BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Claudio Carvalho In the 80's, in New York City, the teenager Anthony "Tony" (Richard Panebianco) lives in Little Italy and works making pizza dough in a pizzeria. He goes to a nightclub, where he meets the gorgeous Chinese teenager Tye (Sari Chang) and they dance together. However the Chinese street gang led by Tsu Shin (Joey Chin) chases him, but he is saved by the Italian gang led by his older brother Alberto "Alby" (James Russo). Meanwhile Tsu Shin decides to blow-up a Chinese restaurant in Little Italy with two other gang members against the will of Yung Gan (Russell Wong), who is Tye's brother and real leader of the gang. His action provokes the wrath of Mr. Gung Tu (James Hong), who is the lord of the Chinese mafia. On the other side, Alby, his right arm and friend Mercury (David Caruso) and their gang decide to go to Chinatown in reprisal to the Chinese attack and the Italian mobster Enrico Perito (Robert Miano) warns them to respect the boundary of their neighborhood since there is a mafia agreement of the leaders. However Tony and Tye fall in love with each other and keep secretly seeing each other in the middles of the conflict between gangs with tragic consequences."China Girl" is probably one of the most commercial work of Abel Ferrara. Nevertheless it is a great film supported by magnificent direction and top-notch performances. The story of love and ethnic prejudice in tow close communities in New York City, Little Italy and Chinatown, slightly recalls the storyline of "Romeo and Juliet" and is closer indeed to the "West Side Story". Richard Panebianco and the gorgeous Sari Chang stopped their careers in the middle 90's despite their great performances. Last but not the least, thirty years after its release, "China Girl" has not aged and is still worthwhile watching. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Inimigos Pelo Destino" ("Enemies by Destiny")

ladybeanandcats Well... I usually refrain from writing movie reviews for the simple fact that most who do tend to write them in a way that denotes total arrogance as if they are Siskel or Ebert or something and that tone, alone, usually turns my stomach. Who are you movie snobs anyway? So so picky. Anyway, I was trying to find "Georgie Girl" online tonight and although I've got it on DVD I did not feel like getting up and looking for it so I found this movie, instead. Now... my love affair with the old NYC goes back to childhood when my father used to be a truck driver and we were regaled with stories about that crazy town and also my own early memories of it. Suffice to say, I'm pretty hot over old flicks that present excellent street shots of the old NY so I figured I'd watch it, NO idea what to expect. The description made me leery from the start as it already sounded so corny and unoriginal. It's funny cause I was somewhat embarrassed throughout the entire film, sensing the kind of crappy reviews people must write about it. Much to my surprise, however, not only did most more or less deem it a hidden gem, it was compared multiple times to "Romeo and Juliet"? Huh. Honestly that was the last thing I thought. I love movies and judge the pretty fairly, based on whether or not I enjoyed them, not on how popular they are, how much they grossed at the box office, special effects, or even in comparison to others made by the same person or within the same genre. I don't pretend to be some film connoisseur and use extraordinary language in an attempt to sound more sophisticated like most reviewers do. As for "sexual chemistry" for those of you who stated there was none, I guess that just means you were wanting boobs and for her to be all over him? Uh, no. This is about as real as awkward teens who barely known each other as it gets even if we only ever see them dancing together. This main theme is obscured by all the racial tension surrounding them. In fact, the first however many minutes of this movie leads one to think that it's only going to be about the gang wars across Canal St. And then back to them, oh yeah, we forgot it was about you guys. Anyway... What I can say is that this movie was OK. It fills a niche. Lots of overkill in the bloodbath department. I don't know if they realized after all their editing but in the end all they did in this film was kill each other and make sure we saw lots of blood. Did they think this is what their audience wanted more of? I thought the "in your face" effort was rather obvious. That made me roll my eyes with embarrassment. The other thing I couldn't help but notice was why are all movies about street gangs or otherwise in NYC involving some other group with or all Italian Americans? NYC is a huge. Little Italy never was. America must think NYC is nothing but little isolated and racially segregated neighborhoods when it's really not. NYC is a huge city and despite the old world culture presence in certain sections, it's still a very diverse place and people don't shoot each other in public generally for being on someone else's turf. Not in 1987 anyway. They get on the subway with ppl from ALL OVER THE WORLD and live among them. SO now this film is overkill in: 1. bloody violence 2. cultural stereotype (did I mention the old county mother in the kitchen in an apron in every scene no matter what time of day cooking from scratch like it's 1930? The movie is somewhat one- sided,leaning more towards the Italian community. We see very little of the Chinese community and the inner relationships of those characters. Not saying there is racial preference in this film but it shows what perspective the writer is more familiar with. It's taking some liberties and I'm sure the makers of this film would be impressed by comparing this movie to Romeo and Juliet. When you think of A Bronx Tale, yet another cliché Italian American mafia theme in NYC but in this story an African American chick on the wrong side of the street, not much difference there but not so much Romeo and Juliet. All through this film I'm wondering, if these two know how to take the damn subway, why aren't they just meeting out in any of the other many many places that exist out of this 20 or so block radius in which they live? Duh. Its NYC. None of them have accents so they've been in NYC and American long enough to not be stuck in their own hood. It's so embarrassing! It's very unrealistic for its time considering how much of the downtown was already being infiltrated by yuppies and artists so they were, in reality, NOT in some ethnic wasteland. In conclusion, there's a larger message here (in all seriousness, or not) Neither of the two households at the epicenter of this film seem to have fathers present. In fact, the brother and sister have NO parents, it seems. *How* old are they?? He supports them both on his wages as a waiter? Basically, if you have no father, this is how you will end up. Jk but did anyone else notice this?? This movie was made for some quick, cheap thrills and a quick buck. I'm not surprised it did not do well, outside of what little I mentioned in some half competent analysis.

Gatto Nero This is one of my favorite films of the 80's.I never get tired of watching it.The combo of the cinematography and the musical score makes it a winner for me.The theme of Chinatown vs Little Italy leaves a bitter after taste but it is somewhat essential for the 'Romeo & Juliet' storyline that it seems to follow.The two young leads as the sweet but doomed lovers 'Tye & Tony', Richard Panebianco and Sari Chang, did an OK job. It's I believe their film debuts. They really didn't have any chemistry together but they look good and cute together and they tried. I feel Panebianco was doing his best imitation of John Travolta's Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever (1977)! LOL He was portraying an Italian named Tony however so...James Russo as his older brother 'Alby' (Alberto), did a better job. Even though he was billed the leading star I felt his role was a supporting one. I don't know why, but Russo always seems shorter on film but in real life he is 5'11! Man, what the camera does to you!David Caruso as 'Mecury', Russo's right-hand man is as intense and hyper I had seen Caruso do in acting. Here Caruso just let's go like a pit bull. He really stands out with his red hair. He looks more Irish than Italian but maybe he is a mix. His one scene where they are after the Chinese gang members, and they escape, he goes 'bananas' and starts shooting off his machine gun just everywhere! He really went 'ape sh*t' in that moment! Russell Wong as the leader of the Chinese gang and older brother to Tye, did a very subdue and great job. I actually could see he and Tye as brother and sister. He really essayed being torn between his loyalty to the gang which includes his hot-wire cousin Tsu Shin played by a good and believable Joey Chin and the main Chinese Mob Boss Gung Tu played by the great and wonderful character actor, James Hong.Robert Miano plays the head Wiseguy,Enrico Perit, that Russo answers to. he did a good job also. His scene with Russo was all "Soprano" worthy.Oh and before I forget, the one gang member of the Chinese gang who really stood out for me was the bulky and muscular guy. I don't know what his name was in the movie so I can't tell which one he is in the credits but he must have impressed Ferrara because this 'Bolo Yeung-looking dude' had his very own death scene! After being shot in the arm by Caruso, he escapes and makes it to his hideout and treats his wound and falls asleep. Where he is awakened by Hong's Gung Tu's henchmen who is there and stabs him in the chest! He is so strong that he gets up and takes the knife out and raises it to use it on the henchmen when another knife through the back finishes him off. It was one of Miano's Enrico Perit's henchmen. So all in all a great end to this muscular but evil young gang member.All in all, a great film. Like I said, one of my all-time favorites. I highly recommended it. It deserves a least one good viewing in your lifetime.

ptb-8 This is a disgusting film, vicious and stupid. It contains scenes of beatings so furious and so pointlessly vicious it was enough to see it flung from theaters in 1987 and the DVD from your living room window today. Apparently it is supposed to be Romeo and Juliet or East meets West side story or some blather but really it is Abel Ferrara's talentless take on previously celebrated material amped up to 11 on the kick-o-meter. I just despised this production; it is a complete waste of resources and talent. Even 21 years later with cretinous violence infecting suburban multiplexes, this film stands out as a complete failure as a depiction of humanity. There is just scene after scene of moronic characters and hideous beatings. What a complete waste of your time and the actor's careers. Awful in the extreme. You can always quickly figure a film maker without talent when the violence gimmick is the reason for making the film in the first place. (The Eli and Quentin school of no-ideas).