DESPICABLE ME 2 STEALS TOP SPOT AS UNIVERSAL PICTURES'S HIGHEST GROSSING FILM OF ALL-TIME IN SINGAPORE Posted on 23 Jul 2013 Despicable Me 2 have nabbed the top spot as Universal Pictures’s top grossing film of all-time, beating the record holder of 16 years, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. With Singapore box office takings of S$6.47 million and still counting, Gru and his minions triumph as the best-selling animation of 2013. Despicable Me 2 also snatched the #2 spot from Madagascar 3 in its battle for ... more

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Posted on 08 Aug 2013 Every Singaporean is looking forward to the long weekend this week and it definitely marks a good time to catch up on the movies you have been longing to watch or the new releases that are opening this Thursday. One of the most talked about hits of the summer, New Line Cinema’s The Conjuringhas surpassed $100 million at the U.S. box office, the horror flick by “Saw” direct ... more

Catch Kim Ki-duk's ARIRANG at The Arts House Posted on 25 Jul 2013 Directed by award winning Korean director Kim Ki-duk whose other film PIETA (Golden Lion winner at Venice Film Festival) was screened last weekend at The Arts House, ARIRANG heralded Kim's comeback to filmmaking after a 3-year hiatus, winning the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes Film Festival. Arirang captures the talented filmmaker attempting to find and reconciliate with himself via ... more

Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Luc Besson
Cast: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, John D'Leo
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene, Violence And Coarse Language)
Released By: GV 
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/TheFamilyMovie

Opening Day: 19 September 2013

Synopsis: A mafia boss and his family are relocated to a sleepy town in France under the witness protection program after snitching on the mob. Despite the best efforts of Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep them in line, Fred Manzoni (Robert DeNiro), his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and their children Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D’Leo) can't help but revert to old habits and blow their cover by handling their problems the “family” way, enabling their former mafia cronies to track them down. Chaos ensues as old scores are settled in the unlikeliest of settings in this darkly funny film by Luc Besson.

Movie Review:

“We’re A Nice Normal Family” stars the Blake/Manzoni family as they try to settle into a small town in France. Robert De Niro plays the patriarch of the family, Giovanni Manzoni/Fred Blake, an ex-mafia who snitched on the mafia boss, Don Luchese (Stan Carp), requiring him to be under the witness protection program. Following Giovanni is his wife, Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and their children, Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D’Leo). The family, however, finds it hard to change their mafia ways to fit in, resulting in much hilarity.

The film, based on the novel “Malavita” by Torino Benacquista, contains the stereotypical elements of an American crime film – severed fingers, midnight burials, gunfights and the excessive use of violence. The gore is coupled with the antics of the Blake family trying to appear normal, and their mafia tactics come across as being matter-of-fact and even humorous. The humor downplays the gore and makes the gore feel almost perfunctory.

De Niro’s portrayal of Giovanni trying to fit into the sedentary lifestyle of small town France while writing his memoirs draws many laughs, as his low profile is constantly thwarted by the townsfolk. His helplessness and guilt for subjecting his family to their constant fear and moving across countries also draws the audience’s sympathies. Perhaps the most memorable scene in the movie is the one showcasing the father-daughter relationship Giovanni shares with Belle, when Giovanni gives a rare show of self-doubt and weakness.

Unfortunately, the performance of the cast, which also includes Tommy Lee Jones as the FBI Agent Stansfield, fails to save the film from mediocrity. The storyline ranges from being predictable to far-fetched, the latter in the case of how an English pun travels from France to reach the mafia boss in jail for him to uncover the whereabouts of the Blake family. The depiction of how the family sticks out like a sore thumb, and the typically mafia lack of anger management and methods of solving problems comes across as being a little overused.

The film tries to live up to its expectations of being a mafia action flick and a touching film on the strength of familial ties but fails. The final gunfight between the mafia and Blake family turns out to become a comedy of errors, and is underwhelming. The close relationship the family shares is apparent, but does not seem to undergo any transformation at the end of the movie. In attempting to fulfill both expectations, the film turns out to be a movie about the mafia with a dysfunctional family lost in it.

Movie Rating:  

(While the combination of action and comedy makes “We’re A Nice Normal Family” an easy film to watch, the film excels in neither genre, and is largely unmemorable)

Review by Goh Yan Hui
  

Genre: Comics/Action/Fantasy
Director: Bryan Singer
Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, Ian McKellen, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Hugh Jackman, Fan Bingbing, Omar Sy, Lucas Till, Shawn Ashmore
RunTime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 22 May 2014

Synopsis: The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from “X-Men: First Class,” in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.

Movie Review:

Slightly more than a decade after setting the gold standard of the Fox/ Marvel franchise he successfully launched, Bryan Singer is back at the helm of perhaps its most ambitious entry yet. Conceived by the previous instalment’s screenwriter Simon Kinberg, it attempts to merge two separate timelines with two sprawling casts - the Patrick Stewart/Ian McKellen gang from the first ‘X-Men’ trilogy;, and the younger generation, led by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, from 2011's ‘X-Men: First Class’ – by introducing the tricky element of time travel. The result is in a word - extraordinary - combining the best from two different teams for an exhilarating adventure across time.

As Stewart solemnly intones at the beginning, a years-long war between the mutants and an army of near-indestructible robots known as Sentinels has devastated the world, resulting in a terrifying dystopian future where mutants and mutant-sympathizing humans have been rounded up in internment camps. Gathered with Professor X (Stewart) and Magneto (McKellen) against the Sentinel threat are familiars Storm (Halle Berry) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), as well as some new additions including Bishop (Omar Sy), Blink (Fan Bingbing), and Warpath (Booboo Stewart).

The one hope to their survival lies back in the past - or more precisely, the year 1973 - where Mystique’s (Jennifer Lawrence) assassination of Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) will not only cement the humans’ suspicion of the mutants as a threat but also lead to her capture and the use of her shape-shifting DNA into the design of the robots. Logan/ Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) ability to heal makes him the only suitable candidate for travelling back in time - his mission to convince the younger Professor X (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to put aside their differences in order to avert the killing that would change the course of history.

That’s a fair bit of exposition to set up the events that follow, but Singer knows just how to keep the pacing nimble. Showing that he has lost none of his touch for inventive action sequences, Singer unfurls an opening that leverages largely on Blink’s powers of teleportation to deliver some truly eye-popping action. Indeed, action is pretty much the language of the movie, which plays to the strengths and powers of the individual characters to move the plot forwards. Wisely though, he eschews the need to build gigantic setpieces in favour of more intimately scoped ones – and of these, the most singularly impressive is that of Quicksilver (Evan Peters), whose superhuman speed gets a stimulating demonstration in bullet-time while on a prison-bust within the Pentagon.

That sequence is also an excellent case-in-point of one of the X-factors of his original entries which Singer brings back to the franchise, levity. Most prominently, Quicksilver’s brief entry in the franchise (chiefly due to rights issues) is played for maximum comic slapstick – but thankfully without ever tipping into caricature. Singer knows always how to stay on the right side of cool, and despite the catastrophic peril facing our characters, keeps the tone lively and effervescent. It isn’t just Singer’s credit of course; some of the most light-hearted moments of the film belong to Jackman, who oozes charisma and wryness as he is called to play mentor to the younger Professor X and his student Beast (Nicholas Hoult) in a clear reversal of roles.  

And yet the one most important element which Singer retains is the humanity of these characters. The struggle between the humans and the mutants has always been at the heart of the best of these movies as well as the comics, meant of course as an allegory to the discriminated and marginalised within our very society by virtue of the fact of them being different from the majority. Here, that struggle becomes even more pronounced with Logan’s warning of just what the future holds, exacerbating the ideological differences between Professor X and Magneto as well as their battle for the heart and mind of Mystique as a crucial piece in the chess game of fate.

Kinberg’s plotting deserves special mention here, juggling multiple time streams and alternate futures effortlessly without ever breaking a sweat. He even manages to contain the inherent logical gaps in time travel, and in the grander scheme of the franchise, forges an exciting way forward for future instalments while respecting the events of the first three movies. Both Kinberg and Singer are also clearly invigorated recreating period here, as they redefine the assassination of JFK, recreate the voice and visage of Richard Nixon (played by Canadian thespian Mark Camacho) and recount these historically defining events with the grainy, bright-colored look of ’70s newsreels to give them a touch of verite.

As always, the casting of the characters remains spot-on. Jackman has never been more compelling as Logan than he is here, exhibiting restraint and temerity that brings newfound gravitas and pathos to his character. McAvoy and Fassbender continue to make a fascinating pair, portraying their emotionally complex relationship with heartfelt poignancy especially when contrasted against their kinder, gentler older selves who wonder why they spent so many years bickering. Lawrence however doesn’t quite make an impact as one may have hoped, but the actress remains a fetching presence whether in human form or in Mystique’s blue birthday suit.

That’s still a minor, very minor, quibble for a movie which gets so many things right. The action is first engaging, then thrilling, and finally at its climax exhilarating. The characters are well sketched out, their dilemmas real, relatable and therefore genuinely affecting. The story is complex without ever being complicated. For a summer blockbuster, it belongs in a rare breed that blends emotional resonance, humour, wit and grand spectacle into one immensely satisfying whole. Like we said, it is in a word, extraordinary. 

Movie Rating:

(One of the best X-Men movies ever, and certainly one of the best superhero movies you’ll ever see – this union of two different teams of X-Men is funny, poignant and thrilling in equal measure)

Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Richard Curtis
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie
RunTime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Nudity)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://www.abouttimemovie.com/
 
Opening Day: 10 October 2013

Synopsis: At the age of 21, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers he can travel in time… The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim’s father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life—so he decides to make his world a better place...by getting a girlfriend. Sadly, that turns out not to be as easy as you might think. Moving from the Cornwall coast to London to train as a lawyer, Tim finally meets the beautiful but insecure Mary (Rachel McAdams). They fall in love, then an unfortunate time-travel incident means he’s never met her at all. So they meet for the first time again—and again—but finally, after a lot of cunning time-traveling, he wins her heart. Tim then uses his power to create the perfect romantic proposal, to save his wedding from the worst best-man speeches, to save his best friend from professional disaster and to get his pregnant wife to the hospital in time for the birth of their daughter, despite a nasty traffic jam outside Abbey Road. But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can’t save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. There are great limits to what time travel can achieve, and it can be dangerous too. About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.

Movie Review:

Speak of time-travel romances and the one that probably comes to mind is Audrey Niffenegger’s ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’, but if you’d ask us to pick our favourite among the two, we’d undoubtedly choose Richard Curtis’ ‘About Time’. Bearing only the minimalist of conceptual similarities, Curtis’ first to employ a supernatural twist isn’t just a rom-com like his earlier classics ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, ‘Notting Hill’ or his directorial debut ‘Love Actually’; rather, it rises above escapist fluff as a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on embracing life as a mixed bag of ups and downs, of good and bad, of life and death.

Curtis approaches the potentially tricky concept of time-travel as wish fulfilment - indeed, how often have we wondered about the ability to go back in time to erase our embarrassments, to right our wrongs or simply just to make things a little more perfect?  That’s exactly how our sweet and slightly shy geeky protagonist Tim (Domhnall Glesson) greets his hereditary gift upon learning about it from his dad (Bill Nighy) on his twenty-first birthday and also informs him to use it wisely - unlike some of his male ancestors, who literally gambled it away.

Whilst more career-ambitious young men might have used that gift to chase fame or fortune, Tim settles for a real shot at romance. Stepping into what is essentially known as the Hugh Grant role in Curtis’ rom-coms, Tim recognises his deficiencies at wooing members of the opposite sex - and in his sister’s friend Charlotte (Margot Robbie), who is staying with the family for the summer holidays, he gets his first test subject. Unfortunately, he also gets to learn the first lesson about time travel - if love ain’t meant to be, no amount of travelling back in time is going to help one bit.

Though mentioned in passing, it is but the first little nuggets of wisdom about love that Curtis drops throughout the movie; after all, much as we blame the circumstances, maybe who we do not end up with remains just that no matter the externalities. Tim’s fate in love changes several months later though when he goes on a blind date in a pitch-dark restaurant and shares a meet-cute with an American publisher Mary (Rachel McAdams). We know they will end up together, but Curtis keeps up some measure of suspense by forcing the clock on rewind when Tim’s overzealously helpful personality pretty much eliminates that brilliant beginning.

And so we get not only but three meet-cute encounters between Tim and Mary, which after the last one - sans a little unexpected run-in with Charlotte - their love story is pretty much sealed.  Rather than confine the narrative to a certain period of their lives, Curtis goes for the long haul, covering not just their dating, but also their marriage and early parenthood years. Here is also where it gets interesting - instead of his usual boy-meets-girl plot, Curtis switches gears to bring Tim’s idiosyncratic family back into sharp focus.

There’s his retired academic of a Dad (Bill Nighy), a charming patriarch with a wry sense of humour, his gardening enthusiast of a Mom (Lindsay Duncan) who never quite lets up from a sombre demeanour; his ditsy younger sister Kit Kat (Lydia Wilson) who is trapped in a poisoned relationship with a no-gooder boyfriend; and lastly his mentally challenged Uncle D (Richard Cordery). Tim and Mary’s lives are intertwined with theirs on the virtue of being family, and Curtis uses their respective predicaments to bring across poignantly what it means to live a full life.

We’ll grant that not all will lap up his detour into melodramatic territory here, but Curtis handles the journey with such deftness and finesse that we cannot help but be genuinely moved. The lesson here about moving on, letting go and living each moment in life as if it were your only chance to do so isn’t new, but there is such effusive warmth and tenderness in the way Curtis guides his protagonist - and as well his audience - to learn of the ultimate futility of editing out the awkward and painful moments of life. Especially touching is Tim’s relationship with his dad in the last half hour of the movie, as the latter advises the former to accept life by simply living each day twice - first to experience it, and then again to savour it.

As always, Curtis has a knack for finding the right pair of stars for his movies, and one could not imagine a better pair of leads than Gleeson and McAdams. There is such a radiant chemistry about them that never for a moment do they seem less than believable, and nowhere is this more evident than in a series of vignettes of their first night sexual encounter which Tim uses his powers to transform from ‘pretty nice’ to ‘pretty awesome’. Curtis also surrounds them with wonderful supporting bits, in particular the delightfully witty Nighy and the self-deprecating curmudgeon of a playwright whom Tim stays with in London played by Tom Hollander.

For all its flaws - a somewhat indulgent running time which could have been shortened for pace or a rather episodic storytelling quality - ‘About Time’ is one of our most beloved Richard Curtis rom-coms because it isn’t just a film about some make-believe romance we all wished we lived through but are equally keenly aware of how impossible it is, but rather an ode to life in all its bittersweet moments, the ones we want to treasure and live in forever and the ones that we so instinctively desire to let go. There is hardly any question in Curtis’ claim that this is his most personal film yet, and there is something truly beautiful about a movie that makes you value the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the good times and the bad in your life more. 

Movie Rating:

(Prepare your hankies - Richard Curtis returns not simply with a distinctly British rom-com, but a poignant and heartfelt ode to the bitter and the sweet moments in life)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

THE AFTER-DINNER MYSTERIES Cast Inteview In Singapore Posted on 29 Jul 2013 THE AFTER DINNER MYSTERIES has proved to be a big hit in Japan, and this time, the fever has hit Singapore!!! A spin-off from its original TV series, The After Dinner Mysteries movie is based on a series of murders that happened on a luxurious cruise, the Star Cruise Virgo. Much of the movie was also filmed in Singapore, so we can all expect to see many familiar Singapore icons and places! ... more

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Cast: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk
RunTime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: G
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Official Website: http://movies.disney.com/frozen

Opening Day: 28 November 2013

Synopsis: From the studio behind "Tangled" and "Wreck-It Ralph," Walt Disney Animation Studios presents "Frozen," the most daring comedy-adventure ever to hit the big screen. When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna (voice of Kristen Bell), a fearless optimist, teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his sidekick reindeer Sven on an epic journey to find Anna's sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), the Snow Queen, and put an end to her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, an amazing and comedic snowman named Olaf, Everest-like conditions and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.

Movie Review:

Walt Disney Pictures’ celebrated reputation is often entwined with its impressive history of animated musicals: mention “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King”, all Oscar-winning films with extraordinary songs that have lingered as quintessential childhood memories in the minds of many. 

It’s almost a return to full form this time with 2013’s holiday animated feature “Frozen”, penned and co-directed by Jennifer Lee (co-writer of “Wreck-It Ralph”) alongside Chris Buck (“Surf’s Up”). Following the trend of last year’s Scottish fairy tale “Brave”, where a feisty flame-haired princess rebels against family pressure and social expectations in order to live life on her own terms, “Frozen” is adapted from Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen”. It features a pair of princesses from the fictional country of Arrendale who are, rather expectedly, as different as night and day: Coolly reserved and classically beautiful, Elsa (Idina Menzel, Broadway stalwart and occasional “Glee” guest star) is born with the seemingly limitless gift of being able to manipulate ice and snow, able to produce it with a wave of her hand, while her little sister Anna (Kristen Bell) is ordinary but naturally vivacious and plucky.

A childhood accident that leaves Anna aesthetically scarred with a lock of blond hair in her auburn locks convinces Elsa that her powers must be hidden in order to prevent further harm. Yet the more the truth is concealed, the less control she has. Elsa withdraws both emotionally and physically, alienating Anna and creating in her both a strong independence and a yearning for love and attention. Things take a turn for the worse with their parents’ passing. On the day of Elsa’s coronation, an argument with Anna – who is insistent on marrying Hans (Santino Fontana), a prince she met merely moments ago – agitates her to the point where she reveals her long-concealed powers to the entire city and visitors.  

Terrified, Elsa flees into a distant mountain, letting loose the full extent of her talent in the construction of a new ice palace to retreat into. Meanwhile, guilt-ridden and left with a country languishing in eternal winter, Anna travels into the cold to make peace with her sister, enlisting the help of a woodsman in the unfortunate business of selling snow, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), together with his highly intuitive but non-speaking reindeer Sven and the adorable snowman Olaf (Josh Gad). In the middle of it, Anna gets iced in the heart, a fatal injury that can only be resolved by (what else?) an act of true love… but what does that look like, and is it what everyone imagines it to be?

The digital effects are top-notch, and this isn’t just in reference to the characters’ hair. Donning the 3D glasses in a typical cinema (that is, non-IMAX) gives an experience that is nearly IMAX quality. Snowflakes almost seem to fall out of the screen; the wintry landscapes seem to reduce the temperatures palpably by a few degrees Celsius. It’s a highly immersive experience, but what could pull you back during the show is when the characters breaks into song. When done well, it’s seamless; otherwise, you feel almost immediately removed. There aren’t showstopping numbers that could even think of standing alongside classics like Aladdin’s “A Whole New World”; the songs are mostly enjoyable, almost Broadway-friendly, such as the duet between the sisters entitled “The First Time in Forever” and Olaf’s entertaining but bittersweet “In Summer”. But disappointingly, the love song “Love is an Open Door” is highly mediocre.

With the exception of “Mulan” and arguably “Brave”, this animation features the most powerful and independent lead female characters from Disney in recent times. It’s a refreshing change from past fare, with the studio recognising that making a kiss from a prince a do-or-die thing could use some updating and inspiration from other young adult role models, like Katniss from “The Hunger Games”. Elsa, in particular, is admirably talented and perhaps overly powerful, hindered only by a lack of confidence and overwhelming fear of rejection. One can feel her self-actualisation unfolding when Menzel belts out the moving epic solo “Let It Go”. Anna’s determination shines through despite her neediness and immaturity. There is some element of dependence on the men in the film – Kristoff was essential out in the wilds – but when it comes down to it, both sisters relied on their own courage and wit to overcome the odds.

Bell leverages on her sprightly voice as Anna, who never lets the energy or pace flag and Groff is an impressive singer, but both are clearly outclassed by the solid prowess of Menzel, who is by far the best of the lot and ups the musical ante.

While not especially funny or romantic, the clever plot turns and the eventual twist at the end rounds up this wintry tale with a polished finish. 

Movie Rating:

(One of the best animated musicals from Disney in recent years, “Frozen” eschews the formulaic fairy tale plot and promises to enthrall with dazzling visuals and a commendable soundtrack)

Review by Wong Keng Hui
  

Genre: Action/Crime
Director: Clarence Fok
Cast: Donnie Yen, Collin Chou, Andy On, Tian Jing, Zhang Hanyu, Ronald Cheng
RunTime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 October 2013 

Synopsis: Zi Long (Donnie Yen) has been an infiltrating cop in Xiong’s (Collin Chou) Hong Kong mafia clan for many years. The failure of his recent negotiation on behalf of Xiong with the other three local clans makes Xiong suspicious of Zi Long’s identity.   Xiong sets to wipe out every undercover in his gang. Sensing the danger, Zi Long requests an end to his undercover career from his supervisor Sir Zhang (Ronald Cheng).   However, Zhang sends Zi Long to Mainland China to infiltrate a business of “Special Identity” trading instead. The business is run by Xiong’s best protégé Sunny (Andy On) who was Zi Long’s previous buddy in the gang. Zhang promises to reinstate Zi Long’s Police identity in conclusion of the mission once Sunny’s business is broken down. Zi Long agrees, joining local Police Officer Lei Peng (Zhigang Yang) and Fang Jing (Jing Tian) in the force.

Movie Review:

The six years since ‘Ip Man’, Donnie Yen has not looked back on the kind of contemporary action that fuelled his latest career resurgence, preferring instead historical epics like ‘Bodyguards and Assassins’, ‘Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen’ and ‘Wu Xia’. No wonder then fans of ‘S.P.L.’ and ‘Flash Point’ have been waiting in eager anticipation for his return to MMA-type action that this latest ‘Special ID’ promises, in particular since Donnie himself has promised this to be the epitome of the techniques he had used in his earlier two movies.

Good news is that Donnie doesn’t disappoint - as the action director and of course his own choreographer, he makes great use of the tight enclosed quarters of the sets to stage some thrilling MMA fights. Right from an invigorating opening that pits him against veteran Jackie Chan stunt team member Ken Lo in an old-school mah-jong parlour, it’s clear Donnie is going for the jugular when it comes to his blows, kicks and head-locks. This is none of that poetic grace we saw in ‘Wu Xia’ or restraint in the ‘Ip Man’ movies; rather, this is no holds barred Donnie, and boy is it awesome to watch him in full macho mode.

And throughout the 100-minute run time, Donnie gets to go ballistic twice more - once in the middle when he first confronts his protégé turned arch-nemesis Sunny (Andy On) and again right at the end where the two go mano-a-mano against each other. Both are unique in themselves; whereas the first sees Donnie take on dozens of Sunny’s lackeys on his own (think Donnie’s one against many in ‘Ip Man 2’) within the narrow confines of a two-storey restaurant and its kitchens, the second gives Donnie more latitude to brawl with a well-matched opponent both in attitude as well as in ferocity.

Impressive though they may be, we do have a few caveats to make. One, much as Donnie had wanted to top what he accomplished in ‘S.P.L.’ and ‘Flash Point’, the truth of the matter is that you’re probably not going to be wowed to the same extent as watching Donnie go up against Wu Jing in ‘S.P.L.’ or against Collin Chou in ‘Flash Point’. Despite packing bare-knuckled brutality, it lacks the ‘oomph’ to make it a contender amongst Donnie’s best fights. Two, despite adding Collin to the cast as the head of the mafia clan Donnie’s Zhilong is infiltrated into, there is no match-up between Donnie and Collin - which in itself is already a disappointment. And lastly, even though Donnie had wanted a female Michelle Yeoh in Mainland star Tian Jing, the actress is largely unremarkable in the few scenes she gets to show off her moves.

Now that we’ve covered the failings in the action department, it’s probably opportune to talk about the rest of the movie, which can be summed up in a single word - dreadful. Let’s start with the script by the late veteran Hong Kong screenwriter Szeto Kam Yuen, who had also penned Donnie’s ‘S.P.L.’ and ‘Flash Point’ - while the former two shrewdly chose a simple but tightly wound narrative around the action, ‘Special ID’ sees Yuen channelling ‘Infernal Affairs’ into its story of an undercover cop who wants out but is forced to take on one last mission by his superior (played here with comic but unconvincing effect by Ronald Cheng). Not only is Zilong’s character arc of a tortured cop clichéd, it is tacked on with an equally hackneyed pseudo-romance between Zilong and his Mainland partner Fang Jing (Tian Jing) from which he is supposed to find a sense of composure to his brash aggressive self.

It might have been better if a stronger director was at the helm; unfortunately, the person behind the camera was also behind Donnie’s most atrocious movie in recent years ‘Together’. We’re talking of Clarence Fok, best known for his work on the 1992 Wong Jing scripted film ‘Naked Killer’; here, Fok literally ‘f**ks’ up the direction with poor continuity between scenes, annoying fadeouts and most of all, a utter lack of coherence in the tone of the movie - the latter in fact is particularly ingratiating, as Fok reveals yet again how he has utterly no clue how to build a credible romantic arc, in this case between Zilong and Fang Jing.

But Fok’s shortcomings don’t stop there - there is absolutely no subtlety in the entire movie, so much so Donnie ends up embarrassing himself by overacting in every single dramatic scene. Fok even manages to screw up Donnie’s transformation from impulsive to out-of-control, a supposed crucial turning point in the story where Zilong’s dual identity catches up with him and exacts a punishing toll on the one sole family member he has left - his mother (Paw Hee Ching); as it is, the ending that sees Donnie chasing Sunny down the roads of Shenzhen is rushed and jarring, another frustrating sign of incompetence by a director who should have stayed in retirement.

No thanks to multiple shortcomings, ‘Special ID’ ranks as a queer disappointment. Sure, one goes to a Donnie Yen film for the action, which he does deliver to good - though not great - effect; but there need at least be a competent story to form the narrative glue in between the fights, which in this case is sorely lacking. If Donnie is listening, we’d also advise him to simply stick with dubbing or with his native Cantonese tongue for his next movies - let’s just say that his Cantonese-accented Mandarin is quite the unintentional cringer here. 

Movie Rating:  

(Donnie Yen makes a thrilling return to contemporary MMA-style action; pity the rest of the movie is a muddled mess)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Xinping (Lin Peng) is an independent woman who doesn’t believe in love and she even establishes a company that specialises in helping couples break-up. Business at Xinping’s company is brisk and it is during one of her assignments that she bumps into her childhood friend, Youbo (Yoo Seung Jun). Youbo’s appearance and sudden courtship changes Xinping’s outlook on love and soon, she falls for him. However, the blossoming romance comes to an abrupt end when Xinping finds out that Youbo is actually the General Manager of a rival company. His intention of getting close to her is to sabotage Xinping’s business. Desperate to salvage her business, Xinping takes up a job that defies her company’s principle but promises to pay $300,000: that is to help Zidong (Van Fan), her sister Xinli’s ex-boyfriend, to win Xinli’s heart again….

MOVIE REVIEW:

Mainland Chinese filmmakers have in recent years found a lucrative niche in the genre of romantic comedies - not just are their production costs significantly lower than big-budget historical epics, they have also been able to command a sizeable audience in that market, catering to a demand for wish fulfilment that used to be the stuff of Hollywood rom-coms alone. But for every ‘Finding Mr Right’ - a movie which we enjoyed immensely - there are duds like this one, a flabbergasting exercise in bad filmmaking that can only be a total embarrassment. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Both the visual transfer and audio track are passable. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong