Even though he has had his hand in nearly every facet of the Hong Kong movie pot with hundreds of films under his belt, Eric Tsang is an actor and film-maker best known for comedies. So his grim 1990 entry Fatal Vacation -- even though it's not as violent or gruesome as some other Category III films -- really stands out.

The movie doesn't exactly start out in a dark mood. In fact, the first half-hour or so is very much played for laughs, in the extremely broad and over-the-top sense many Hong Kong comedies seem to favor, with many of the antics revolving around the little person who plays Eric Tsang's tour group assistant. As the second act kicks in, though, the emphasis changes over to the elements one tends to expect from a Cataegory III production. Specifically, the violence quotient is upped considerably as the aforementioned tour group is held hostage by a group of Filipino radicals.

While the base elements don't go as far as one might expect for a Category III picture, there is more than a fair share of shed claret and ladies in distress, so that fans of the seedier side of Hong Kong motion pictures will still find some enjoyable elements here. There is also a surprising amount of humanity and true emotion presented, particularly through Tang Pik-Wan and Victor Wong, who play an elderly couple desperately trying to protect their grandson.

Unfortunately, Fatal Vacation doesn't manage to fully gel together, remaining schizophrenic in its' focus during the entire running time, much to the detriment of the story as a whole. It's also laughable (and not in a good way) seeing the short and squat Eric Tsang trying to essay himself as an action hero -- complete with akimbo machine guns -- during the finale. But, overall, this is one of those uniquely sort of Hong Kong movies that's worth checking out if you're not adverse to watching a bit of the old ultra-violence.

RATING: 6.5