Weekend in Taipei - Film Review

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Weekend in Taipei is directed by George Huang and written by Huang and Luc Besson (Dogman, The Fifth Element), and stars Luke Evans as agent John Lawlor, Sung Kang as Kwang, Lun-Mei Gwei as Joey, and Wyatt Yang as Raymond. With a running time of 100 minutes and rated MA 15+, it'll be in cinemas 31 October 2024.

John Lawlor is a dedicated American DEA agent, and like a pit bull, he's dogged about chasing down the bad guys. There's nothing he won't do to bring a case to a conclusion. Joey Kang in a past life was a top 'transporter' in Taipei. She's fast-driving and fast-thinking and has not lost any of her skills. Fifteen years before, fate brought Joey and John together. They fell deeply in love. John was undercover, Joey felt betrayed, and eventually, the forces of crime and corruption tore them apart. Moving forward to the present day, fate brings them together yet again, and puts them on a collision course during a weekend in Taipei, and it's going to be challenging all round. Buckle in for the ride. From the creators of 'Taken' and 'Transporter', can you expect anything less than an action-packed thrilling ride!


The film kicks off with Kwang Industries under fire. After a year-long investigation, seafood tycoon Chairman Kwang is on trial, and he vows to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, agent John Lawlor is about to have his six months of undercover work ruined by a clumsy partner. He still manages to get a drug bust out of it, but cannot connect the dots to his ultimate target, Kwang. He learns of the existence of a ledger and it seems someone is willing to give it to him. Can it be that easy? Unable to convince his superiors, he's told to take a break and get away. No guesses where he goes for the weekend away. He cannot believe how easy it was that the ledger arrived at his hotel door as promised. However, the reason was more environmental than drug related until it isn't.

There are no real surprises in that it's nothing we haven't seen before. A tried and true formula that borrows from its predecessors, including an injection of humour as in Jackie Chan movies, it's pretty cliché. However, for an afternoon of entertainment without trying to dissect the film other than to love it for its entertainment value - it delivers. The top-notch cast puts in some wonderful performances, and you can't help but be impressed, especially by Sung Kang as Kwang. He manages to deliver a villain that's not all evil but one who's also sensitive and desperately in love with his wife. Sung Kang walks a fine balance that gives his character layers that are more than one-dimensional.


This film is the full experience. It has well-developed characters, cops, criminals, excitement, action, violence, humour and love, with a little bit of Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) thrown in, even if it doesn't seem to serve much purpose. You'll know it when you see it if you're familiar with the film. It's also a film about family, and the secrets we keep, and what we have to do to survive when you haven't a choice. The city of Taipei at its source, you'll be taken to extraordinary locations filled with visual richness - a counter-balance for all the violence of extreme fight scenes that are pretty formidable, spectacular, and well executed. This is an adventure punctuated by twists and turns, feats of bravery, alongside an emotionally moving story.

We all know who the magnificent Luke Evans is. An absolute star, who can forget him in Dracula Untold55 (and many others) that's still as magnificent to watch today on Netflix as it was 10 years ago when it was released. Think you don't recognise Sung Hang? See for yourself (play the clip) here . Gwei Lun Mei is a Taiwanese actress who began her acting career in 2002 with the film Blue Gate Crossing, %%and young Wyatt Yang makes his big splash for his film debut as an endearing character who is pretty quick at shooting from the lips. It was fast-paced, interesting, and kept me engaged but then again, it's one of the genres I love.





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