R | 1h 40m | Action, Thriller | 2024
Taiwan has long existed in the looming shadow of China, firmly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Given the Cold War-esque tension between the two, you’d expect this geopolitical friction to be a goldmine for narrative cinema, with plenty of potential for interesting (and entertaining) storylines rooted in the ongoing conflict.
A Generic Plotline
Kwang (Sung Kang) is at the center of a scandal as his Taipei-based company, Kwang Industries, comes under investigation. On the surface, he presents himself as a charming and mild-mannered businessman, but once he slips past the reporters and into his limo, his façade crumbles, revealing a ruthless criminal. Kwang uses a fish business as a front for his drug operations, but his dealings are so suspicious that they’ve attracted police scrutiny.
Enter Kwang’s wife, Joey (Lun-Mei Gwei), who struts down the avenue in high-end Chanel attire and quickly becomes enamored with a Ferrari Spider at a luxury car dealership in downtown Taipei. After an adrenaline-fueled test drive that pushes the limits of speed, she purchases the car, leaving the accompanying salesman visibly shaken by her audacious driving.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, DEA Agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) is posing undercover as a seafood restaurant cook. His partner drops his badge on the floor, which comes to the attention of some thugs present in the kitchen. After a long battle with said thugs, Lawlor discovers loads of drugs, but also falls afoul of his superior, Charlotte Fields (Pernell Walker) because of his reckless tactics.
Lawlor believes that Kwang, the man he’s been pursuing, has ties to the drug operation, so he decides to take his mandated vacation to Taipei, Taiwan in hopes of gathering evidence. Upon arriving, he unexpectedly reunites with Joey, his former girlfriend from 15 years prior when she was just a driver for Kwang. Oh, and Joey’s son may or may not actually be Lawlor’s son (insert eye roll).
Tonal Chaos
As the credits rolled, I found myself bewildered. The film kicked off with a distinct sense of tongue-in-cheek humor, highlighted by the over-the-top Ferrari test-drive scene where Joey leaves the salesman looking like he might lose his lunch. Similarly, Lawlor’s introduction was equally absurd, featuring him taking down what seemed like an army of thugs with nothing but kitchen utensils, which coaxed a few chuckles out of me.The acting was serviceable overall, but some of the characters is cartoonish. When we’re first introduced to Sung Kang’s character Kwang, he has a silly streak of gray hair in his carefully coifed mane, and some of his bodyguards wear menacing tattoos and scowl at everyone around them. This exaggerated character design is more in line with a goofy superhero treatment.
The fight scenes are completely over the top. Lawlor pulls off unbelievable maneuvers, such as killing multiple thugs who all have their guns pointing at his head one minute, and a few seconds later are laying on the ground dead. I may have missed the memo, but is Lawlor meant to be a new iteration of the Punisher from the Marvel Universe?
A Missed Opportunity
Director George Huang’s parents immigrated from Taiwan, and with production and distribution companies rooted in Taiwan, it seems the film wasn’t backed by any CCP-affiliated entities. Given this background, I hoped the film would venture into bolder territory, perhaps introducing villainous plots involving CCP agents as antagonists. Unfortunately, it seems we’ll have to wait for another project to tackle that critical theme.As it stands, “Weekend in Taipei” is an okay actioner featuring some passable performances, yet it struggles with inconsistent tonal shifts and a rather unremarkable plot. While enthusiasts of over-the-top, John Wick-inspired fight sequences might enjoy the chaos, the film’s shortcomings overshadow its strengths.
