Customer Reviews

China Girl [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Man, I was born and raised in Brooklyn, and THIS is a Gangster Flick that tells it like it is and keeps it raw dawg to the bone. Too violent? Bada Bing, this is the way it is in my beloved concrete jungle! I grew up around all this (but thankfully never got dragged in). I also studied Organized Crime for 2 years at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and this movie describes perfectly an era of gangworld struggles between Little Italy and Chinatown, located today in the same area that Gangs of NY takes place in during the 1840s. This is where Organized Crime was born. Watching this movie I am also reminded of the notorious Vietnamese Gang known as BTK (Born To Kill), who also prowled the streets of Chinatown around the time this film was put out. Again, this movie tells a truly pure tale without watering anything down. In my opinion this is a TRUE classic. I'm dying for this bad boy to come out on DVD!

THIS IS A WONDERFUL MOVIE. WHY DO THEY TAKE TO LONG TO MAKE A GOOD MOVIE INTO A DVD? I LOVE THE STORIE I LOVE THIS MOVIE. PLEASE HURRY IN MAKING THIS A DVD.:)

If you haven't seen this movie, even if you're set on renting X-Men for the 50th time, give this a shot. Of all Abel Ferarra's movies this is by far the best. I first saw this movie when i was 9(and back then i probably also liked watching Care Bears) it was on my top #5 list then and it has stayed on that list for the past 7 years.

With all the tags it has received ex. action, drama, suspense, crime, China Girl frees itself from these and gets a new name in my mind "New and Rising Classic".

This is a good movie! I've heard of this movie ever scince i was about 11 or 12 years old! And now i had finally watched it! This movie makes you wanna cry! And whoever said that this movie was stupid than it is oviously that they don't have any taste in real drama movies! They need to stop trippin and release this movie on DVD! And none of those region 2-4 or PAL versions. Oh and hopefully in the future they could remake this movie "China Girl" with different actors! Great movie! The Best!

Dee K. Smalls.

This is a really good movie - very hard to find but worth watchng for sure. I was happy to get a copy wish it was on dvd

This is Abel Ferrara's finest work ever ! The Soundtrack,the Canal Street,Chinatown and Little Italy scenes are astounding. Even the inside tenement apartment quarters,halls,fire escapes,alleys,and underground cellar scenes are impressive...a work of art. The actors in the movie were great too especially Joey Chin ! And,what a disgrace that this movie hasn't even come out on DVD.

I rememberI Found China GIRL The Movie ON LASERDISC in Some LASERDISC Store in THAILAND Back in 1994,I Still have it and 'tis on a Very Good Condition,China Girl is a great Love Story between The Italian-American lil boy and The Beautiful Chinese lil Girl,I'm waitin' 'til It Comes Out on DVD to get it too :)

If you ever get a chance to see this movie, even if you're set on renting X-Men for the 50th time, give this a chance. I'd have to say out of all Ferrara's movies this is BY FAR the best. I first saw this movie when i was about 9 (and back then I probably also liked Care Bears) it was on my top #5 list then and it has stayed on that list for the past 7 years.

Between all the tags like action, suspense, drama, and crime, China Girl frees itself from all of them and should be marked as a 'New and Rising Classic'.

This is a movie about divisions both between and within groups .New York's Canal Street divides Chinatown from Little Italy and the gap ,as depicted here, is unbridgeable ,a matter of the mind rather than geography.
Utilising the basic scenario of Romeo and Juliet it explores the theme along racial lines --Chinese girl and Italian boy .The cultural clash is an enormous and insuperable obstacle to their happiness .It is not however quite that simple because there are divisions within each culture ;divisions between the young and the old , between the individual and his/her own community .Only the young lovers themselves and the bosses ,who know that conflict is bad for business ,try to stop the feuding .

On the surface this is simply another gangland movie -and on this level it wotks well and those looking for well staged action and fight scenes will be satisfied .What sets it apart from the run of the mill product in this genre is partly its intentions ,namely to explore the tragedy caused by unthinking prejudice ,and the other complex issues of community that it raises
It is stylishly shot -director Abel Ferrara did a lot of Miami Vice episodes and the movie is shot in similar style .The acting is fine and the pace fast and violence ridden
It does displace his earlier MS45 in my affections but it is vivid ,engrossoing and never less than watchable /
Not great but well above the norm for this kind of movie

An early effort from New York-centric director Abel Ferrara ("Bad Lieutenant","King Of New York") that starts out strong but unfortunately teeters under its own excess. The basic storyline, with its culture-clash romance against the backdrop of warring youth gangs, goes strictly by-the-numbers in an umpteenth version of "Romeo & Juliet" by way of "West Side Story". The film gets more interesting whenever the two (rather tepid) romantic leads are off screen. Ferrara seems to be morphing "Do The Right Thing" with "Year Of The Dragon" in his depiction of the older Italian "Wiseguys" and thier Chinese counterparts, the Triad leaders, making deals in back rooms while the youth gangs engage in open racism and fight for continued segregation. As usual, you get the impression that Ferrara just tells his cast to "go for it", so there's a lot of yelling and angsty expressionism on display as everyone tries to out-James-Dean each other. Still, the energy does hold your interest, and the neon New York cinematography is artful in a noirish way. One too many scenes of gratuitous ultraviolence and an abrupt, downbeat ending ultimately drags the film down.