I just finished watching this on Netflix not three minutes ago. Whatever his merits as President I think I can safely say that Ronald Reagan was not a good actor. I've only seen a couple of his films and I'm beginning to think that whatever charisma he displayed as President simply isn't present in his screen roles. Oh well.
Hong Kong is a cheap, cheap film about a disreputable ex-G.I. in 50s China trying to make a buck by stealing a gold idol from some poor orphaned Chinese boy. At no point do you ever expect Reagan to actually steal the idol and abandon the child to the wilds of the Hong Kong streets, but the movie sure likes to pretend like it might...maybe...sort of...could happen.
When he finally has a change of heart you're as surprised as finding out the sun will rise again tomorrow. The story is riddled with plot "twists" that are telegraphed half an act away and you end up watching the film constantly fifteen minutes ahead of the action. SPOILER: Good guys win, bad guys lose, good guy gets the girl. etc. etc. etc. You've seen this movie before...believe me.
As the story blandly marches forward your mind wanders toward what Humphrey Bogart could do with similar material and you remember that Bogart DID make movies with similar material: Casablanca, Tokyo Joe, The Maltese Falcon.
If this 1952 snoozer has any redeeming value, is that it reminds you how good Humpfrey Bogart's films were.
Hong Kong is a cheap, cheap film about a disreputable ex-G.I. in 50s China trying to make a buck by stealing a gold idol from some poor orphaned Chinese boy. At no point do you ever expect Reagan to actually steal the idol and abandon the child to the wilds of the Hong Kong streets, but the movie sure likes to pretend like it might...maybe...sort of...could happen.
When he finally has a change of heart you're as surprised as finding out the sun will rise again tomorrow. The story is riddled with plot "twists" that are telegraphed half an act away and you end up watching the film constantly fifteen minutes ahead of the action. SPOILER: Good guys win, bad guys lose, good guy gets the girl. etc. etc. etc. You've seen this movie before...believe me.
As the story blandly marches forward your mind wanders toward what Humphrey Bogart could do with similar material and you remember that Bogart DID make movies with similar material: Casablanca, Tokyo Joe, The Maltese Falcon.
If this 1952 snoozer has any redeeming value, is that it reminds you how good Humpfrey Bogart's films were.