Customer Reviews

Hong Kong Triad

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The plot is a bit difficult to follow the first time through, but the acting is solid and the 2nd viewing is more satisfying. I've watched 2 more times and have come to like it a lot.

I saw this film at a film festival which has midnight screenings of Hk movies. I was there for the Chow Yun Fat film festival, but the last film was cancelled. No one was told. I sat down and almost died when the film wasn't 'Peace Hotel'.

However, I had paid my eight bucks. I also was intrigued by seeing a Hk film i new nothing about. I was pleasantly suprised. The film was no masterpiece, but it was a lot of fun. It was penned by Wong Jing, so it was the everything-but-the-kitchensink approach, but it was fun. It went from a suspense thriller, to chop socky action, to gun-fu ultraviolence, to late fiftes nostalgia, to love story all in an hour in a half. Quite a feat.

All of this under the avid eye of Clarence Fok, it all seemed to work. The story involves Wan and Ng and their joining of the Triad as Teenagers in 50's Hk, then the two split for life when one becomes a cop.

The script can get extremely corny, and so can the violence, but there is a fun in this film that exists in most Hk films such as the 'Heroic Trio' and 'Wicked City', although i would put a little more merit in this film than those, the cheese factor is a little less.

Overall, a pleasant suprise. Good acting from Wan (the asian Benicio Del Toro!), great direction by Fok, and a spastick script from Jing.

A local movie theatre was having a Chow Yun Fat Film Festival, the last film was supposed to be "Peace Hotel", intstead they showed this. I didn't want to just leave after paying almost eight bucks for the ticket, and I must admit I was pleasantly suprised. I was not a very good film, but a very fun film. Lam Ching Wan, who was a new actor I hadn't seen (I have since seen him in Black Mask and others), I found him quite good, my friend dubbed him "the asian Benicio Del Toro" a fitting title. He was very good. The Story is all over the place (typical of most Wong Jing penned films) from serious drama, to cheesy 50's love story, to slapstick violence (my personal hatred) but that was kept to a minimum. Overall it was not that good of a film, but fun as hell, and a pleasant suprise.