SYNOPSIS: "How much does a life cost? “ Faced with the kidnapping of his daughter, a desperate father engages in a battle of wits with the manipulative kidnapper, a perilous struggle akin to seeking a tiger's skin. Beneath the surface, dark currents stir…

MOVIE REVIEW:

Xiao Yang plays yet again a tortured character in the third entry of the highly successful Chen Sicheng’s produced franchise, Sheep Without a Shepherd.

In the weirdly titled, Octopus with Broken Arms, Xiao Yang plays a cosmetics magnate Zheng Bingrui whose daughter, Tingting is kidnapped during a Vesak Day celebration at his mansion. Zhang Jingxian (Duan Yihong) from the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) force is called up to the crime scene and Zheng suspects it’s his past associate, Shi Fu-an (Feng Bing) who has earlier came to ask for money is involved in the crime.

Zheng however refuses Zhang’s help and went on a blind goose chase following instructions from the kidnapper. Tingting’s teacher, Li Huiping (Tong Liya) also went along since she reasoned that Tingting vanished on her watch and she should help in locating her.

But here’s the thing about Octopus with Broken Arms, it’s not simply a crime movie about kidnapping. There’s more to uncover as director Jacky Gan and his team of screenwriters including Chen Sicheng maps out a series of twists and turns as we go down the rabbit hole with Zheng and Li.

First and foremost, we must say the pacing is relentless. There’s apparently no room left for audiences to breathe before we are taken on another ride to another location to uncover another secret. You see, there is this big, dark “619 incident” that connects Zheng and the kidnapping.

Of course, it doesn’t takes long to reveal that Zheng is not exactly the Buddha-loving, charitable businessman we are expecting him to be. Those flashback memories of Zheng as a young boy in an orphanage hints of something far more sinister. And with the appearance of Taiwan’ most famous baddie, Jack Kao midway, you know kidnapping and human trafficking is not a mere casual mention.

While the cast including Cya Liu is excellent, the whole idea of introducing live-streaming and TV news coverage seems over the top at times. Not to mention the countless endings and a long mid-credits scene that rival the average Marvel movie. Still, Octopus with Broken Arms is a solid plot-driven crime thriller despite the flaws. Revenge, retribution being the main themes of this movie and Chen’s trademark “Sherlock Holmes” detective elements.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: "How much does a life cost? “ Faced with the kidnapping of his daughter, a desperate father engages in a battle of wits with the manipulative kidnapper, a perilous struggle akin to seeking a tiger's skin. Beneath the surface, dark currents stir…

MOVIE REVIEW:

Xiao Yang plays yet again a tortured character in the third entry of the highly successful Chen Sicheng’s produced franchise, Sheep Without a Shepherd.

In the weirdly titled, Octopus with Broken Arms, Xiao Yang plays a cosmetics magnate Zheng Bingrui whose daughter, Tingting is kidnapped during a Vesak Day celebration at his mansion. Zhang Jingxian (Duan Yihong) from the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) force is called up to the crime scene and Zheng suspects it’s his past associate, Shi Fu-an (Feng Bing) who has earlier came to ask for money is involved in the crime.

Zheng however refuses Zhang’s help and went on a blind goose chase following instructions from the kidnapper. Tingting’s teacher, Li Huiping (Tong Liya) also went along since she reasoned that Tingting vanished on her watch and she should help in locating her.

But here’s the thing about Octopus with Broken Arms, it’s not simply a crime movie about kidnapping. There’s more to uncover as director Jacky Gan and his team of screenwriters including Chen Sicheng maps out a series of twists and turns as we go down the rabbit hole with Zheng and Li.

First and foremost, we must say the pacing is relentless. There’s apparently no room left for audiences to breathe before we are taken on another ride to another location to uncover another secret. You see, there is this big, dark “619 incident” that connects Zheng and the kidnapping.

Of course, it doesn’t takes long to reveal that Zheng is not exactly the Buddha-loving, charitable businessman we are expecting him to be. Those flashback memories of Zheng as a young boy in an orphanage hints of something far more sinister. And with the appearance of Taiwan’ most famous baddie, Jack Kao midway, you know kidnapping and human trafficking is not a mere casual mention.

While the cast including Cya Liu is excellent, the whole idea of introducing live-streaming and TV news coverage seems over the top at times. Not to mention the countless endings and a long mid-credits scene that rival the average Marvel movie. Still, Octopus with Broken Arms is a solid plot-driven crime thriller despite the flaws. Revenge, retribution being the main themes of this movie and Chen’s trademark “Sherlock Holmes” detective elements.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee