January 12, 2020

A perfect pairing of sound & vision - Wheels On Meals


Yup, the title is correct before you ask. The film's production company Golden Harvest had just released two flops in a row whose titles began with M (Megaforce and Ménage à Trois) and being Chinese and superstitious they insisted that the title be changed from Meals On Wheels. Hence Wheels On Meals.

 Thomas (Jackie Chan) and his cousin David (Yuen Biao) have decided to leave Hong Kong and chance their arms selling food in Barcelona. They both fall for the same woman and when she's kidnapped they head out to rescue her with the help of a private eye called Moby (Sammo Hung). From a big castle filled with bad guys of course. One of the baddies is Benny Urquidez. Oh shit.

 No one watches a Jackie Chan film for the plot. They watch them for what happens next.


 This is legitimately one of the best scraps ever filmed. Jackie Chan vs Benny "The Jet" Urquidez (you'll know him as the assassin Martin Blank kills with a pen in Grosse Point Blank). There's nothing fancy here, nothing flashy (except for that candle quenching kick at 1.12 Good jesus!) just two martial artists at the height of their profession going at it. America vs China. Seersucker vs lycra. The skill though. Look at that kick from Jackie at 3.59. There's stuff in here that breaks the laws of physics. The music doesn't kick in until 2.02 but when it does it's glorious 80's cheesiness takes the edges off the brutality displayed. Later releases of the film swap out this music and it takes from the fun of the scene massively.  

 5 minutes of joy.

 Previous pairings

 The Office (UK)
Do The Right Thing
Se7en
Mad Men
The Colour Of Money
Rules Of Attraction
Kickboxer                                  



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