FOXBAT is one of those Hong Kong thrillers with a western-imported actor and director thrown in in a bid to sell the film to international audiences. This time around the hero of the piece is Henry Silva, who always looks like he should be playing the bad guy instead, playing a secret agent on the hunt for a stolen microfilm that has accidentally been swallowed by an innocent man. The story sounds ridiculous but it is played straight for the most part although there are a few outre moments.
British director Terence Young is credited as co-director and delivers an interesting film but one which has some pacing issues. I found the wealth of action to be fun, thrilling, and exciting, but the bits in between the action scenes are dull and talky. Silva seems to be depicted as a kind of Bond-style Lothario which doesn't come across as very convincing. The story was written by Philip Chan who also plays one of the bad guys; western audiences know him well for his roles in the likes of HARD-BOILED and DOUBLE IMPACT and he brings extra grittiness to this production.
There are some fine and destructive car chases in this film along with the usual shoot-outs and martial arts scenes. The bit in which Silva is forced to tackle a burly Sumo wrestler in his hotel room is a highlight and straight out of Bond, although even more violent. Popular Hong Kong actor Roy Chiao (DRAGONS FOREVER) is one of the main bad guys while Vonetta McGee is the love interest on hand, perhaps to bring in some blaxploitation value. Bizarrely, old American actor Rik Van Nutter, known for his Italian cinema career in the 1960s, is here too in his penultimate screen appearance. FOXBAT only seems available to view on old public domain copies these days which is a shame as a pristine widescreen DVD release would work wonders for it.
British director Terence Young is credited as co-director and delivers an interesting film but one which has some pacing issues. I found the wealth of action to be fun, thrilling, and exciting, but the bits in between the action scenes are dull and talky. Silva seems to be depicted as a kind of Bond-style Lothario which doesn't come across as very convincing. The story was written by Philip Chan who also plays one of the bad guys; western audiences know him well for his roles in the likes of HARD-BOILED and DOUBLE IMPACT and he brings extra grittiness to this production.
There are some fine and destructive car chases in this film along with the usual shoot-outs and martial arts scenes. The bit in which Silva is forced to tackle a burly Sumo wrestler in his hotel room is a highlight and straight out of Bond, although even more violent. Popular Hong Kong actor Roy Chiao (DRAGONS FOREVER) is one of the main bad guys while Vonetta McGee is the love interest on hand, perhaps to bring in some blaxploitation value. Bizarrely, old American actor Rik Van Nutter, known for his Italian cinema career in the 1960s, is here too in his penultimate screen appearance. FOXBAT only seems available to view on old public domain copies these days which is a shame as a pristine widescreen DVD release would work wonders for it.