Customer Reviews

Score [VHS]

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SCORE is a fast-paced, old-fashioned grade-B caper movie like they used to make so well in Hong Kong and Hollywood. This Japanese effort is obviously derivative of RESERVOIR DOGS, TRESPASS, HARD-BOILED, HARD TARGET and even NATURAL BORN KILLERS in its tale of dark-suited jewel thieves awaiting their payoff in a sprawling abandoned factory but stalked by a pair of psychotic Mickey-and-Mallory type highway killers. The male highway killer, TJ, has a fixation on Doc Holliday and the O.K. Corral.

The lead actor, whose character name is Chance, has a bulldog face reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino. All the actors have great crime movie faces, including a smooth long-haired Brandon Lee look-a-like who plays the Las Vegas crimelord behind the caper. Amazingly, it's all set in the U.S. but shot mostly in the Philippines. When the cops come, their cars say "Manila's Finest." Except for the ending, which is a blatant rip-off of one of the above-mentioned films, the movie is fairly enjoyable, with well-edited violent action consisting of shooting, fighting, chasing, frequent bloodshed and frenzied wounded agony. Although it's a far cry from the great Yakuza crime films of a generation ago, SCORE is still a lot better than such other recent Tokyo Shock releases as ZERO WOMAN and FUDOH: THE NEW GENERATION.

AN UNNECESSARY REMAKE TO TARANTINO'S <RESERVOIR DOGS> WHICH WAS A REMAKE TO RINGO LAM'S <CITY ON FIRE>. IF YOU SAW THOSE 2 BETTER FILMS, THEN <SCORE> IS THE SAME THING BUT ONLY WORSE. THERE ARE ALSO TOUCHES OF <BONNIE & CLYDE> AND ANY JOHN WOO ACTIONER HERE. THE LONG TEDIOUS BLOODY CLIMAX IS OFF THE WOO PLAYBOOK. THE GRAPHIC VIOLENCE IS JUST LAME-O. THE TARANTINO-LIKE SCREENPLAY IS PLAIN FLAT! GET WOO'S <HARD-BOILED> INSTEAD.