Andy Lau: "So... on the count of three, we all pull the trigger?"
Norman Chu: "Ha ha ha... nice try. NO. "
Norman Chu: "Ha ha ha... nice try. NO. "
Three Against the World is a 1988 Hong Kong action comedy and heist film starring Andy Lau and Rosamund Kwan (from Once Upon a Time in China).
Master detective Charlie Chan (Lau) is assigned to retrieve a priceless Quran, stolen by master thief Ma Yun-long (Norman Chu). However mobster Mr. Lam wants the priceless artifact too, and sends his daughters (Rosamund Kwan, Sandy Lam) after it. His elder daughter notably falls for Charlie, and as the Quran bounces possession from one owner to another, the movie quickly becomes the most blatant excuse to set up one three-way-battle after another.
So yes, basically Mêlée à Trois, the movie.
Tropes found in this Film include:
- And the Adventure Continues: The movie ends with the Quran returned back to its owners where it belongs, and Charlie ready to go on another mission.
- Attack Backfire: During the bathhouse assassination, Charlie beats up the two shotgun-wielding killers, damaging one of their shotguns in the process causing it to jam. While subduing one henchman, the other grabs the damaged shotgun and tries to shoot Charlie – only for the jammed gun to fire backwards, killing himself in the process.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Charlie spends much of his screen time fighting mooks while in a sleek suit. He does lose the suit when it gets hit and ripped apart by a mook's ax, though.
- Big Fancy House: The mansion where the climatic fight takes place. In typical Hong Kong action movie style, every wall, window, furniture, cupboards, ornaments, and interior equipment ends up getting smashed to bits and the luxurious furnishings ends up completely renovated.
- Bling-Bling-BANG!: Ma's preferred weapon, a gold-plated Magnum which he uses for shooting most of his targets.
- Chandelier Swing: Charlie and Ma's one-on-one fight ends up with the Koran being flung through the air once again, but eventually Mr. Lam's elder daughter manage to snag it from a high point by swinging from a chandelier.
- Cute Bruiser: The second daughter of Mr. Lam looks like a short teenager (she's played by the 21-year-old Sandy Lam) and a kid compared to her more matured elder sister, but she can kick a LOT of ass. In one of her first scenes she picks up a heavy log and uses it like a Martial Arts Staff!
- Cute Mute: Mr. Lam's younger daughter. She turns out to be The Voiceless later.
- Destination Defenestration: Happens in several fight scenes, with Charlie throwing thugs through windows and railings. One big fight between Mr. Lam's daughter and Ma Yun-long had the two of them both crashing through a glass panel.
- Furo Scene: Charlie is in the middle of his bath when the two killers tried to assassinate him, but being the crafty master thief he is, he left a booby-trapped towel near his tub to trip his opponents.
- Glacier Waif: Mr. Lam's second daughter, who picks up a freakin' log and uses it as a weapon.
- Hand Wave: After the Action Prologue, Charlie ends up in the middle of enemy territory with more pursuing baddies surrounding him. In the next scene, he's on a train getting away with Miss Fan. How did he escape again?
- Handy Feet: A variant, during the final fight, the priceless Quran slips out of Charlie's fingers and ends up in mid-air, where Ma Yun-long, mid-jump, grabs it by clipping his foot around it.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Ma is a marksman who practically never miss, from activating a control panel by shooting its buttons while hanging from a ceiling, to shooting hats off people's heads to intimidate his targets…
- Charlie isn't too bad himself either, easily killing half a dozen mooks in the Action Prologue shootout.
- Latex Perfection: Spoofed in the scene where Wu Ma rips off his face to reveal Yuen Woo-ping, and then later Yuen Woo-ping rips off his face to reveal Wu Ma.
- MacGuffin Guardian: Charlie Chan's role after getting his hands on the priceless copy of the Quran, which attracts the attention of master thieves and criminal syndicates eager to steal the Quran for themselves.
- Machete Mayhem: The preferred weapons of most mooks, although some of them could be seen wielding kukris.
- Mêlée à Trois: The climax of the movie is a lengthy battle between Charlie and Mr. Lam's elder daughter, against Ma Yun-long, against the mobsters, all three sides which wants the Koran for themselves.
- Mexican Standoff: The movie's poster. The above scene doesn't really happen in the movie itself though.
- "Mission: Impossible" Cable Drop: Ma uses this trick during the heist for the Quran, dropping from a skyroof onto the vault storing the priceless artifact whose top is exposed.
- No Name Given: Mr. Lam's daughters aren't given any names in the movie, just Mr. Lam' elder and younger daughter.
- The Piano Player: Cho plays the piano in the impromptu nightclub duet scene while Charlie sings.
- Playboy Bunny: One of these shows up in the bar scene in this getup, complete with plenty of Male Gaze close-ups on her legs and one-piece suit for that Fanservice.
- Pulling the Rug Out: A variant, Pulling the Towel Out when two assassins tried sneaking up on Charlie while he's in a tub.
- Railing Kill: More than one faceless mook gets flipped or knocked off balconies by Charlie or Mr. Lam's daughter.
- Sexy Soaked Shirt: Mr. Lam's daughter (played by the gorgeous Rosamund Kwan, classic Ms. Fanservice of the 90s) in one scene gets completely wet after falling into a bathtub while in a dress that qualifies as Vapour Wear. And she's clearly not wearing a bra under her dress either. Seriously, look at her
! (slightly NSFW because of boobies, but you're welcome) - Thou Shall Not Kill: Despite being a marksman and a devil with his magnum, Ma is not seen killing a single person the entire movie.
- Throwing the Distraction: In order to distract the security guards while he makes a movie for the Quran, Ma sends a mannequin wearing his clothes through the museum's side windows, causing several trigger-happy guards to shoot it up – while Ma sneaks in through the skyroof.
- Worthy Opponent: Charlie and Ma eventually consider each other to be this after their lengthy final battle. To the point that they are willing to leave the fight without killing each other!
