Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Bradley Parker
Cast: Adan Canto, Alicia Sanz, Will Patton, Jonathan Sadowski, Zach Avery, Chinaza Uche
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 22 April 2021
Synopsis: There is a place nestled deep in Appalachian country where underground coal mines have been ablaze for decades. The Devil Below follows a team of researchers intent on finding out how the fires started, and what exactly caused the miners and their families to abandon their home town. The researchers venture deep into the remote region and discover the key to understanding what happened: sinkholes. Naturally formed craters fathoms deep whose soil and gas composition contain the answers they seek. But after a crewman falls down a sinkhole and the group works to find him, they discover something more startling than the mystery that sent them there in the first place: they’re not alone.
Movie Review:
‘The Devil Below’ has B-grade horror written all over it, but that isn’t the reason why this creature feature proves disappointingly underwhelming.
In fact, we were pretty psyched at the start for a gripping mystery, thanks to an effective prologue which sees seasoned miner Paul (Will Patton) watch helplessly as his son is dragged into the depths of an Appalachian mine known as Shookum Hills. What exactly is lurking in the mines? And why is the region denying the existence of the community some 30 years later?
The latter is what confronts the gung-ho adventurer Arianne (Alicia Sanz) and the team of researchers she is leading as they journey into the mountains in search of Shookum Hills. Led by geology professor Darren (Adan Canto), the team – comprising another fellow professor Shawn (Chinaza Uche), tech whiz Terry (Jonathan Sadowski) and security expert Jamie (Zach Avery) – are purportedly on a mission to find a rare element which can only be located deep within the bowels of the earth.
Unsurprisingly, there is more to the mission than what Darren originally lets Arianne in on, although let’s just say that by the time it gets to that part of the movie, we’re not quite sure if you’d even care that Darren had lied about his true intentions. Not surprising too, aside from a campfire moment early on in the movie, there is no further elaboration about these characters. Yet to a certain extent, such paucity of character development is to be expected in similar genre fare.
In its place, as we find out later, is little else. There is a lot of running around in the second act, but director Bradley Parker scarcely knows how to build tension or excitement within these scenes. There is also too little we see about the creatures themselves, and too much ironically of people simply being dragged into the dark, such that we are left less curious than frustrated about what exactly is this “devil” or “devils” below.
Unfortunately, when we do see the creatures in their full glory, we recognise why Parker was trying to hide them away for most of the movie. Not in a good way, the creatures resemble actors dressed up in unconvincing rubber suits – and no, that’s not because Parker intended this as homage to the creature features of the 1970s and 1980s. Notwithstanding that he clearly had a limited budget to work with, there is no denying how artificial the creatures look.
Just as underwhelming is why these creatures have been kidnapping us in the first place. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that it doesn’t stray much further from the fact that they have built up an underground colony and need us as food for their equivalent of the Queen Ant. Even by the time it reaches the climax, it is neither tense, gory or frightening for us to care about what is going on.
And that is ultimately the devil in ‘The Devil Below’ – even as B-grade horror, it fails to deliver anything thrilling or terrifying for its audience. Sure, the concept is intriguing, but it hardly develops into anything we would call consequential. That it is made on the cheap aside, there is no denying how the movie fails to make much good of its plotting and execution. Despite its setup therefore, what happens is simply too mild or insignificant – and not nearly hellish enough.
Movie Rating:
(Hell should not be this boring, or inconsequential, or dumb)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Choi Jae Hoon
Cast: David Lee, Johyun, Kim Do Hoon, Kim Nam Woo, Nam Min Woo
Runtime: 1 h 25 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror and Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 22 April 2021
Synopsis: It feels like someone is controlling me! Do-hyun (David LEE), is a dedicated English major who enjoys his college life. One day, Professor YEO (SEO Yi-sook) asks Do-hyun to help a newly transferred student who is undergoing psychological treatment. Through this, Do-hyun meets Professor CHOI (SON Byung-ho) and undergoes hypnosis. When he wakes up from being hypnotized, Do-hyun begins to have visions of unknown memories. Meanwhile, his friends also face mysterious incidents and suffer from strange hallucinations. Don't trust what you see! With repeated mysterious events and strange afterimages from nightmares, Do-hyun and his friends wonder why Professor CHOI started hypnotizing them. What is the horrifying reality that is happening to Do-hyun and his friends?
Movie Review:
When it comes to hypnosis, you usually belong in one of the two camps: Those that believe and wish to try, and those that don’t but would also like to try. Suffice to say, The Hypnosis is eager to tap into this fascination for this fledgling science, though practitioners might not appreciate the dramatic slant from this horror title.
Do-hyun (David Lee) is a model college student. Well-mannered, studious, conscientious. As a rep in his English major class, he is tasked by his professor Yeo (Seo Yi-sook) to accompany a new transfer who goes for psychological treatments with another resident professor at the school.
Professor Choi (Son Byung-ho) turns out to be someone who uses hypnotherapy for his work, and intrigued by the practice, Do-hyun goes for a session.
It doesn’t take long for the hallucinations to start.
As he starts getting visions of a girl taunting him, his friends also begin to experience the same. As we learn about triggers and past lives and suppressed emotions, here is where The Hypnosis gets a little messy.
The premise Director Choi Jae-hoon tries to put out is a compelling one. How we justify our actions or forget our unsavoury deeds, is in itself similar to self-hypnosis where our brain washes away the acts from memory like a bad stain. When it’s about grief or loss, this can be a coping mechanism. But what if it was trying to hide away darker and more menacing traits?
While the theme peeks through (much more clearly at the end when things are revealed), The Hypnosis fails to really guide us to the satisfying conclusion, mostly because the meat didn’t exactly marinate.
For the most part, the sequences here are choppy. As the group slowly battle with their own supernatural events, there’s no real link between the occurrences and their motivation. A scene would have one character experiencing a terrifying nightmare, but they would then either reappear only after a long absence, or come on-screen without seeming like they were impacted in any way. Even the relationships between the four friends feel extremely empty.
With the happenings getting more grave, it should be obvious that the students should seek the Professor Choi for help, and yet that only comes much later, and again, with not much being extracted from the meetings other than a (very unhelpful) dire warning.
Horror fans will know this sort of writing points to a red herring, so the reveal at the end isn’t all that unexpected. But predictability can be forgiven if the film had us emotionally invested.
It’s odd that the same person who delivered the graceful The Swordsman would be so clumsy here. Maybe the genre was the reason for the awkward sequences? Nevertheless, his aesthetic eye does grant some beautiful sets and lighting, but The Hypnosis needs a richer script to better drive its message and tragedy across.
Movie Rating:
(Promising storyline stumbles badly in its sequences, upsetting motivations and logic for a lukewarm film)
Review by Morgan Awyong
SYNOPSIS: A Manhattan couple moves to a historic hamlet in the Hudson Valley and come to discover that their marriage has a sinister darkness, one that rivals their new home’s history. Based on the acclaimed novel by Elizabeth Brundage.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Maybe it’s best to check with the locals or the local library first if you plan to buy a huge real estate in the middle of nowhere. As seen in many other haunted house horrors, the buyers never seem bother to do any homework before they realized that they are other entities staying in their seemingly perfect new home.
The same goes to the Claires. Together with their young daughter, George (James Norton) and Catherine (Amanda Seyfried) relocate from New York city to upstate after George lands a teaching post in a small college. Catherine meanwhile is suffering from bulimia, depressed from losing her social circle and beloved career in painting while the charming, handsome George has the tendency to go around looking for some cheap flings. In short, the marriage of the seemingly happy couple is on the rocks.
To add on to Catherine’s woes, the lights flicker a lot in the house, furniture moved on its own, mysterious objects liked a ring are found by Catherine. Oil fumes also emanate from their garage and a strange presence lurks in the shadows. George’s department head, Floyd (F. Murray Abraham) even offer to host a séance to help Catherine which serves as the movie’s sole highlight.
Things Heard & Seen has the right mix of a generic horror thriller but the story choses to go further than that by including Christian themes, creepy paintings and one messy historical happening. Most of the promised themes unfortunately went nowhere after two long hours. The movie is more of a marriage story with a ghostly twist than a full-blown horror fest.
The story spent it’s time mostly on George flirting with a young lady she met at the library (a thankless role played by Natalie Dyer from Stranger Things) or Catherine gazing at the well-built young man, Eddy who offers to help around the house. Without the awkward inclusion of loud noises and jump scares, you would not have thought this is a horror thriller to begin with.
Without giving much away, there’s a slight similarity to The Shining the way how Things Heard & Seen progress towards the end. Is Catherine developing paranoid disorder? Or is George possessed matter of fact? However rather than showcasing the fear and thrills faced by the protagonists, much of the developments are largely skimmed through with the marital issues more in focus resulting in a rushed and uninspired ending.
This is apparently Amanda Seyfried’s second horror outing after the equally dismal You Should Have Left. Obviously, the lackluster script has nothing to do with Seyfried or Norton. Mystery, thriller, horror, supernatural, drama. Things Heard & Seen is strangely a movie with many things but mostly ado about nothing.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: In a world where supervillains are commonplace, two estranged childhood best friends reunite after one devises a treatment that gives them powers to protect their city.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Melissa McCarthy has been collaborating with her writer and director husband, Ben Falcone in recent times often to disastrous results. God knows why but that doesn’t seem to stop the husband-and-wife team from coming up with more comedy misfire.
In Netflix’s Thunder Force, also written and directed by Falcone, the story is set in Chicago whereby after a massive cosmic explosion, selected sociopaths are turned into supervillains known as Miscreants. McCarthy stars as Lydia, a loud-mouth, hot-headed container driver who finds herself back in the company of ex-best friend now successful geneticist, Emily (Octavia Spencer). Emily’s goal since young is to create a superhero that could defeat the villains. She is so close to achieving it until Lydia accidentally injects herself with the serum. With no other available alternatives, Emily has to team up with Lydia to form Thunder Force to take down villains liked The King, (Bobby Cannavale), Laser (Pom Klementieff) and The Crab (Jason Bateman).
To be fair to Falcone, he has a pretty cool decent idea this time but the execution and jokes are often far from charming and witty. Take for example, a “knock, knock who’s there?” joke that goes nowhere or a prolonged scene which sees Lydia eating cereal and drinking expired milk. Its scenes liked these that speaks of Falcone’s bad writing, lackluster comic timing and editing. At least hire an accomplice in the future to punch things up.
Thunder Force works best when you put McCarthy’s character in some dumb situations and watching her making even dumber decisions and carrying out whatever batshit crazy antics Falcone wants her to do liked throwing a CGI bus or eating raw chicken breasts for example. Spencer on the other hand has to play things straight making her character ultra-boring and without any sizzling chemistry opposite Lydia. Even though Emily has the power to be invisible, she is mostly and ironically “invisible”, mostly overshadowed by Melissa McCarthy’s shtick.
Even though Falcone managed to nab Jason Bateman as The Crab. The talented actor who stars opposite McCarthy in Identity Thief while playing an interesting-looking villain lacks anything worthy to do or ad-lib except crab-walking. Same goes to Bobby Cannavale who last starred opposite McCarthy in Superintelligence and plays a two-dimensional baddie whose superpower is hugging his opponents to death. Comparing to her Galaxy of the Guardians’ Mantis, Pom Klementieff has the most fun as the psychotic villain Laser.
While the McCarthy-Falcone collaborations yield inept efforts liked Tammy, The Boss and Life of the Party, Thunder Force is at least watchable for some laughs and gags courtesy of some really well-done CGI and action set pieces. Falcone attempts to carve out a heartening tale about friendship between the two estranged friends but it fails miserably. Yet the superhero flick is far more enjoyable than what the couple has concocted over the years combined and it’s not even a superhero satire. Well, to be honest, it’s not a very high benchmark to begin with anyway.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonzo, Raúl Castillo, Deobia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, Scott Eastwood
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language & Violence)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 29 April 2021
Synopsis: WRATH OF MAN is a revenge based action thriller from acclaimed and innovative director Guy Ritchie (Aladdin, Sherlock Holmes, Snatch). This contemporary movie tells the story of the cold and mysterious ‘H’ as he goes to work at a cash truck company that moves hundreds of millions of dollars around Los Angeles every week. H’s objective is unique and unanticipated, but is only revealed incrementally, utilizing a suspenseful and carefully constructed nonlinear narrative to lay bare his true intentions. Shifting across timelines and various character’s perspectives, WRATH OF MAN builds to a thrilling, tragic, and inevitably bloody catharsis.
Movie Review:
Few actor-director collaborations in the crime thriller genre are as electrifying as that of Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie. ‘Wrath of Man’ marks their fourth time together following ‘Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels’, ‘Snatch’ and ‘Revolver’, and the Los Angeles-set remake of the 2004 French movie ‘Le Convoyeur’ sees the British duo attempt a change in tone from their earlier films. Gone is the self-aware humour that is Ritchie’s trademark; instead, the British director channels his inner Michael Mann to deliver a tense and taut thriller that rivals the best from the auteur.
Co-written by Ritchie, the story opens with the single most pivotal scene of the entire movie. While on one of its usual runs, an armoured cash truck gets hijacked by a professional crew posing as construction workers, and amidst the scruffle, an innocent teenage bystander is shot dead by one of the robbers. What follows is told in four brilliantly named chapters – ‘A Dark Spirit’, ‘Scorched Earth’, ‘Bad Animals, Bad’ and ‘Liver, Lungs, Spleen and Heart’ – whose events are chronologically shuffled to give us perspective from each of the key players.
Not surprisingly, ‘A Dark Spirit’ refers to the strong and silent employee Patrick Hill (Statham) who has just joined Fortico Security, a company specialising in armoured truck transport. Simply called ‘H’ by his colleagues, the newbie is at first dismissed by them, until he single-handedly takes out an entire crew during an attempted robbery. While most are impressed, some are also suspicious of H’s identity, not least because he had demonstrated mediocre scores on his shooting test prior. These suspicions are confirmed when during another separate robbery attempt, H scares off the entire crew just by showing his face to them.
With that, ‘Scorched Earth’ reveals who H is, including and especially why he had assumed a new identity to join the ranks of Fortico; while ‘Bad Animals, Bad’ focuses on the group of ex-military personnel-turned-robbers whom H finds himself up against. Like its name suggests, ‘Liver, Lungs, Spleen and Heart’ brings H together with his nemeses in brutal and violent fashion; in particular, the climactic heist sequence is absolutely heart-pounding, magnificently choreographed and executed with clockwork precision and maximum firepower.
That sequence underscores what is obvious over the course of the movie – unlike his previous movies, even say his last ‘The Gentlemen’, Ritchie has distinctly abandoned his trademark stylistic flourishes, frenetic pacing and wise-cracking banter in favour of a hard-boiled crime thriller that isn’t afraid to pull any punches, break any bones or even spill any blood. Indeed, we dare say that those expecting a typical Ritchie vehicle will probably be disappointed, for ‘Wrath of Man’ shows the director willing to go into auteur territory in order to burnish his filmmaker credentials.
And for the most part, Ritchie impresses with a gripping thriller not afraid to reshuffle the deck in order to disrupt expectations, be it what H is after, who H really is, or whom he is up against. If it isn’t yet apparent, you should know that the movie is much more of an ensemble story than what its poster or trailer suggests, giving substantial parts in the story to supporting characters such as H’s veteran co-worker Bullet (Holy McCallany), the artful leader of the group of soldiers-turned-criminals Jackson (Jeffrey Donovan), and the volatile member of the group Jan (Scott Eastwood). Even as he plays around with chronology and points-of-view, Ritchie demonstrates a firm grasp over the storytelling, keeping the proceedings tight throughout the entire movie.
As different as this may be in tone and style from their previous collaborations, Statham proves the perfect leading man for ‘Wrath of Man’. With just the right amount of understatement, Statham embodies the gruff, menacing and determined nature of his character beautifully, leading the charge both as an action star as well as a dramatic actor. The rest of the cast are for the most part impeccably chosen, with perhaps the exception of Josh Hartnett as a tough-talking coward named Boy Sweat Dave and Post Malone in an unnecessary glorified cameo.
Even so, this is a rock-solid heist thriller by Ritchie. The pacing never falters, the writing is sharp, and the action is pulse-pounding. It is also a satisfying revenge tale, anchored by Statham’s compelling tough-guy act. Thanks to Statham, ‘Wrath of Man’ oozes with machismo that comes to a head in the explosive finale worth the price of admission alone. Truth be told, Ritchie and Statham probably took a break with each other after 2005’s critically panned ‘Revolver’, but ‘Wrath of Man’ reinforces that there is indeed winning chemistry between the duo and reason to look forward to their fifth time together in ‘Five Eyes’.
Movie Rating:
(Tense, taut and pulse-pounding, this rock-solid heist thriller sees Guy Ritchie channel his inner Michael Mann to superb effect)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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BOOK REVIEW #38: DISNEY'S LANDPosted on 12 Apr 2021 |
SYNOPSIS: While investigating the death of a businessman, a prosecutor and his wife uncover occult secrets as they face their own life-and-death dilemma.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Despite the ongoing political entanglements, The Soul is a co-production between Mainland and Taiwan proving by putting aside all differences, great cinematic work can be accomplished by Chinese from all nations. Loosely adapted from one of sci-fi novelist Jiang Bo’s works, the screen version is written by director Cheng Wei-hao and two other credited writers.
Expectations are high given that Cheng has a good track record with movies liked The Tag-Along and Who Killed Cock Robin and with The Soul, the young Taiwanese filmmaker clearly is one talent to watch out for.
Prominent businessman Wang Shih-Tsung (Samuel Ku) is killed by his estranged son, Wang Tien-Yu (Lin Huimin) in a mystic occult ritual. The younger Wang fled the scene after the killing and the only witnesses are elder Wang’s second wife, Li Yan (Sun Anke) who was found unconscious beside Wang’s body and their domestic helper. In comes Prosecutor Liang (Chang Chen) and his colleague and wife A-Bao (Ning Chan) who feels that there are more to it than a simple case of murder given that all Wang’s assets and his billion-dollar company are bequeathed to his friend and CEO, Professor Wan (Christopher Lee) and Li Yan.
It so happens that Liang is suffering from brain cancer but instead of taking a leave of absence, Liang continues to work on the high-profile case with A-Bao, hoping to leave whatever money he can to his partner and unborn child. Coincidentally, Professor Wan is working on a breakthrough in tackling cancerous cells in an attempt to revive the fate of the company which is currently in financial trouble. These and many more developments constitute a suspense thriller that even a diehard movie fan will find difficult to predict the final outcome or solve the mystery.
There’s in fact no horror elements present in The Soul even though Cheng frequently distracts us with mentions of occult rituals, curse and a tease of the supernatural. And why the movie is set in the near futuristic Taipei basked in neon-blue and dark hues reminiscent of Blade Runner? The logical explanation could be Cheng is trying to introduce us to the concept of “memories transferring” from one person to another. How this scientific experiment be tied to the murder? It’s best you watch the movie to find out the truth.
Cheng cleverly piles on twists after twists. Just when you thought the mystery has been unravelled, Cheng tops it with another turn. To his credit, the story never feels fabricated, the emotions never phony. At the core of The Soul, it’s all about human relationship. Tragic but true. Professor Wan and A-Bao are victims of love and so is Wang’s first wife, Tang Su-zhen (Zhang Baijia) while Li Yan is simply a victim of greed.
The Soul is a slow-boiler with plenty of exposition and dialogue so don’t expect any fancy chase scenes between cop and suspect although Cheng’s frequent collaborator, Ning Chang gets to kick ass in one particular scene. Running at 130 minutes, it does require a little patience but the compelling premise never disappoint. Chang Chen’s physical transformation as the emaciated Liang is truly stunning. Ning Chang is excellent as well and with her short crop, she reminds one of 80’s actress Fennie Yuen. Given such a layered character, Christopher Lee turns in one of his meatiest performances in years. Great twisty story, emotionally staggering performances and strong direction, this is one flick that shouldn’t be missed.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Wong Jing, Woody Hui
Cast: Louis Koo, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Francis Ng, Lam Ka-tung, Philip Keung, Michelle Hu, Kent Cheng, Jacky Cai
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 29 April 2021
Synopsis: In the early 70s Hong Kong, corruption was as rampant as ever. Chinese detective sergeant Lak Chui (Francis Ng) colluded with Cripple Ho (Tony Leung Ka-fai), lord of the underworld, and made billions of dollars through bribery. Lawyer Hank Chan (Louis Koo) despised this kind of illegal acceptance of benefits and believed this deprived the public from fighting for their own rights. His luck came when he met Nash Pak (Lam Ka Tung). Nash admired Hank’s integrity and invited him to join the ICAC. The fight between the righteous and the evil had begun…
Movie Review:
Not to be confused with the much-touted Andy Lau – Tony Leung reunion which just completed filming, this similarly titled crime thriller from directors Wong Jing and Woody Hui tells of two dogged ICAC investigators, Hank Chan (Louis Koo) and Nash Pak (Gordon Lam), who embark on an uphill mission to dismantle the empire of corruption within the police force. In particular, they find themselves up against detective sergeant Lak Chui (Francis Ng), who is in cahoots with Cripple Ho (Tony Leung Kar-fai) to enable the latter’s narcotics smuggling.
Those familiar with Wong Jing will recognise how the former enfant terrible of lowbrow comedies has been trying to shore up his credibility as a serious filmmaker of late, and while he succeeded with ‘Chasing the Dragon’, Wong did not quite sustain the same acclaim with his efficient but otherwise routine follow-up. Just as well, this latest that was originally intended as a sequel to his 2009 film ‘I Corrupt All Cops’, which also chronicled the origins of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), is efficiently made but otherwise routine and even uninspired.
Not surprisingly, Wong, who also co-wrote the movie, cares little about historical accuracy, so don’t go in expecting a factual account of the early days of the ICAC. But what is truly disappointing, especially for those who have seen both of his earlier movies, is how he simply decides to repurpose the events and characters within them to spin another familiar procedural. Lak was in the earlier ‘I Corrupt All Cops’ too, except that he was played by Tony Leung Kar-fai then and now by Francis Ng. The earlier film had Lak’s lackey Unicorn join the ICAC; this time, that role is played by Elon (Philip Keung) and Jan (Parkman Wong), both of whom switch sides at various points in the movie. And then you have Cripple Ho, from his ‘Chasing the Dragon’, now played by Tony Leung Kar-fai instead of Donnie Yen, though relegated to little more than a supporting act given the focus on Lak, Hank and Nash.
Just as he did in ‘Chasing the Dragon II’, Wong again short-changes Leung with a flashy yet under-written role that gives the veteran actor little to do except glower and act menacing as a criminal kingpin. Indeed, the focus here is on the other three characters, although neither get sufficiently compelling treatment for the film to be a character study on either. Nash starts off the movie as narrator, telling how he recruited an upright but frustrated lawyer Hank to set up the ICAC, how they grew the ICAC’s ranks including with Elon, and how their initial missions get thwarted by Lak’s intervention. Yet Wong starts to lose interest in the ICAC by the end of the first act, such that the second act shifts focus to Lak, his loyal associate Pudgy (Kent Cheng) and their maneuverings with both Ho and the corrupt British superiors on the take. By the end of the second act, it is Lak and Pudgy who have taken centre stage, even despite a well-staged ill-fated ambush that ends up imperiling the ICAC.
Because Wong never quite establishes where the perspective of his film lies, we are left unsure whether he is trying to make an anti-corruption statement or persuading us that the bad guys aren’t as bad as they were made out to be. We suspect that his sympathies lie with the latter, given how much more attention he spends humanising Lak and Pudgy than even Hank or Nash, but for the sake of not upsetting the Chinese censors, have had to couch it within the former. The result is a muddled film that doesn’t know exactly what it wants to say, and fails to make an impression either way.
What Wong does have going for him is an ensemble whose acting alone makes the movie worth watching. Yes, Wong has gathered some of the best living actors in Hong Kong cinema into his movie, and though he underserves their presence with his writing, there is no denying their sheer star power. Ng is perfectly nuanced as Lak, portraying a man who struggles to maintain his rules and ways of keeping law and order even as they are being eroded by forces beyond his control. Koo brings his signature cool persona to his character, even though there are hints at the start he might be prepared to play against type. Both Lam and Leung are relegated to supporting roles, but their trademark understatement is still magnetic to watch. Though not given top billing, Cheng and Keung get surprisingly meaty roles; and in particular, Cheng gets his most substantive part in recent years playing what is probably the film’s most relatable character.
Truth be told, we were quite looking forward to ‘Once Upon A Time in Hong Kong’, given its roster of veteran actors. Yet while it isn’t a letdown, it is hardly as compelling as we had expected, not least because we were hoping that it would be as good as ‘Chasing the Dragon’. Even so, those in the mood for nostalgia will appreciate it as a throwback to the sort of cops-versus-gangsters drama which you won’t see in contemporary Hong Kong cinema. It is efficiently made all right, and therefore eminently watchable, but it doesn’t disguise the fact that it feels perfunctory and is ultimately a retread of what Wong had done in his storied filmography.
Movie Rating:
(Repurposing the events of 'I Corrupt All Cops' and 'Chasing the Dragon', Wong Jing's latest is an efficiently made but ultimately perfunctory retread that is fuelled by its sheer star power)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Patrick Hughes
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Tom Hopper, Frank Grillo, Richard E. Grant, Morgan Freeman
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 June 2021
Synopsis: The world’s most lethal odd couple - bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and total chaos. Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem are Antonio Banderas as a vengeful and powerful madman and Morgan Freeman as… well, you’ll have to see.
Movie Review:
Not much makes sense in ‘Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’, a slapdash sequel to a mediocre mismatched buddy comedy hit from four years ago. As if convinced that those who have seen the earlier movie would naturally be flocking back, returning director Patrick Hughes barely tries to inject any degree of coherence into his movie, relying instead on the charisma of his star-studded cast to deliver a loud, lazy and profane summer diversion.
When we are first reunited with Ryan Reynolds’ bodyguard Michael Bryce, the once triple-A-rated protection agent has lost his licence and is seeing his shrink to cure the nightmares he has of his former client. Unfortunately, Samuel L. Jackson’s sociopathic hitman Darius Kincaid isn’t doing much better: he’s been kidnapped by the Italian mafia. Of course, that is merely excuse for Darius’ wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) to interrupt Michael’s sabbatical to ask his help to save her husband.
Turns out that Darius’ kidnapper, whom Darius ends up shooting in the head, is an informant for the Interpol, which happens to be tracking the demented Greek billionaire Aristotle Papadopolous (Antonio Banderas). Upset over the sanctions which the EU has imposed on his country, Aristotle plans to hack into a central data junction to bring down its entire infrastructure network. So just like that, the fate of Europe lies in the hands of two bickering frenemies and a ferocious con-artist, although there is hardly any doubt that they would eventually save the day.
As busy as the plotting subsequently gets, it is only window-dressing for the mélange of car chases, gunfights and explosions that is jam-packed into the movie; and that’s not to mention the sky-high body count, with plenty of nameless extras getting killed, often with their brains splattered. Indeed, the mayhem is particularly over-the-top, and you should know that Hughes wears the honour of his movie being probably the most violent movie you’ll see in the cinemas this summer proudly on his sleeve. And yet all the excess frankly gets tired pretty quickly, not least because Hughes doesn’t bring much gusto to the action.
Neither for that matter does Hughes bring much inspiration to the set-up, and the same can be said of his screenwriters (including returning writer Tom O’Connor, and brothers Brandon and Philip Murphy). Whereas the first movie had moments of comic brilliance, such as a fun sing-along with a group of nuns or Hayek beating up goons to Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Hello’, this sequel seems content to simply rehash its predecessor’s glories, so much so that both the nuns and Ritchie’s song make a comeback but to diminishing effect. It also mistakes vulgarity for levity, to the extent that we’ve lost count just how many times the word ‘motherf**ker’ is uttered.
That said, no one does badass like Jackson does, and even though he has done this thing 100 times, it is still as entertaining as it is in its own right. Jackson also still has a blast emasculating Reynolds, and while the latter is cast here as the straight man, the duo radiate the same infectious chemistry as they did in the first movie. This time though, Hayek steals many of the scenes playing a sociopath as foul-mouthed as her husband, the actress leaning into the ridiculousness of it all with such unbounded energy that we haven’t seen from her in a while.
Perhaps the only ingenuity that we found in this sequel is with the introduction of Michael’s stepfather Bryce Senior (Morgan Freeman), who used to be a top notch bodyguard himself and had taught the younger Bryce the tricks of the trade. Not only are the scenes between Reynolds and Freeman refreshingly offbeat, the story also finds ways to make Bryce Senior more than just a glorified cameo in the larger scheme of things; and at the grand age of 84, Freeman shows that he’s still got some good old wily surprise to boot.
Frankly, with such a killer cast (pun intended), you’d probably wish ‘Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’ was a lot better than it would turn out to be; and we can say we’d certainly had expected more. Yet those looking for some summertime Hollywood escapism will find this frenetic action comedy adequately breezy, carried from start to finish by a dynamic trio of actors who give it their all and fire on all cylinders. It’s a definite notch down from its predecessor, but if you’re content to have a blast with Reynolds, Hayek and Jackson, you won’t begrudge ‘Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’ (yes, we’ve listed the cast in that order) for being as utterly trashy as it is.
Movie Rating:
(One star each for the star power of Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson, who give it this by-the-numbers action comedy their all, despite a less than inspired setup)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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BOOK REVIEW #39: GREENLIGHTSPosted on 19 Apr 2021 |
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