"Yee dam kwan ying" (aka "Just Heroes") is a fairly generic late 1980s Hong Kong over-the-top action movie, for better or worse, from legendary action director John Woo.

Now, I wasn't familiar with "Just Heroes" before now in 2021, when I was presented with the opportunity to sit down and watch it. And of course I did so, given the fact that this was a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen.

And I will say that "Just Heroes" proved to be adequately entertaining. It wasn't a particularly outstanding or overly memorable action movie though, as the storyline was a little bit cluttered and all over the place, which lead to the characters sort of drifting into one another and making it a bit hard to tell them apart.

The action sequences in the movie were nicely executed and there was a great abundance of action throughout the course of the movie - as it usually was with John Woo movies.

However, I must admit that the somewhat flawed and generic storyline made the movie suffer. My interest in the movie was slowly abating as the movie progressed and there seemed to be a stalemate in the movie's actual progression in story.

"Just Heroes", a title that absolutely makes no sense for this particular type of movie, nor serves any purpose in relation to the contents of the storyline, actually had a fair enough cast ensemble, with the likes of Stephen Chow, Kuan Tai Chen and Fui-On Shing.

Ultimately then "Just Heroes" was a watchable late 1980s Hong Kong action movie, but it was at the same time also a very forgettable movie as well. It just proved to be too generic and bland. As such, I am rating "Just Heroes" a very mediocre five out of ten stars.

JUST HEROES is a film that was apparently made due to an urgent need for money. Nothing new there in the filmmaking industry you might think, but apparently renowned Shaw Brothers director Chang Cheh was in financial difficulty and many of his friends decided to make this film and give him the proceeds. Despite this somewhat unorthodox production process, JUST HEROES turns out to be an excellent film in the Hong Kong gangster genre.

Things kick off on a great note in which director John Woo reveals his trademark slow-motion violence: we witness mob boss Wu Ma and his men attacking a turncoat, played by the delightful Phillip Ko, and a shoot-out on the dock ensues. After this, things slow down a great deal for a storyline which is reminiscent of King Lear: a mob boss dies and his three underlings fight over who'll take over the empire. The twist here is that one of those sons killed his own boss. The mystery is surprisingly complex and keeps you guessing, and I remember that the first time I saw this I was genuinely perplexed as to the identity of the villain.

There are the usual twists and turns and melodramatic moments that you'd expect, and an unusually high number of famous faces in the cast. Seemingly many of the famous Shaw Brothers stars came back to appear in this. Danny Lee, David Chiang, and Chen Kuan Tai play the feuding brothers, and they're supported by an excellent cast including the aforementioned Wu Ma and Phillip Ko, Shing Fui-on, Ti Lung, Lo Lieh, Fung Hark-On, Ku Feng, Bill Tung, Yueh Hua, Chiang Tao, Paul Chun, and a good, early role for the usually comedic Stephen Chow. It goes without saying that the acting is wonderful in this film and it's one of the most star-studded movies I've ever seen.

The story's watchable, too, and enlivened by the usual set-piece action, of which the climax - a massive shoot-out inside a sprawling mansion - is by far the best. Bodies are flung through breaking windows, riddled with machine gun bullets and people jump through the air firing weapons. It's one of those films where a single bullet never suffices and victims are always riddled before they bite it. I actually love the plentiful action scenes here as much I do in better-known Woo films like THE KILLER and HARD-BOILED. JUST HEROES might be a minor movie in the scheme of things, but I find it 100% entertaining and flawlessly made, and to that end it's one I keep returning to.

Directed by John Woo and Wu Ma, this is an almost dream-like actioner with an over-the-top, operatic tone. Several passages -- the shoot-out at the gas station, the final assault on the house, the funeral -- are beautifully staged and possess an emotional resonance not always plentiful in exhibits of this genre.

The score, by regular Woo collaborators Romeo Diaz and James Wong (who also composed the devastating "Bullet in the Head" score) is truly one of the best and most moving of any Hong Kong film. Its more emotional cues -- the funeral, David Chaing's return from overseas, a reunion by the bay -- are piercingly effective and testament to the great talents of this highly underrated composing team.

The action scenes, which are not as elaborate as prior or later Woo works, are quiet stagey, but the final shoot-out in the house, where the participants play a weird game of cat and mouse, and where Woo's "A Better Tomorrow 1" is aped, is bloody and impressive.

The plotting is complex and the role of the women characters is vital to the drama. There is a heavy emphasis on character motivation throughout the entire affair, and a sense of fatalism permeates the film's gangster politics.

The film features Stephen Chow's acting debut (in a non-comedy role) and serves as a faux Shaw reunion with guest spots from Danny Lee, Ti Leung, Chiang and others.

The original trailer featured a graphic shot in which David Chiang slides across a warehouse floor and pumps lead into a hapless gunman. This, unfortunately, did not make the release cut.

Very highly recommended. An undiscovered classic.