With a single mistake, Rui, a former star basketball player, loses his job and has nothing to do. Collecting parking fees on the street, he's snooping around a dark world. He knows it is not where he belongs, but he has no place to go and nobody welcomes him. Then one day, he finds a woman bleeding on the street, and he takes her to the hospital. On the way, he is kidnapped by a bank robber. At first, he only looks for a chance to get away, but he is increasingly attracted to the robber who lives proudly, cleverly leading the underworld. Through him, a mentor and role model for the dark, Rui faces the brutal criminal nature hidden inside him. But the moment arrives when Rui can't avoid the final showdown with him. (Source: IMDb) Edit Translation
- English
- magyar / magyar nyelv
- dansk
- Norsk
- Native Title: 狂徒
- Also Known As: kuang tu , 捍战
- Screenwriter: Huang Chien Ming
- Genres: Action, Thriller, Crime
Where to Watch The Scoundrels
Cast & Credits
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![Wu Kang Ren in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie]( "Wu Kang Ren in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie")
Wu Kang Ren Main Role -
![JC Lin in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie]( "JC Lin in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie")
JC LinRuiMain Role -
![Nikki Hsieh in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie]( "Nikki Hsieh in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie")
Nikki HsiehYa HuiSupport Role -
![Jack Kao in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie]( "Jack Kao in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie")
Jack KaoChen Mu [Police Officer]Support Role -
![Shih Ming Shuai in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie]( "Shih Ming Shuai in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie")
Shih Ming Shuai[Police Officer]Support Role -
![Frederick Lee in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie]( "Frederick Lee in The Scoundrels Taiwanese Movie")
Frederick LeeXiao Hei GeSupport Role
Reviews
Is it ever too late to become a good man?
The Scoundrels was director Hung Tzu Hsuan feature film debut. Starring Wu Kang Ren (formerly Chris Wu) and JC Lin it was a decent first film, though nothing groundbreaking and leaning more toward Korean crime films than Hong Kong.Rui (translated as Ray in the version I watched) tickets cars and clandestinely stashes GPS trackers on luxury vehicles to be stolen later for the gang he works for. His life took a wrong turn when he was a professional basketball player and attacked a fan during a game leaving the man in the hospital. Racked with debt from the incident and labeled a criminal he turned toward the unsavory way of making a living. While ticketing a car late at night he is kidnapped by the “Raincoat Robber” which leads to a deeper involvement with the dangerously enigmatic crook.
The Scoundrels wasn’t very deep though it did try to make a comment about society treating petty criminals and murderers the same, which kept people from reforming and starting over. Rui wasn’t a very sympathetic character nor was his background or personality expanded upon. Hot-headed, always spoiling for a fight, impulsive, and quick to place the blame on others for his actions, it was no surprise he ended up on the wrong side of the law. He was unable to envision or accept consequences which didn’t help people give him the benefit of the doubt. Wu Shun Wei aka The Raincoat Robber also lacked character depth but Wu Kang Ren managed to grant the baddie much needed charisma and an underlying menace. Rui and Wu had a ‘don’t turn your back on your bro’ bromance. The two female characters were blank canvases never filled in. Jack Kao played a veteran cop who had Rui tried, convicted, and executed in his mind before ever gathering all the evidence.
Hung made use of dim, cramped alleys and dilapidated stairwells for much of the settings. There were numerous brawls between Rui and the gang and Rui and Wu against the gang and finally the no holds barred fight between Rui and Wu foreshadowed in the first scene of the film. A few of the fights had dark humor in them though the fights became more brutal as the film went on. There was an element of Wylie Coyote as characters survived steep falls and bloody blows to the head. Double-crosses led to more double-crosses and more fights.
The Scoundrels was fast-paced which helped the viewer not have time to puzzle over plot holes and lack of character development. Overall, it was entertaining even if it needed narrative help.
30 May 2025
