Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words"
AKA: Dr. Wai and the Scripture Without Words, Adventure King, The Scripture with No Words
1996
Director: Ching Siu-Tung
Stars: Billy Chow, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Johnny Kong, Rosamund Kwan, Law Kar-Ying, Jet Li, Ngai Sing, Charlie Yeung
What a mess of a movie this is (besides having a mouthful of a title). Jet Li is a serial writer who becomes stumped after his girlfriend (Rosamund Kwan) leaves him, so his assistants (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Charlie Yeung) take over for him, weaving some of Jet's life into the Indiana Jones-like story. The result is a big mish-mash. It's almost as if the scriptwriters were like Takeshi and Charlie, making up the story as they went along. Nothing really makes any sense -- it makes a Wong Jing movie look linear by comparison.
Dr. Wai is saved from being a total stinker by the strength of the action sequences done under the direction of Ching Siu-Tung. They may be too wild for some viewers, but they are, in my opinion, inventive and fun to watch -- if a bit overclocked and disjointed in places. Disappointingly, though, Jet seems to have been heavily doubled, which takes out some of the impact of the action bits. On the other hand, it was nice to see Jet playing an almost total opposite of his usual role; he's cocky and a bit of a lech.
Overall, Dr. Wai is worth checking out if you're a major Jet Li fan, but more casual viewers may be put off by the over-the-top nature of the movie.
RATING: 6
This DVD is available for purchase at www.hkflix.com
