Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 0601643563596 Format: Color Label: Tai Seng Video Marketing Manufacturer: Tai Seng Video Marketing Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Tai Seng Video Marketing Release Date: 2001-01-23 Running Time: 100 Studio: Tai Seng Video Marketing Theatrical Release Date: 1984
A truly international production, Wheels on Meals teams up Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao in a comedic-action-crime caper that includes what some consider one of the greatest fight scenes ever filmed. Directed by Hung, the movie takes place in Spain, marking the first Jackie Chan vehicle set in a non-Asian location. Chan and Biao play two lunch-truck restaurateurs who are trying to make a living selling egg rolls and hamburgers in the busy squares of Barcelona. Hung is a novice private investigator searching for a beautiful pickpocket named Sylvia (Lola Ferner) whose thieving teams her up with Chan and Yuen. Sylvia is kidnapped after she discovers she is actually a wealthy heiress, and that's when Chan, Yuen, and Hung join forces to free her and kick some bad guys' butts. Wheels on Meals is lighthearted fun with stunts and action scenes (including skateboarding tricks and a scene in which Chan and Yuen face off against a motorbike gang) that simply reaffirm the stars' physical and comic talents. The celebrated fight scene is a matchup between Chan and international kickboxing champion Benny "the Jet" Urquidez. The intensity of their scenes together spurred rumors of a rivalry beyond the film. Whether or not this was true, the two paired up again four years later in Dragons Forever. As for the nonsensical title, one theory claims the film's distributor (Golden Harvest) had little success with films whose titles started with "m" so they simply switched the two words around. The DVD boasts subtitles in eight different languages but does not include the "blooper" outtakes that frequently accompany Chan's films. --Shannon Gee
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Great classic kung fu movie! Comment: If you want some old school Jackie Chan action this is the movie to get. Jackie is at his best when Sammo Hung does the fight choreography. This movie has possibly one of the best fights ever filmed between Jackie and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Definitely worth owning! Customer Rating: Summary: A great big pile of wonderful cheese Comment: I can't give this five stars, although I really enjoyed it, because it's one of those comedies that's funny but not really very good in terms of script/acting/direction/etc. However, if you want to see Jackie Chan run around acting silly and getting into semi-exciting fights, this is the movie or you.
For better Hong-Kong action/comedy, you'll do better with Chan's more recent (but pre-americanized) films like Drunken Master or any of the SuperCops.
Still, it was a hit at our last Samurai Film Fest, where it followed Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection - 3-Disc Remastered Edition and other Kurosawa-seriousness nicely. Customer Rating: Summary: Benny the Jet Urquidez vs. Jackie Chan part 1 Comment: This is an insanely fun movie starring the 3 brothers- Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and Jackie Chan. Sammo stars as a private investigator who is hired to look for a woman. Yuen Biao and Jackie Chan work together selling fast food from their van. The woman Sammo is looking for is a pickpocket and is on the run from some goons. She is saved by Jackie and Yuen Biao and ends up living with them. The movie takes place in Spain and the woman finds out that her father was a Count and now that he is dead his evil brother will inherit everything if she can't claim it for herself. The 3 brothers help her out by battling the goons so that she can claim her inheritance. Sammo fights the main villain while Yuen Biao and Jackie fight his 2 top henchmen. Biao's fight with Keith Vitali is good, and the fight between Jackie and Benny Urquidez is amazing. There is some undercranking involved, but these guys are throwing punches and kicks so fast that only a few other movies can match its intensity. The choreography is breathtaking. Benny Urquidez is so fast that one of his kicks blows out a row of candles. There are no special effects or trick photography used to achieve this shot. So Jackie is lucky that he got out of the way of that kick! This fight always gets me pumped up.
So the final fights are outstanding, and the rest of the action scenes are very brief but still highly entertaining with incredible stuntwork, including some great car and motorcycle stunts. If you like this movie, then you have to see Dragons Forever. Benny Urquidez and Jackie Chan have an even better fight than the one in this movie.
4.5/5
I have the Hong Kong Legends version and it great picture quality and awesome interviews with Benny Urquidez, Keith Vitali, Sammo and Yuen Biao. The commentary from Bey Logan is very interesting and one of the things he talks about is why this movie was strangely titled Wheels on Meals. Customer Rating: Summary: the 3 muskateers Comment: Being a huge fan of Jackie Chan and his films, I noticed how many positive comments people have had on this film. But noticing it was made around 1983 in Hong Kong, I decided to not bother, since 80's HK films can be compared in quailty to 60's USA films. Although the quailty of the movie is just that, with low picture quailty, poor sound and effects, cheesy music and that awful dubbing (if you get the English dubbed version, which this version is not), I still found a way to be lured in quickly, forgeting that all of that even existed.
Wheels on Meals is a terrific movie containing great action, stunts, chases, comedy, and a decent plot combining the famous trio of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Biao Yuen. The three have also appeared together in Project A and Dragons Forever. Also in Wheels on Meals, is Benny "The Jet" Urquidez (Dragons Forever, Bloodmatch, Kick Fighter) who displays his once again entertainingly quick fighting skills unlike no other, as seen in his other few movies. Keith Vitali (American Kickboxer, Superfights, No Retreat No Surrender 3) also appears in Wheels on Meals, displaying some great skills as well.
Although the action throughout the movie is light until the end, I found the movie enjoyable for the most part, continuing to be entertaining and never getting boring. The best part of the movie is the finale, which has a triple showdown - Jackie Chan vs Benny Urquidez, Biao Yuen vs Keith Vitali, and Sammo Hung vs the boss/swordsman (can't recall actor's name). The Jackie vs Benny fight scene is truly spectacular, owning up to all the great things I have heard about it. Definetly deserves to be in the hall of fame of all-time best Jackie Chan fight scenes. And Benny is just awesome too.
I am really glad I bought this movie, wish I had done so sooner. Its really cool to see an older, cheaper-made movie can still have everything that truly makes a movie worth watching - especially a Jackie Chan movie. If you are a fan, this is a must. The 4 stars is only because of the poorer quailty, guess I couldn't resist. Customer Rating: Summary: Brilliant - Come see Chan in his Prime Comment: Of all the Jackie Chan movies out there, this is one of the 3 or 4 best ones to start with if you've never seen any of his work. The fight scene with Benny Urquidez won awards (deservedly so), its got Chan's favorite and best collaborators in it (Hung and Biao), there's nothing to dislike
Except, of course, the lack of a strong plot, but who cares about that? Seriously, go watch this movie. Its worth it for the final fight scene at all, and there are lots of other good things in between here and there
