I had
this Tony Leung Chiu-wai movie on my list of films to see for quite a while,
but I needed some time to get my hands on it. While it’s interesting, the
jury’s still out on how good I think it actually is. That said, it’s a
different sort of role for Leung, one that doesn’t mesh neatly with a lot of
other characters he’s played in his career.
When his
wealthy fiancee’s father and long-time servant are both brutally murdered,
Detective Lau Ching Hei enlists his friend Yau Kin Bong, a former detective
turned PI, to investigate the case. The alcoholic Bong’s personal life is a
mess, but he’s still very good at what he does, and as he digs into the details
of the murder, he starts to uncover a lot more than he bargained for.
This is
part noir, part psychological thriller, part character study. There are points
where it gets super dramatic and
takes itself way too seriously, pulling me out of the story. But there are
still good foundations here. Even though the film seems to tip its hand early
on re: the mystery, things are more complicated than they seem, and there are
some neat twists to be had. Some of the atmospheric stuff is also really well
done, especially the unsettling paranoia Susan (Hei’s fiancée) experiences
after the murder.
It also
has a good cast working for it. I enjoy seeing Shu Qi (J.J. from Seoul Raiders) again as a woman that
Bong has an on-again/off-again thing with, and Bong is ably played by Takeshi
Kaneshiro. Even if stuff with his character can lean a little too heavily into
melodrama, Kaneshiro keeps it from getting too overwrought, and he handles both
Bong’s sloppy drunkenness and sharp investigative skills well.
Like
I said, Hei is a character you don’t see Leung playing too often. He’s very
controlled, which we’ve seen from Leung before (like Mr. Chow in In the Mood for Love or Zhou Yu in Red Cliff,) but for Hei, this precision
and control plays out very differently. It’s a cold control, lacking the warmth
that Leung usually brings in his quieter roles. It keeps you guessing, as
you’re never altogether sure where you stand with Hei.
I’ve seen
Leung and Kaneshiro in several films together – the aforementioned Red Cliff, See You Tomorrow, and Chungking
Express, although their storylines in the latter are separate. This is
another example of them playing well off each other. Although they play close
friends here and in See You Tomorrow,
and become close friends/allies in Red
Cliff, the dynamic is different each time and never looks quite the same.
Recommend?
In
General
– Maybe. Be forewarned that its opinion of itself is probably too high and it
can get overly wrapped up in The Drama!!, but it still has a number of good
points.
Tony
Leung Chiu-wai
– I think so. It shows a side of Leung’s acting that we don’t see too often,
and he does well with it.
Warnings
Scenes of
graphic violence, disturbing images, drinking/smoking, bodily-function stuff,
sexual content, and strong thematic elements.
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