeuppance. There’s no moral ambiguity here, and sometimes you just need that for your soul.
Well, at least I do.
Rothrock also seems to be a generous producer, wanting to give as much screen-time to her sparring buddies as herself. Not in a “cronyism” sort of way, but just in a nice way. This isn’t your average movie star behaviour! It’s a very cute trait that makes Rothrock even more endearing. Honour and Glory actually stops in its tracks for 10 minutes to explore the life of one of the dozen side characters on display. The film doesn’t need it, nor does your time, but it adds depth and warmth that other action movies surely lack.
I actually want to see more stories following this community of amiable saps, even if it’s just them sitting around a luxurious kitchen island eating brunch.
There’s a very soap opera-ish scene, set in a real restaurant, in which two characters exchange melodramatic exposition. At one point, I found myself beginning to watch the cars in the background out the restaurant’s window. It was nice. Usually, this diversion of the viewers attention would be considered a bad thing, but I was so relaxed and at one with Rothrock’s world that I just wanted to take it all in.
Ahhh.
Needless to say, the camp factor is pretty high from scene to scene. You will giggle with delight quite a lot. All the time, in fact. Rothrock’s sexless Asian-American male friend is a case in point. His awkward wobbling around and getting himself into trouble is another side quest the film doesn’t need, but we’re better off for it.
John Miller’s irredeemable and greasy “80s Guy”, with his character’s actual name being of little consequence, makes a ridiculously enjoyable moustache-twirling villain. I’m so glad major corporations don’t steamroll over citizens anymore and we don’t have to form legal unions in order to fight back at them.
Oh wait…
There are more subplots than you can shake a stick at, each being as inconsequential as the last. It doesn’t matter though, as this is a live-action cartoon, with something new and mildly-diverting happening every other minute. Just sit back and enjoy how adorable it all is.
How a violent action film can be so cute is a curiosity in itself, and must be seen to be believed. Honour and Glory will certainly remind you of early-John Woo movies, which is no bad thing at all.
And, no, I refuse to use the American spelling of “Honor”, so you’ll need to come to peace with that.
Do stay in touch, sparring buddies.
Toodles!
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