My Schoolmate the Barbarian

That's what My Schoolmate, The Barbarian proudly and boldly proclaims on the cover... unfortunately though, that sub-title is a little misleading. Fact of the matter is that most of the movie actually feels more like a teenage drama/comedy, with far too little action taking place between the budding young romance and friendships. The film follows Stephen Fung(Gen-Y Cops, Avenging Fist) who plays Edward, a smart and well-mannered teen who is framed and expelled from his private school, forcing him to finish his exams in a rough public learning institution. Edward quickly finds that things are quite different there as all disagreements, major or minor, are settled by one on one brawls taking place on the top floor of the school(on an arena comprised of 52 desks pushed together!). Enter local fight legend Rock(played by Nicholas Tse of Gen-X Cops and Dragon Tiger Gate "fame") who befriends Edward and is willing to teach him self-defense so he can make it through the semester(in return Edward tutors him so he can graduate). The film's not really badly done for what it is, but what it is is not what I was expecting... mindless violence, zero romance, and less "cute" humor(I was hoping for more of a tournament style rumble amongst a bunch of eclectic combatants with unique styles...), but I guess you can't win them all(for what it's worth, my girlfriend enjoyed it... which breaks my streak of 173 films in a row that she hated)? An ultra hip and young cast(of which a jaded chop-socky fan such as myself normally detests) works well here, since they actually look the part of their teenage roles, although the fact that they spend the afternoons brawling amongst each other makes their attractive looks more than mildly suspect. The action choreography by Ching Siu Tung(Duel To The Death, Dragon Inn, Hero) isn't up to his usual standards(likely due to the cast) but still has it's hard-hitting, "oh s#it" moments. Surprisingly though, with some(begrudgingly) charming acting and humor, decent action, and a plot that's so ridiculously over the top that it had to come from the far east, My Schoolmate, The Barbarian is worth a watch(but probably only one).

Oh my god, this movie is so cute. So, so very cute. I squealed. Apparently it was adapted from a manga-- you can tell; a lot of the things that happen and the way scenes are shot are not really cinematic, which is good; it's unexpected and makes the movie interesting. Stephen Fung and Nicholas Tse are adorable XD </fangirl>. I highly recommend this movie-- I even made my mom watch it. (She liked it.) I would have given this movie five stars, except I never give anything five stars.On a different note, the Korean movie _Volcano High_ was based on the same manga series, although it is a wholly different type of movie. It recently aired on MTV. If you get a chance, check it out, too.

Holy crap I loved this movie. I just recently got into Hong Kong Cinema and in the 15 or so dvds I have bought this past summer this is one of my favorites. Nicholas Tse is one of my favorite actors and does an awesome job in this one as the charecter Rock. The main character is Steven Fung and he does a good job too. he movie isn't really a crazy action movie like the trailer makes it look, but the action in it is a lot of fun. The comedy is really funny but kind of silly, but I love it. The love story is kind of cute too. An awesome movie with an awesome cast. A+

I happen to be a major fan of the two lead actors in this movie, so maybe I am partial, but I still think this is a cute movie. While it does not contain a lot of action and it does cross over to silly at times, the tone of the movie is so light, you expect the transition without it being totally unbelievable. Overall, I did enjoy the movie and of course, the actors who star in it.