They
don’t make Triad gangsters like they used to. Wallace is an example of old
school quality, whereas Robert, the son of the high-ranking boss Nigel is a
perfect example of everything wrong with the new breed—and then some. When
Wallace is ordered to whack Robert, he doesn’t have any choice in the matter,
but he knows he is getting pulled into some dangerous business. There will be
plenty of duplicity and deception in Kam Ka-wai’s Colour of the Game (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Made in Hong Kong Film Festival in DC.
Wallace
is a grizzled, disillusioned cat, but he still gets the job done. Nobody messes
with him or his new protégé Sky. “Superman,” his eager young apprentice, is a
geek, but he handles the business side of things well. Sometimes his punky mechanic
daughter Lily also helps out, but for a job this sensitive, he will need to
call in two old comrades. Tyson is fresh out of prison and raring to go, whereas
the ailing BBQ will need more coaxing.
Of
course, Robert is an appalling human being, who totally has it coming. Nobody
will mourn for him, least of all Wallace. Killing the big boss Dragon’s trophy
wife in a coked-up rage certainly merits getting rubbed out, but it is still
pretty reckless from the standpoint of internal
Triad politics. Maybe he should have suspected it was a set-up all along. Regardless, Wallace will not leave any of his team at their mercy, even if one of them is a police informer.
Triad politics. Maybe he should have suspected it was a set-up all along. Regardless, Wallace will not leave any of his team at their mercy, even if one of them is a police informer.
Colour is definitely a throwback
to 1990s Hong Kong gangster movies (those white suits are totally cool). It
obviously tries to recombine the elements of vintage Johnnie To films (like The Mission), starting with To stalwarts
Simon Yam and Lam Suet. It is considered the loosely-tied third installment in
screenwriter Jing Wong’s Colour trilogy,
but it sure doesn’t seem like they expect much audience familiarity with the
previous films.
In
some ways, Colour is like a Harry Brown kind of film for Yam and
Lam, who take stock of their careers through their aging gangster characters, Wallace,
and his direct superior, Slaughter. Yet, it also heralds the arrival of Philip
Ng and the promising debut of Sabrina Qiu, as Sky and Lily. Ng took a lot of
heat for his cocky portrayal of Bruce Lee in Birth of the Dragon (despite looking like his dead-ringer), but
here he truly distinguishes himself in the final smashing fight scene. He also
develops some rather appealing chemistry with Qiu.
Nevertheless,
nobody upstages Yam, not even Lam. He is hardnosed and hardboiled, but also
somewhat philosophical and even remorseful about the state of things. It is the
kind of role he was born to play—and watching him do it is always a treat. It
is a little odd neither NYAFF or Fantasia programmed Colour, but Made in Hong Kong has it. Highly recommended for fans
of the cast and/or the genre, Colour of
the Game screens tomorrow (7/15) in DC at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery.