This is a
bit of an unusual movie. It runs rather
than builds, with the plot continually setting up new goalposts as it moves
along – instead, the developing throughline is more about the characters than
the story at hand, showing how the relationships are changing in the midst of
all that’s happening. That makes it a
rather different film experience, and it’s an intense one, but it’s also
gripping and, I think, ultimately rewarding (premise spoilers.)
Ben,
Frank, and Paul are three young friends living in Hong Kong. With few prospects and a penchant for getting
themselves in trouble, they find themselves with a sudden, powerful need to get
out of the country as soon as possible.
They arrange to take a job smuggling goods into Vietnam where, against
the backdrop of the war, they gain a new friend/ally in Luke, a coolly
collected gangster, and a new enemy in Mr. Leong, the smuggler they’re supposed
to be doing business with. As the
trio-turned-foursome reels from danger to danger, their friendship is tested to
its limits.
Pretty
much everything in this movie is cranked up to eleven. There are some super-stylish action scenes in
which our heroes mix it up with everyone from gangsters to the Vietcong, with
copious bloodshed and numerous chances for the main characters to participate
in badass gunplay. There’s also a
hugely-emotional element – as I said, the plot is basically a loose chain of
escalating events, but the story lies
in the connections between the main guys.
Much is made of their friendship, who stays strong, who finds new
priorities, what each is willing to do for the sake of the others, and how Luke
fits into that dynamic when he joins the picture. In aid of that, there’s a ton of intense
shouting, meaningful staring, and quite a bit more crying than you’d normally
expect in an action movie. Just as the
action doesn’t let up, the emotion is at full blast at pretty much all
times. Some, I’m sure, find it
histrionic and/or cheesy, but it mostly works for me. In addition to Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the movie
also stars Jacky Cheung (who I know best from As Tears Go By) as Frank and Waise Lee (who was in The Royal Scandal) as Paul. Luke, meanwhile, is played by Simon Yam, who
I don’t believe I’m familiar with but who brings a stone-cold coolness to the
role.
That leaves
Leung as Ben. Actually, early on in the
film, the dynamic between Ben and Frank reminds me of As Tear Go By, one of the few Wong Kar-wai films that Leung wasn’t
in. But the set-up, with Ben trying to
settle down, Frank sort of pulling him back into trouble, and Ben ultimately
siding with his friend before everything else, is reminiscent of Wah and Fly in
that movie. Anyway, Ben is a generally
well-meaning romantic with a strong sense of loyalty and a thing for rescuing
pretty girls. Unfortunately, it’s his
very devotion that makes him do ill-advised things like get revenge on a
low-level gangster for roughing up his friend, which results in all three guys
being on the run and heading to Vietnam in the first place. He turns out to be a pretty unflinching,
capable fighter, and he absolutely has his friends’ backs, but he’s only in a
position to help get them out of several messes because he’s the one who causes
them.
Again,
this movie plays to the rafters at all times, and that makes for a very intense
performance from Leung. Not that there
aren’t lighter moments, but once things really kick off, it’s basically just
awesome action, hugely-emotional scene, rinse, repeat. All the main actors (although Yam’s Luke is a
bit more even-keeled) do a good job balancing these demands, and Leung is no
exception. He keeps Ben in that sweet
spot, just on the edge of
over-the-top, ready to pull back right when he needs to in order to take him
seriously. He also plays terrifically
well off the other actors, especially Cheung and Yam. (Side note – I’m not normally one to think an
intense male friendship is automatically homoerotic, but I have to smile when
Ben and Luke meet in a club restroom, staring dramatically at one another as
the band outside, beginning a cover of “I’m a Believer,” sings, “I thought love
was only true in faaaaiiiiiry tales…”)
Recommend?
In
General
– I think so. It’s not for the faint of
heart, in terms of action or drama, and it’s definitely a crazy ride, but I
think it’s worth it.
Tony
Leung Chiu-wai
– I would. While Ben is something of a
troublemaker-with-a-heart-of-gold trope, the main attraction here is how Leung
and the other actors interact with each other, and that’s excellent.
Warnings
Tons of
violence, swearing, drinking/smoking/drug use, sexual references, and strong
thematic elements.
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