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THE GOLDFINGER (金手指) Press ConferencePosted on 25 Dec 2023 |
Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Chen Zhuo
Cast: Greg Hsu, Ning Chang, Kara Wai, Andrew Yin
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures and Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 14 December 2023
Synopsis: Young and beautiful entrepreneur Joanna is accused of being the culprit in a locked-room murder case, where the victim is her lover Minghao, during a time when her life and career are flourishing. In order to clear her name, she slowly gathers clues with the police officer Zheng Wei. As they investigate the case together, they discover another murder case that Joanna and Minghao had committed together. The truth gradually comes to light...
Movie Review:
In 2016, a Spanish movie about a young businessman who is accused of murder, and has less than three hours to figure out what happened with his hired prestigious lawyer was released. It received lukewarm response in its home country, but surprisingly made a killing in the international market when it was released in China the following year. It is no wonder then, that the green light was given for the Chinese remake of the mystery thriller. It is also notable that the original movie directed by Oriol Paulo has previously been remade in Italy, India and Korea.
Chen Zhuo, who made his mark in the industry when his debut film Song Of Silence was recognised with the Firebird Award for Best Feature in the Young Cinema section of 2012’s Hong Kong International Film Festival, is responsible for translating the original version for the Chinese audiences. Backed by Chinese streamer iQiyi, the movie features a star studded lineup with Taiwan’s Greg Hsu and Ning Chang, Hong Kong’s Kara Wai and China’s Andrew Yin headlining the movie.
The movie opens with the murder of an architect (Yin) in a hotel room. The case has led to complications in the political scene, as the suspect (Chang) is the wife of a wealthy and powerful businessman who controls the finances of the unnamed Southeast Asian country (we are seeing a trend here with other Mainland Chinese productions like the recent Lost In The Stars and Last Suspect) the story is set in.
A greedy police chief (Hsu) shows up at the suspect’s doorsteps and convinces her to tell the truth behind the crime, convincing her that he can prove her innocence if she pays him a huge some of reward. Through the flashbacks, it is revealed that there is another missing person in this complicated case, and his wife (Wai) is desperately trying to locate him.
The movie goes to and fro in an attempt to confuse viewers with its supposedly twisty plot. One moment, the suspect is a vulnerable woman who is forced to witness a terrible crime, and the next moment, she is a scheming femme fatale with what she thought was a perfect plan to get away with murder. Did the architect deserve to die? You first see him depicted as a man with anger management issues, then in another version, he is someone who is suffering from depression and is terribly sorry for causing a family’s loss. Elsewhere, the police chief is also a suspicious character – what does he exactly want with his ever changing deductions of what really happened? And is the grieving woman who lost her husband truly sympathetic?
Throughout the 106 minute runtime, audiences would be thrown around the different narratives. This means that the same scenario would be replayed from different perspectives, and logic will be repeatedly thrown out of the window. You may also be distracted by the competent performances of the four leads. But if you pay close attention, you may just figure out the motives of the various characters early in the film. And with this being a Mainland Chinese production, you can be sure the bad guy will not be able to escape the long arm of the law at the end of the day.
Movie Rating:
(This Chinese remake of a Spanish crime thriller features competent performances and enough twists and turns to keep you in your seat)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: When a mysterious corpse is found in a river, a distressed police officer delves into a string of grisly murders as danger quickly approaches.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Deputy police officer Wu Chieh (Janine Chang) is on the brink of killing herself after her depression-suffering partner commits suicide. But her attempt is thwarted by a group of teenagers who stumbled upon a dead body. Shortly, together with a rookie (Chloe Xiang), she is assigned to the case by her Captain.
The victim turned out to be a runaway migrant worker with her finger missing and body mutilated. Subsequent clues point them to You-sheng (Ethan Juan), a grocery shop owner who doubles up as a middleman for runaway illegal migrant workers.
The mystery deepens when You-sheng helps to bury a corpse and his best friend, a taxi driver is suspected to be involved in the killing spree. Who is the real killer here and what is the motive behind the murders?
Similar to the acclaimed Netflix series, Port of Lies which starred Christopher Lee as a unconventional prosecutor, The Abandoned also touches on the plight of migrant workers in Taiwan instead of just another disturbing serial killer movie. While of course this is not a documentary on runaway migrant workers, it marks for an interesting look at a country not known for employing migrant workers in the past.
The narrative mostly divides its time between Chieh and You-sheng, each fighting their own inner demons in addition to solving the increasing cases of migrant workers being mercilessly murdered. Chieh is guilt-ridden for not paying attention to her suffering future spouse and she wants to join him in the after-life if not for the appearance of this horrifying case. You-sheng on the other hand wants to lay his hands on the culprit for killing his ex-girlfriend.
The process is more than compelling enough throughout and no doubt director Tseng Ying-ting and the cinematographers did an excellent job crafting the mounting tension and atmosphere. The crime thriller successfully delivers a few heart-pounding chases and the finale is treated with a good measure of brutality and disturbances to bring a closure to the case.
For a crime flick which runs less than two hours, The Abandoned packs enough suspense and superb character driven performances from Chang and Juan. Definitely a good start to 2024.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: From the director of TILL WE MEET AGAIN (2021), Giddens Ko returns with another whimsical love story adapted from his short story novel Precisely Out of Control. Starring award-winning actress Vivian Sung (NINA WU, 2019), musician/rapper Daniel Hong, and Kai Ko (MONEYBOY, 2021), with their captivating performance in this romantic comedy MISS SHAMPOO, it will amplify your love potion and get ready to fall in love all over again. In a hair salon located in an alley, apprentice Fen practices day and night in the hope of becoming a fully-fledged hairdresser soon. On a stormy night, Tai, a wounded gang boss, rushes into the salon to hide from his rival. With Fen’s help, Tai manages to escape. Smitten by Fen and to repay her kindness, Tai brings his underlings to have their hair cut in the salon and passionately pursues Fen. When Fen and Tai, who come from such different backgrounds, gradually come to understand each other and fall in love, Tai’s rival shows up and challenges Tai. Could the couple work together to overcome the difficulties and start a new life?
MOVIE REVIEW:
The multi-hyphenate filmmaker, Giddens Ko (from You Are the Apple of My Eye) returns with his unique brand of humour and storytelling in Miss Shampoo.
Adapted from one of his short stories, Miss Shampoo tells the tale of how a triad gangster, Tai (Daniel Hong) falls madly in love with a hairdresser apprentice, Fen (Vivian Sung) after she saves him from a group of assassins.
With the support from his fellow followers or “brothers” as Tai prefers to call them, the latter begins to woo Fen despite her declaring she has an undergraduate boyfriend. Despite her less than impressive hairdressing skills, Tai forces or “introduces” his fellow gang members as clients to Fen.
But will this pair of unlikely duo ended up together in this familiar romantic affair?
While the prologue showcases a violent bloody affair involving Tai’s boss being murdered by a group of Thai assailants, the rest of the movie that follows is a light-hearted, occasional raunchy rom-com that has Tai doing all sorts of crazy gimmicks to win over Fen including seeking the approval of Fen’s family members to have sex with her.
If you are familiar with Giddens Ko’s stuff, you wouldn’t be too surprise by all his madcap, nonsensical humour and ultra-silly gags and tropes. However, Miss Shampoo spends so much time on the budding romance between Tai and Fen that the brewing intense triad rivalry between the various parties becomes much of an afterthought after the explosive opening.
One of Giddens’ frequent collaborator, Kai Ko also appears as Tai’s right hand man, Bryan who feels as a leader, Tai is not doing a good job leading the men. There is a much more interesting angle to the character of Bryan but unfortunately, his screen time is sacrificed for the love story. Adding insult to injury, there’s a last minute insertion of a backstory that tells of Tai’s past friendship with a national baseball player.
To be honest, Giddens Ko packs a bit too much to the narrative that it comes off neither satisfactory as a romantic comedy nor a revenge mafia story. Vivian Sung of course is likeable as the unconventional female lead. Newcomer Daniel Hong is both tough and fumbling as the “big brother” if only the story is as fulfilling as Ko’s last hit, Till We Meet Again.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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LEE SUN-KYUN (이선균) (1975 - 2023)Posted on 27 Dec 2023 |
SYNOPSIS: Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo—fifty unmarked wooden crates—from Carpathia to London. Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a merciless presence onboard the ship. When the Demeter finally arrives off the shores of England, it is a charred, derelict wreck. There is no trace of the crew.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Based on a chapter from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the story of the cursed merchant ship which was supposed to deliver some unmarked wooden crates from Transylvania to London.
Saved for the prologue whereby a Cambridge graduated doctor named Clemens (Corey Hawkins) is being recruited on the ill-fated journey, the horror is set entirely on the large ship making it the ideal location for a claustrophobic, terrifying experience. The crew consists mainly of Captain Elliot (Liam Cunningham), his grandson Toby (Woody Norman) and his faithful dog, Quartermaster Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) and several others including a cook, a Russian and a gypsy.
Shortly after, the livestock on ship and Toby’s furkid are all found dead under mysterious circumstances. A young stowaway named Anna (Aisling Francis) escaped from one of the wooden crates and warned the crew of the creature that feeds on human blood sending the crew into a frenzy as more deaths happened as the nights go.
Kudos to director Andre Ovredal (Scary Stories to tell in the Dark), The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an old-school horror affair that relies on mood, cinematography to sell the impending terror than simplistic gore and blood-curdling screams. Indeed, there’s a few moments of intense kills and bloody neck munching from the creature known as Dracula but it never reaches the intense level of modern horror cinema.
The Dracula presented here is not some English gentleman dressed in tuxedo and cape. In fact, the monster is more of a flying bat than a man in most instances. He lurks in the darkness of the hull, he lures his victims and sucks out their blood and ruthlessly ends their lives under the scorching sun.
As for the cast, Hawkins shines as the man who believes in science and reason but nevertheless joins in the hunt when he is the last man standing. There’s also an interesting, thought-provoking detail in the movie that depicts his struggles as a Black man. Cunningham and Dastmalchian has a few worthy, impressive onscreen moments especially the former who has a heart-wrenching scene while Aisling Francis gets to kick some serious Dracula ass in the climax.
It’s a huge pity The Last Voyage of the Demeter didn’t turned up to be a hit. Perhaps it’s the slow-burn, the lack of bloody kills and the lack of jump scares that fails to pull in the audiences. Personally, this is one of the best executed, handsomely produced horror flick based on a classic horror character (not from an ongoing horror franchise) we have seen in years.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Crime/Comedy
Director: Albert Mak
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Lam Ka Tung, Richie Jenn, Cheung Ho Yee, Lam Suet, John Chiang, Loi Hoi-pang, Nina Paw, Nancy Wu, Michael Wong, Paulyn Sun, Calvert Fu, Leung Chung-hang, John Chiang, Jr
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 February 2024
Synopsis: Two perplexed middle-aged losers, Robby (LAM Ka Tung) and Fai (Richie JEN) are good friends. Fai is an honest man. His wife left him with an elderly home business. Fai has tried very hard to keep it running until the owner increases the rent crustily. Taxi driver Robby, who is timid and unreliable, always neglects the conflicts between his mother and his wife. Robby always lives paycheck to paycheck without a financial plan, so he is at a loss what to do. Two robberies involving the money exchange stores across the street encourage Robby and Fai to get a gun and rob the same. It is a destiny to meet the ruthless bandit Mui (Aaron KWOK), who acts wicked, scheming and chivalrous.
Movie Review:
Even before you watch the movie, a bucktoothed Aaron Kwok is going to first capture your attention regardless from the poster or promotional trailers, a far cry from his usual suave, charming self. Yes, the Heavenly King might be known for his good looks and slick dance moves but in Rob N Roll, his performance as a robber and professional wrestler from a certain Southeast Asian country will leave you gasping for more.
Kwok plays Brother Tin, a vicious robber who tries to escape the police after a major heist in temple street. Unfortunately, his henchman lost a bag of loot after encountering some patrol policemen. The bag of money happens to land inside the boot of a taxi belonging to Robby (Gordon Lam), a down-and-out taxi driver who has a long list of financial and domestic issues.
Before that, Robby’s buddy, Fai (Richie Jen) approached him to stage a robbery in order to raise money for his debt-ridden nursing home. And thus the two buddies ended up trying to buy a gun from a bumbling man played by Lam Suet. Tin on the other hand has to find the loot in order to repay his debts to a middleman nicknamed Uncle Shrimp (veteran John Chiang). While the whole fiasco is going on, a tough policewoman (Maggie Cheung Ho-yee) and her partner is hot on the heels of Tin.
Despite the overly busy narrative and numerous characters, assistant director turned director Albert Mak manages to keep things flowing seamlessly and thoroughly engaging. It’s not just a simple plot of retrieving some missing stolen cash or a brotherly love affair between Robby and Fai or a rousing action police and robbers flick. The truth happens to be all of the above, nicely packaged and packed in an efficient 98 minutes.
Liked a generous Santa Claus, the screenplay keeps on giving. There’s also a money exchange robber who gets embroiled in the cash grab scheme and Charcoal (played by Michael Wong), a triad boss who gets his finger shot off in a genuinely funny scene.
But nothing can take away the presence of Kwok who commands the screen with his portrayal of the quirky yet ruthless robber. Brother Tin will always expect everyone to say thanks to him and he lives by his code of not letting his buddy suffer if the latter gets shot. These little oddities gave Tin a loveable, memorable edge over the typical villain. Not forgetting the guy has a tragic backstory as well.
In all fairness, Gordon Lam and Richie Jen has their moments as two squabbling buddies struggling to live in the pressurised society. Perhaps there is an eagerness to drop in some social awareness of the poor and suffering but the story keeps falling back to Tin and the two unfortunate friends. Don’t get us wrong though, it’s a good thing by the way.
Strictly speaking, Rob N Roll is not an action flick though it has an explosive, gun-toting prologue. It reminds one of an old Johnny To’s flick with the various, wacky characters but Mak and his screenwriters have no intention to mimic the master filmmaker. On the contrary, this is certainly an exhilarating update to the formulaic Hong Kong Cinema with its excellent casting and storytelling.
Movie Rating:
(With a top-notch performance by Aaron Kwok, Rob N Roll is an enjoyable dark comedy with some guns and robber elements thrown in)
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: An urgent phone call comes in to the bullet train general control center. The caller says that a bomb has been planted on the Hayabusa No. 60 bullet train heading toward Tokyo, and that it will explode as soon as its speed goes below 100 kilometers per hour. The criminal demands 100 billion yen in exchange for deactivating the bomb, forcing the railway workers into a desperate race against time as they struggle to prevent an explosion. Will the Hayabusa No. 60 be able to avert this disaster as it hurtles down the tracks?
MOVIE REVIEW:
We’ve not seen the classic 1975 Ken Takakura/ Sonny Chiba disaster movie on which this was based; but we suspect that many viewers wouldn’t have either. Still, familiarity is absolutely not necessary to enjoy this high-wire action thriller with a very simple premise at its core – what if there were not just one but several bombs planted on a Shinkansen, that would go off if its speed dropped below 100 kilometers per hour?
After reviving similar Japanese classics with ‘Shin Godzilla’ and ‘Shin Ultraman’, animator-turned-director Shinji Higuchi trains his sights on ‘The Bullet Train’, and largely pulls off a nail-biting masterclass in tension and suspense from start to finish. The train in question is a E5 Series Shinkansen running the Hayabusa 60 (5060B), bound from Shin-Aomori on Honshu island to Tokyo; and not long after it has departed, an anonymous caller phones into the JR East Headquarters to convey the threat, proving his or her seriousness by blowing up a freight train at Aomori-Higashi.
Right off the bat, it is clear that Higuchi intends for his movie to be as authentic as possible; and it is impressive to see what he has pulled off from his unprecedented access to JR East trains and facilities. From the trains themselves, to the control room of the JR East operations, and right down to the rolling stock centres, Higuchi makes use of each of these to give us an inside look at what contingencies and possibilities could arise should such a nightmare scenario indeed come to pass.
In turn, besides highlighting the best and worst of human behaviour during such crises, Higuchi also emphasises the professionalism, dedication and ingenuity of the JR East staff. That is primarily illustrated through Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), the head manager of the Hayabusa 60 on board the locomotive, and Kasagi (Takumi Sitoh), the general manager for JR East within the ops room. Together, they engineer three key points of intervention – first, to avoid a southbound train stalled at Morioka due to a bird strike; second, to mount a rescue attempt using another Shinkansen to link up with the 5060B from the rear; and third, to save the remaining passengers while avoiding the 5060B from reaching Tokyo Station and causing even more massive damage at the city centre.
Each of these are carefully choreographed set-pieces in and of themselves, switching between multiple points of view to give us a first-hand look at the players involved, the coordination needed and the stakes at risk. Within the control room, there is some shade thrown at government bureaucracy, represented by the presence of the advisor to the Prime Minister whose calculations are highly political; and on board the train, there is good use of a millionaire influencer Todoroki (Jun Kaname), who takes matters into his own hands when the Government refuses to crowdsource the ¥100 billion goal that the terrorist demands, as well as disgraced politician Kagami (Machiko Ono), who initially sees the occasion through her own political lens but eventually rises to the occasion as a leader.
We won’t spoil the surprise just who the caller is – suffice to say that if there is a weak link in the whole movie, this is probably it, because it does require a huge suspension of disbelief to think that someone like that could pull off such a stunt, even if said person had tutelage from a demolition expert. To be fair, Higushi and his screenwriters Kazuhiro Nakagawa and Norichika Ōba try their level best to make it convincing, but it is frankly a stretch that not even a Shinkansen travelling at that speed can overcome with confidence.
Still, as disaster thrillers go, ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ is a tense, thrilling affair that reminds you of the best of the genre. It offers the sort of edge of your seat action which defines such blockbusters, while keeping its focus on both the bureaucracy and humanity of the larger-than-life situation. At more than two hours, it could certainly be much tighter than it is, but the beauty of Netflix is you can pace yourself out if you do need an intermission; and even if it isn’t on the big screen per se, we dare say this is one of the biggest real-life Japanese movie you’ll get to see in recent memory..
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Thriller
Director: Claudio Fäh
Cast: Sophie Mcintosh, Colm Meaney, Phyllis Logan, Will Attenborough, Jeremias Amoore, Grace Nettle, Manuel Pacific
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Coarse Language and Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 18 January 2024
Synopsis: Ava (Sophie Mcintosh), the daughter of the Governor of California, is hoping for a peaceful getaway with friends in the resort town of Cabo, Mexico – with her faithful minder Brandon (Colm Meaney) in tow. But when the plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean and comes to rest on the edge of an underwater ravine, Ava and a handful of survivors, including a former army nurse, Mardy (Phyllis Logan), and her granddaughter, Rosa (Grace Nettle), are trapped in the airlocked cabin. Against the odds, Ava must fend for herself, contend with bloodthirsty sharks, and find the courage to step up and lead the crash survivors to safety.
Movie Review:
From the producer of 47 Meters Down comes No Way Up, a survival thriller that combines both disaster and shark attack into a one boring affair. Kind of unbelievable given the potential of a cheesy dumb entertaining movie.
With pressing time for character development, we are shortly introduced to Ava (Sophie Mcintosh), her boyfriend Jed (Jeremias Amoore), their jerk of a friend, Kyle (Will Attenborough) and Ava’s personal bodyguard, Brandon (Cole Meaney). She is the daughter of a Governor of California after all.
Adding to the shark’s selection of food as well is gay flight crew member, Danilo (Manuel Pacific), a young British girl, Rosa (Grace Nettle) and her grandma, an ex-British nurse, Mardy (Phyllis Logan).
Expectedly, the plane they are on crashes shortly after some dumb birds fly into the engine. The other big bird hits the water and sinks deep down. Eventually, our small group of survivors manage to hurdle at the back of the plane in a small confined area hoping to be rescue. What they didn’t know is hungry sharks are already lurking around looking for their supper.
For a slim runtime of 91 minutes, No Way Up struggles to stay afloat (pun intended). The thrills on the whole are poorly conceived especially with the CGI sharks appearing for a grand total of probably 10 seconds. The attacks come fast and furious in a way that it’s hard to comprehend the entire carnage. Perhaps it’s to hide the crappy CGI creature thus cutting down on the costs or director Claudio Fah has no idea to come up with an effective one. However, a couple of cheap jump scares and excellent sound effects help to keep audiences awake.
The various characters are typical stereotypes. The smart alec who turned up to be a coward. The bravest and most gripping character somehow has the shortest screentime. The old folk who sacrificed for the love one and the pampered girl who happens to be the most gung-ho of all. No one in this sluggishly paced thriller makes the movie any interesting unfortunately.
Undoubtedly, there’s no reason to catch this on the big screens. Well, Snakes On A Plane is silly but fun. The Shallows has only one actress and a shark and it’s a menacing affair from start to finish. No Way Up has nothing on the plate to make it a worthy bloody affair.
Movie Rating:
(No Way Up ranks extreme low for a shark-killer movie)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Crime
Director: Marc Ma
Cast: Nick Cheung, Ethan Juan, Darren Wang, Danny Chan, Andrew Lien, Lawrence Ng, Jordan Lee, Paul Chun
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence & Some Drug Use)
Released By: Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 4 January 2024
Synopsis: Amid the transfer of power at the Hongtai Group, which wields influence in both the lawful and unlawful worlds, a mysterious assassin named Chen An suddenly enters this vortex of confusion and throws the Hongtai Group into chaos. Mai Longwen from the police and Ma Wenkang from the gangs both have their eyes on him... Various forces are waiting for the opportunity to strike. Who is the mastermind behind the scenes? A fierce battle is about to break out.
Movie Review:
If you think you were seeing double, you’re not alone. Barely weeks after reuniting with Dante Lam for the latter’s return to the gritty crime thrillers that Lam is best known for, Nick Cheung is in yet another such thriller with ‘Wolf Hiding’. In fact, we suspect director Marc Ma may have been inspired by some of Lam and Cheung’s earlier genre collaborations, given how ‘Wolf Hiding’ boasts similar themes of justice, brotherhood and vigilantism as well as how it is similarly prone to bursts of brutal, over-the-top violence.
Like several of its recent Mainland counterparts such as ‘Lost in the Stars’ and ‘The Last Suspect’, ‘Wolf Hiding’ is set in a fictional Southeast Asian country plagued by corruption within both its enforcement and legislative ranks. In particular, the crimes here are sexual exploitation and organ trade, which the much feared and revered Hong Tai group is guilty of given the lucrativeness of the black market business. With its titular chairman Hong Tai (Paul Chun) deciding to run for city councillor elections, the group is forced to confront who would take over as chairman as well as whether it would purge its illegal activities.
Amidst a potentially explosive power struggle between the chairman’s biological son Ovalon (Lawrence Ng) and his adopted son Ugo (Marc Ma), a mysterious assailant (Nick Cheung) sparks suspicions of treachery within the Hong Tai ranks. Not only does he claim to have kidnapped Ovalon, the assailant also attempts but fails to kidnap Hong Tai himself, leading to a citywide manhunt by both the police and Hong Tai’s men. Oh by the way, there is also tension between the former led by Mai (Ethan Juan) and the latter led by Wenkang (Wang Talu), which threatens to boil over even as they race against time to catch the assailant before things spiral out of control.
Ma, who co-wrote the movie with Gu Haoran, keeps the narrative gears spinning at a fast, and even frenetic, pace. Within the span of two hours, Ma packs plenty of twists and turns, as he unveils not just the motivations of the mysterious assailant Chen An, but also the power struggle within the ranks of the Hong Tai group. In the latter regard, Ma stacks the movie with a long list of supporting characters, including Hong Tai’s right hand man (Danny Chan), an Eastern European pair of brothers who do Hong Tai’s dirty work, and the city’s police chief as well as chief procurator.
This is Ma’s first time behind the camera, so it should not come as a surprise that ‘Wolf Hiding’ is pretty raw in some respects. For one, not all of the storytelling turns are quite convincing enough, especially how Chen An manages to evade the manhunt out for him and yet turn up so neatly in front of those after him to purposely taunt them. For another, despite packing the movie wall to wall with action scenes, none of them are particularly memorable, whether is it in terms of choreography or just sheer coherence. And like most first-time filmmakers, Ma is also prone to overdo the sentimentality, which is most apparent in a lengthy series of flashbacks in the third act.
Still, despite the rough edges, ‘Wolf Hiding’ does enough to keep you engaged throughout. Much of that is credit to Cheung, whose chameleon-like ability to slip into roles is unparalleled. While Juan tends to over-act and Wang is too subdued for his own good, Cheung finds just the right balance between subtlety and theatricality, and singlehandedly elevates the material. So even though it is Cheung’s second genre movie in less than two months, ‘Wolf Hiding’ won’t leave you leaving more of the same, simply because Cheung turns what could have been cliché into a class act – and for Cheung alone, ‘Wolf Hiding’ is worth hunting.
Movie Rating:
(Amidst over-the-top storytelling, violence and histrionics, Nick Cheung is the one reason 'Wolf Hiding' is still worth hunting)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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