Product Details

• Actors: Andy Hui, Karena Lam, Lee Sinje, Liu Kai-chi, Annie Man
• Directors: Lo Chi-Leung
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Language: Cantonese
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Tartan Video
• DVD Release Date: March 8, 2005
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007M23D8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,789 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chinese Hitchcock, June 2, 2005

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Koma (DVD)

"Koma" is a surprisingly suspenseful film. While there is enough gore to certainly warrant horror flick categorization, director Chi-Leung Law delivers a very old school Hitchcock suspense tale. Close-ups on objects like a foot dragging across the floor leaving a bloodstained trail heighten the suspense and move the story. Angelica Lee as Fung Chi-Ching, a girl who needs a new kidney and has inhibitions that keep her from fully embracing her boyfriend, does a good job and hits many levels from hysteria to jealousy to drunken delirium. Andy Hui who plays her boyfriend, Dr. Tsui Wai-man, hits a number of levels also from the guy in love to the man whose hormones outpace his common sense. As researcher Suen Ling, Karena Lam projects a person who has had a difficult upbringing and as frequently as not walks on the shady side of the street. The twists of plot that trace a kidney thief who black-markets organs for $60,000 a pop never leaves you quite settled until the final frame. Subtitled with Chinese dialog the often sparsely verbal picture translates well to an international audience. "Koma" turns out to be a pleasant, often intelligent, surprise. Enjoy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You Can Harvest My Organs, But You'll Never Win My Heart--"Koma" Is An Urban Legend Courtesy Of Hong Kong, March 5, 2007

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Koma (DVD)

Having seen so many Asian horror films recently with a supernatural bent, I feared "Koma" might be more of the same. I have nothing against supernatural horror, per se, I was just in the mood for some variety. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by the very real, yet delightfully over-the-top, world of "Koma" by Hong Kong filmmaker Chi-Leung Law. This lurid revenge film about illegal organ harvesting may not qualify as "art," but it embraces its delirious plot and brings a classic urban legend to life. And while I loved the macabre silliness of the film's central plot, its gruesome treats are somewhat hampered by inconsistent pacing and far-fetched story twists.

"Koma" begins innocently enough with Kar Yan Lam, as the film's meek heroine, attending a wedding reception. Stumbling drunkenly through a hotel, she happens upon a grisly scene. A young woman, bleeding profusely, has just awoken in a tub of ice with her kidney removed. While the victim is flailing on the floor for help, Lam herself narrowly escapes being murdered. We flash forward to the police station, Lam identifies another woman who she saw suspiciously lurking around the scene of the crime. This lady, played by Angelica Lee, may or may not be involved in the amateur surgery--but one thing is for sure, she has had an affair with Lam's fiance. This coincidence propels the remainder of the film as the ladies engage in some psychological headgames.

Without spoiling too much of the plot, it does evolve in rather unexpected ways. The relationship between the women (and the fiance, for that matter) is complicated. It changes in ways that I will not mention as the film does attempt some level of clever character development. The women may have more in common than it first appears. However, the film's "clever" revelations sometimes strain credibility. This is not an insurmountable problem for a briskly paced thriller, though--but "Koma," while always interesting, is not what I'd call fast paced. Therefore, the plot inconsistencies can be glaringly apparent. For example, there is a dream within a dream sequence that results in a real life tooth extraction--but it doesn't pan out logically and nor is it ever mentioned again. Our heroine is also in the stages of renal failure, but that doesn't stop her from partaking in excessive drink (a medical improbability).

Anyway, I enjoyed seeing this particular urban legend come to life. The more graphic scenes are well staged, and the actors are appropriately malleable to the largely unbelievable plot twists. "Koma" is still a lot of fun and I'd recommend it to fans of the genre. Ultimately, though, the film asks you to suspend disbelief and stick with it--even, when at times, I don't think it earns it. Not a total failure, "Koma" is an interesting film worth a look--but maybe not repeated viewing. KGHarris, 03/07.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classy Thriller, April 25, 2005

By 

S. McGee (Brandon, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Koma (DVD)

Once again, Asian cinema shows Hollywood how a truly great thriller is made. Koma plays on the well-known kidney thief legend, but it turns into a white knuckle psychological thriller. Wealthy but ill socialite Chi Ching (Angelica Lee) witnesses the horrifying aftermath of a kidney theft while attending a friend's wedding. Now determined to prove that the quiet yet eerie Suen Ling (Kar Yan Lam) is the culprit, Ching finds herself pulled into tense game of cat-and-mouse. Koma benefits from stunning production, spot-on acting, and great writing. If you love Asian cinema, especially horror and thriller genres, then Koma is definitely a must-have.