"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Saturday, November 4, 2017

A Little TLC(w): Bullet in the Head (1990)



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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