A group of Chinese secret agents known as "Wonder Seven" are assigned to protect a keycard that unlocks a wealth of diamonds from a group of Japanese Yakuza. They fail and are forced to become outlaws themselves as they try to save one of their own. Eventually, they join forces with one of the Yakuza to save both the card and their reputations.

Wonder Seven has some problems going for it, most notably the size of the cast. Not only do we have the Wonder Seven and the Yakuza, but also Seven's "coach" (Tsui) and his men and a few other characters to deal with. A large cast in and of itself isn't necessarily a problem, but action movies and ensemble casts normally don't mix. The film-makers here tried too hard to give all the characters depth, and while it is a noble effort, it comes at the expense of moving the story along. The film really grinds down during the expository scenes (we are "treated" to not one, but two musical montages/flashbacks during the movie) and the characters which should be the focal points of the movie (such as Yeoh's) seem almost like supporting characters instead of lead ones.

As could be expected from Ching Siu-Tung, the action scenes in Wonder Seven are well-done. But they are a bit unbelievable -- even in the wacky world of HK action films. One scene has an explosion sending an elevator shooting up a shaft, through the roof and into a helicopter. Some of the battles occur on motorcycles and the team has a somewhat silly way of calling out their moves on the bikes, much like people did in old-school kung fu movies. Thankfully, most of the kung fu and gun fighting is a little less exaggerated. I enjoy wire-fu, but with so many talented martial artists (several of the cast members were national champions in various forms of kung fu) in the film, it would seem a shame to overuse wires.

Michelle Yeoh -- as could be expected -- shines in these fights and throughout her (too few) appearances in the film; with glamorous clothes and omnipresent sunglasses, she manages to give this film a bit of much-needed class. If you're a fan of hers, then give Wonder Seven a try. Though it really isn't "her" film, she does provide the glue which manages to hold this somewhat haphazard movie together.

A review of the DVD for this movie can be found here

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