THE VAMPIRE COMBAT (2001) is a disappointingly generic vampire movie from Hong Kong. Now, when you think of that country you automatically think of the excellent jiangshi or 'hopping vampire' movies they're so good at making, but they jettison local legend here in favour of a bland, Hollywood-copying BLADE kind of vampire. Lam Wai (LONG ARM OF THE LAW) plays Devil King, leader of a vampire cult defeated 60 years and about to be resurrected by a local follower.
The film is unremarkable in its depiction of ageless heroes and modern-day characters caught in an age-old battle. There's a lot of talky back and forth and just a few gruesome death scenes, and a couple of cannibalistic feasts. Collin Chou (THE MATRIX RELOADED) brings his customary kung fu to good effect, and there's a cameo from Shaw Brothers legend Lo Lieh, but it doesn't add up to much. The cheap CGI offers disintegrating vampires and a riff on the famous Stephen Dorff fight in BLADE, but it's not much cop.
