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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Chinese Hitchcock, June 2, 2005
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!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Focus on Character Development, June 11, 2006
This review is from: Koma (DVD)
Koma is a psychological horror thriller from Hong Kong which seems from the outset to try to appeal to a more international market. It might be cliché at times as the movie shifts focus from character to character; it does tough effectively keep you on the edge of your seat.
Koma opens with wedding reception where inebriated Ching (Angelica Lee Sinje) chances upon the victim of a kidney removal operation - kidneys being a theme in the movie. In more ways than one, it is a wake up call.
In the frequent trips to the toilet and references to her numerous nausea spells the viewer rapidly ascertains are symptoms of her malady: a kidney disorder. The kidney disorder is an interesting subtext. Ching has issues with her body and has difficulty with her nakedness in the presence of her boyfriend, the unnamed MD boyfriend (Andy Chi-On Hui). She blames herself for driving him to the needy and dysfunctional arms of medical student (and soon to be best friend) Suen Ling (Karena Lam).
Ching sees Ling (in the opening scene) who happens to be at the scene of the crime. Enough said about the plot - the viewer will just have to figure all the rest out by him/herself. The kidney issue reminds one of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - but that is where the similarity ends. Body parts and the acquisition thereof seem to be all the rage in Asia Extreme movies.
Most of the movie takes place in the Precious Blood Hospital (Canton) Renal Dialysis Centre and the Kidney Education Centre's Research facility giving the movie some street credibility in terms of its medical leaning. For my money, best to stick to the storyline rather than hope for medical accuracy; for that, the viewer would be better served in this area in a movie like Vital (2004).
It would behoove the viewer to stick to the more important issue of character transformation. Ching finds her "strength," Ling finds some form of "redemption/atonement," and the unnamed boyfriend - gets, well - you just need to watch to find out. The edgy "slices" into the side where the kidney is located certainly beats out mass gore ala Texas Chainsaw Massacre - it does indeed get under your skin and stays there one almost feels the slices.
Personally, I thought the movie to be both entertaining and clever - the plot twists giving way to a more interesting movie than lessons in anatomy and gore.
Miguel Llora
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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
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.
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