Sting of the Scorpion

This movie is available for purchase at
HK Flix

Rating: 6 out of 10
(better than average)

Year of release: 1992

Company: Pan Asia Films

Genre: cop action/drama

Running time: 67 min.

Director: Lee Gwok Laap

Action director: Chan Fei Lit

Writer: Lee Gwok Laap

Producer: Chua Lam

Cinematography: Che Fung-Yee

Editing: Peter Cheung, Ng Wang-Hung

Music: Healthy Poon

Stars: Maggie Siu, Cynthia Khan, Anthony Wong, Lester Chan, Eddy Ko Hung

Rated IIB for violence

Sting of the Scorpion has the makings of a good cop movie, but it ultimately falls prey to its' own low-budget trappings. The story has Maggie Siu, Anthony Wong and Lester Chan as a group of friends (and cops) who are investigating a suspicious fellow officer who might be involved in a myriad of dirty dealings, including drugs and prositiution.

The friendships are put to the test as the investigation begins to uncover some secrets not related to the case, most of them revolving around a former hooker (Cynthia Khan, in a rare "glammed-up" role) with ties to the police department.

The movie moves along well, propelled by some smart performances and a good deal of action. Sting of the Scorpion's nothing near the top of the heap, but it is a lot better than many of the cheap action movies that were being pumped out around this time. However, the picture literally falls a bit short.

If you're wondering why this review isn't that long, it's really because I didn't have much to work with. Running at a scant 67 minutes, the characters in Sting of the Scorpion never feel fully fleshed out, and as such, the viewer never fully develops a bond with them.

Also, the resolution comes too quickly. Hong Kong films are known for their quick wrap-ups, but Sting of the Scorpion's comes so quick, you just have to wonder if the film-makers just really couldn't think of anything else, or couldn't even afford to tack on another action scene or two.

Still, what's here is fairly entertaining stuff, and worth a look if you're into the cop action/drama genre. There are certainly a lot worse movies (like pretty much anything done by Godfrey Ho) that you could spend your time with.

Sting of the Scorpion isn't anything great, but even your average throwaway generic Hong Kong action movie is better than many Hollywood attempts at the genre. If you're not in a fussy mood and just want to check out some decent brainless action, this'll probably do the trick.