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China Girl

1987, Movie, R, 88 mins

China Girl: Review

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Set in Manhattan, CHINA GIRL is yet another update of "Romeo and Juliet" with a heavy dose of the equally derivative WEST SIDE STORY and Martin Scorsese's MEAN STREETS thrown into the mix. This time, the conflict is between Little Italy and Chinatown. Alberto Monte's (James Russo) teenage brother, Tony (Richard Panebianco), meets a beautiful Chinese girl, Tyan-Hwa (Sari Chang), and is immediately attracted to her. Tyan-Hwa's brother Yung-Gan (Russell Wong) chases Tony off and berates his sister for socializing with non-Chinese. Monte dresses down Tony for the same reason. Of course, Tony and Tyan-Hwa continue their clandestine romance, even though Yung-Gan's headstrong and violent cousin Tsu-Shin (Joey Chin) starts trouble that soon engulfs both Italian and Chinese neighborhoods. While director Abel Ferrara does manage to combine a violent gangster story with a cliched romance, making a strong statement about senseless racism in the process, CHINA GIRL suffers from an overabundance of hollow cinematic style and a weak performance from newcomer Chang. On the plus side, Panebianco is a real find, combining the swagger of Matt Dillon with his own earnest sensitivity. leave a comment
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