Not to be confused with the famed Eugene O’Neill play, nor the tv movie and theatrical film that were released and based upon it (1960 and 1972 respectively), the Hong Kong actioner The Iceman Cometh (1989) – sometimes known as The Time Warriors, directed by Clarence Fok, jumps into a go for broke time travel narrative that covers many a varied genre.
Dramatically starting in the Ming dynasty (the sixteenth century), a vile murderer and rapist, Fung San (Wah Yuen), has forsaken the Emperor (Anthony Yiu-Ming Wong) by killing his beloved Princess (Yin San Lai) and stealing the magical artifact known as the Black Jade Buddha. The activator of a form of time travel, the honourable Ming head guard, Fong Sau-Ching (Biao Yuen – Righting Wrongs), has lost more than just his respect after failing miserably at his job. . . the Emperor will put him to death in just one short week if he doesn’t track down the deplorable villain, bring him to justice, as well as regain the heirloom antique.
After some wild circumstances, the yin and yang battlers find themselves frozen in a deep snow at the bottom of a mountain cliff. . . mysteriously discovered and awoken in Hong Kong in the modern 1980s. Combining traditional action, an extended sci-fi super fighting element (along with the time travel concept), modern crime, on top of the fish out of water comedy elements, Fong finds himself baffled by the dreaded demons all around – in fact, they’re simply cars driving by.
Finding himself the saviour of a local call girl, Polla (Maggie Cheung – Police Story 1, 2, and Supercop), owing money to one of the local crime syndicates, Fong, believing her blunt bluster, becomes her servant of sorts – all while being dumbfounded by her modern day amenities, like the realistic television, watery toilet, and bright lighting.
Somehow, the much more conniving Fung fits right into this modern world, quickly adapting to the attire while joining a gang and using his own unique powers for profiteering and thievery. . . before returning to his favourite sixteenth century pastimes.
As these things do, both grow into their modern lives, with their paths fatefully becoming intertwined once again. Will Fong finally best Fung in this yin and yang battle of good versus evil? Might the most honourable Fong bizarrely start falling in love with a modern day call girl? Or could Fung, with all his newfound knowledge and power, plan on returning to his past to take control of the Ming dynasty?
With its throw everything at the wall but the kitchen sink premise, The Iceman Cometh might surprise you with just how funny it can be. Not only does the chemistry between Biao Yuen and Maggie Cheung work wonders in its weirdly mismatched power dynamic (despite his actual super powers), but his complete obliviousness to modernity brings many a chuckle. Like in the Police Story franchise, you again really can appreciate Cheung’s great comedic timing.
But, what this truly comes down to is the hard-hitting action. Similar to a Jackie Chan feature, this too impresses by showing everything being done in camera. Like with his films of this time, the actors here are trained martial artists and stuntmen, with Biao Yuen, Wah Yuen, and their stunt team credited with orchestrating the action throughout. Arguably some of the most memorable sequences find an epic fight atop a car hanging from a crane over the harbour, some high speed car surfing, and the extended climactic tête-à-tête – with its dynamic action taking a whole month to shoot!
A fun, time traveling one versus one battle for the ages (with plenty of comedy to boot), The Iceman Cometh is yet another unique foray into this epic cinematic time in Hong Kong. A true spectacle for fans of daring action, it’s over the top, but most definitely not in a bad way – with audiences getting traditional martial arts, dangerous swordplay, modern shoot-`em-up drama, and even more. Lastly, it is also worth noting that this was remade in 2014 starring Donnie Yen, simply titled Iceman. So, be sure to make time (travel, that is) to see this creative motion picture, it may even bring around a rebirth.
This film can be watched in Cantonese with English subtitles, or in dubbed English