Red Hawk: Weapon of Death

Publisher
Manga Entertainment
Director
Jung Yul HwangJung Yul Hwang, Sang Il Sim
Production
Daiwon
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
90 mins
Year
1995

Red Hawk: Weapon of Death

By John Huxley
21st May 04

When I picked this anime up in the store, something struck me as slightly odd. Let's see now, everything appears normal: the characters resemble a million and one other anime characters you've seen, it's published by Manga entertainment and it looks to be your typical martial arts action. But hang on a second! Directed by Jung Yul Hwang? That doesn't sound like any Japanese name I've ever heard! Yeah, you guessed it, Red Hawk: Weapon of Death is a Korean animation. But isn't one of the key ingredients of anime to actually have originated from Japan? I, for one, don't think so. Do all comics come from the US? No. Are the French the only nation allowed to eat croissants? No, so why should Japan be the only country to produce anime? I could ramble on about this forever, but I'll save it for another day (and an article).

The plot of Red Hawk not that dissimilar to your average period martial arts movie. You know the score; evil clan abusing innocents for their own nefarious needs, hero saves the day (but not before a bit of comedy mishap). To be more specific, the land is called Chungwon, the evil gang is called the Camellia Blossoms and the hero is called...Red Hawk! Or, at least, that's the name he uses for his crime fighting alter-ego. By day he goes by the name of Danlyong - a goofy yet kindhearted commoner. Before all this, Danlyong and his brother, Muklyong, once belonged to the 'Five Dragons', an elite fighting force within the Camellia Blossoms. Aware that the Five Dragons were up to no good, Muklyong helps his brother escape at the expense of his own life, and also hands him the mask of Red Hawk, requesting that he take up the fight against the evil oppressors. Fast forward a few years and Red Hawk has become something of a legend amongst the townsfolk. Fighting for justice and personal revenge, Danlyong sets off on a journey to find the truth about his brother. But not before meeting up with a couple of pretty ladies and a little kid, one of whom is out to find Red Hawk for herself (little knowing that the masked avenger is Danlyong himself).

All this may sound very enticing, but sadly, it isn't. At times the narrative felt unnecessarily complex, like it was trying to cover the lack of decent characters. Danlyong and his accomplices are a likeable, tawdry (occasionally verging on annoying) bunch, but interesting they are not. The motives for their actions appear half-baked. The two women fulfill the love interest/getting kidnapped roles, while I didn't see how the kid related to the story at all. It's as if their only purpose is to provide some content between the fights (a function which they don't perform particularly well, either). I know what you're thinking. Who cares? If the fights are good, the rest doesn't matter one iota. True, a film can succeed on well directed action alone, but it is my sad duty to report that Red Hawk is no Street Fighter: the Animated Movie. Much like Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf, Red Hawk is over-reliant on special moves. The average fight runs more like a round of paper-scissors-stone than a skilled martial arts bout, and is over just as quickly. And to top things off, the animation isn't up to the kind of standards that are needed to realise such fight sequences.

Having said all that, Red Hawk isn't all bad news. It's just that it's below average in almost every single department. But that's better than being rubbish, right?

-- John Huxley 21st May 04

Red Hawk: Weapon of Death Images