The Monkey King 3: Still Journeying West

Okay, so they are on a bit of a detour. Somehow, on their pilgrimage to the West, Xuanzang and his demigod disciples (Sun “Monkey King” Wukong, Zhu “Pigsy” Bajie, and Sha “Sandy” Wujing) found themselves whisked into a kingdom of Amazon warriors, where men are strictly prohibited on pain of death. Maybe there is a bit of a Wonder Woman influence there, but Wukong is still the one with all the cool superpowers. He is a veritable Superman, but he cannot save his master from the dangers of love in Cheang Pou-soi’s The Monkey King 3 (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Who would’ve thought blow-dried Cantopop star turned actor Aaron Kwok would become the definitive Monkey King, but there is no doubt he has made the iconic character his own. As a result, it is a tad bit frustrating he plays a supporting role in the third film in the series that bears his name. Wukong can handle just about anything flesh and blood, but even he flounders against the aquatic River God monster, so Buddha and the Goddess of Mercy send the band of pilgrims through a wormhole into Womanland.

When Xuanzang locks eyes on “The Queen,” mounted on her enchanted stag, it is love at first sight. However, rules are rules, so the Preceptor insists on executing the fab four, just like any other mangy dog excuse for a man. However, the Queen is intrigued and reluctant to comply, which leads to complications. The simian demigod keeps his eyes on the prize: those scriptures waiting to be rediscovered in India, but his master learns to appreciate love from a whole new perspective. Just in case you were worried, there is also some unfinished business with the kaiju-like River God from before.

The previous Monkey King was a fantastical wuxia delight because of Gong Li’s wonderfully seductive and sinister élan as White Bone Spirit. Nobody can touch the hem of her scaly serpentine garments this time around, but Gigi Leung distinguishes the film in a different way. As the Preceptor, she starts out as Cruella de Vil, but she evolves into a tragically romantic figure of noble sacrifice.

Once again, Kwok looks like he is having a blast with his monkey mannerisms—and his enthusiasm is contagious. He might not be as true to nature, but in terms of energy and conviction, he is up there with Terry Notary in The Square. As Xuanzang, William Feng is supposed to be sort of placidly dopey in a Zenned out kind of way, which he duly is. However, Zanilia Zhao quite endearing and even rathe poignant as the star-crossed Queen.

Compared to the previous bang-zoom film, Monkey King 3 is a little light on the action until the third act. However, it is still entertaining to watch Kwok do his monkey thing. Also, Cheang and screenwriter Wen Ning do some interesting fantastical world building. As crazy as it gets, it still takes its Buddhism seriously, which is refreshing. Weirdly, it might just be the most Valentines-appropriate film of the week. Recommended for Monkey King/Journey to the West fans, The Monkey King 3 opens this Friday (2/16) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

One Night Only: There’s Always Something Left to Lose

Hong Kong cinema gave the world Ko Chun, the Mr. Lucky who can’t lose in the God of Gamblers/From Vegas to Macao franchises. Now Taiwan offers up a corrective in this new Chinese co-production. Gao Ye once had wealth and social position, but he lost it all and kept on losing. He will try to win back some redemption during a long dark night of the soul, but the game is rigged against him in Matt Wu’s One Night Only (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

The audience will know within seconds Gao Ye has seen the inside of a prison cell and has some nasty credits on his case. At this point, he doesn’t much care. Being cashless, he is rather surprised when an attractive prostitute loudly knocks on his door, expecting to do business. Unable to shake the strangely innocent Momo, Gao Ye convinces her to stake him instead. That works out about as well as we expect. Thus begins a series of nocturnal misadventures in the tradition of Scorsese’s After Hours (a lesser work in his filmography), until things take a radically tragic turn.

In fact, that is when the film really starts getting good. Frankly, the first act is a bit of a slog, focusing on Gao Ye’s jerkheel behavior. Yet, Wu and screenwriter Ren Peng also lay the groundwork for future payoffs at this time. Of course, that also means the second act will get pretty darn dark, taking us through the world of indentured prostitution and underground cage-fighting. Still, it crescendos with a romantic crescendo worthy of Camille that miraculously ties up all the suspicious loose ends lying about.

Yang Zishan (who just so happens to be married to Wu) really breaks out of her rom-com So Young/20 Once Again pigeon-holing as the relentlessly sad yet hopeful Momo. This film just wouldn’t work without her. Of course, Aaron Kwok is plenty believable as the dissolute Gao Ye, but he also turns on the star wattage for the big redemptive moments. For extra added heartache, Hao Lei is deeply compelling as Gao Y’s long suffering wife, seen in flashbacks.

Although set in a fictional, gaming-inspired city, One Night Only practically reeks of low life atmosphere. Cinematographer Charlie Lam takes full advantage of all the neon to give it a stylishly urban noir look. It is the sort of film you have to stick with through a long set-up, but it is ultimately worth it. Recommended for those who enjoy gambling dramas and tearjerkers, One Night Only opens this Friday (7/22) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

Cold War 2: Chow Yun-fat Joins the Franchise

Given the size of its budget and the scope of the operations it conducts, there will always be ambitious people eager to serve as the Hong Kong Police Department’s Commissioner. However, the intricate network of senior-junior relationships makes it tricky to govern. Former Deputy Commissioner M.B. Lee thought he was the man for the job, until his son was arrested for betraying the force, ushering the old man into early retirement. That would seem to be that, but as long as Lee has the Old Boys network and a mysterious scheming patron, he has hope in Longman Leung & Sunny Luk’s Cold War 2 (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Cold War 1 ended with some conspicuous loose threads, including the hijacked emergency response van that remains missing, but the threatening call Commissioner Sean Lau Kit-fai receives would be the most pressing. It turns out there is a reason Joe Lee looks so smug in his prison cell. His accomplices have kidnapped Lau’s wife.

Since he is not a stickler for procedure, Lau is perfectly willing to drag Lee junior to the hand-off. The Commish has no intention of trading him for his wife, but that is how things shake out, with Lau handcuffed to a ticking bomb for extra added embarrassment. Obviously, the operation is an unsanctioned disaster, which turns the legislature into a pack of baying hounds. They are led by the curmudgeonly civil libertarian-ish Oswald Kan. The councilor will not pull his punches with Lau, but he is not a fan of the vested interests Lee represents either.

Although Lee did his duty and arrested his own son, he will turn on Lau during the hearings. Apparently, that was all part of the plan. Lee was not initially privy to the details of the conspiracy, but the high placed government figures backing his son will make him an offer he cannot refuse. Thus begins a three-handed intrigue, as Team Lau and Team Kan work at cross-purposes while trying to investigate Team Lee.

There is more closure in Cold War 2, but it definitely suggests this story has at least another chapter to unfold. The HK box office is sure to support a third installment, but assembling the big name cast again will be a challenge. Obviously, the biggest addition is Chow Yun-fat radiating gravitas as Kan. It follows in the tradition of Chairman of the Board role in Office, but it is arguably informed by Chow’s support for the Umbrella Movement’s student protestors. (When democracy opponents suggested he might be hurting his commercial appeal, Chow replied he’d simply make less money in that case, which is reason enough to go to CW2).

Aaron Kwok’s Lau is as smooth and steely as ever, while “Big Tony” Leung Ka-fai is still massively intense as the combustible M.B. Lee. Now that Eastwood primarily directs, Leung just might be the best squinter and glowerer working in film today. He and Eddie Peng Yuyan really do look like father and son in their brief scenes together. Peng continues to prove he has more chops than his early teen romances suggested. Unfortunately, Charlie Young’s deputy commissioner for PR gets dramatically short-changed this time around, but at least Janice Man gets a serious arc to work with as Kan’s protégé, Au Wing-yan.

There are several big, explosive action sequences in CW2, but Leung & Luk always use them in ways that advance the narrative. It certainly looks like they left plenty of odds and ends to be picked up later, but they steadily ratchet up the tension quite effectively. Altogether, it is a big, slick police thriller, very much in the Hong Kong action tradition. Enthusiastically recommended, Cold War 2 opens this Friday (7/8) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

The Monkey King 2 in 3D: Aaron Kwok Wears the Monkey Suit

After causing an uproar in Heaven, Sun Wukong needs to repent. However, monkeys are not good at contrition, nor are kings or demigods. Nevertheless, the Monkey King agrees to do penance by protecting Buddhist monk Xuanzang on his pilgrimage in search of scriptures. Unfortunately, a seductive demoness will try to end the epic Journey to the West prematurely in Cheang Pou-soi’s The Monkey King 2 in 3D (trailer here), which opens tomorrow in New York.

The Goddess Guanyin offers the Monkey King an offer he cannot refuse. In exchange for his freedom, Sun Wukong will loyally protect and serve Xuanzang during his journey. Of course, this will be easier said than done. To restore her demonic life force, the wicked White Bone Spirit is determined to eat the monk, thereby ingesting his spiritual essence. As a result, Xuanzang’s party is constantly surrounded by minor demons in human guise, but the monk remains obstinately blind to their true nature.

The two constantly argue over Sun Wukong’s apparently groundless fighting and killing. The Monkey King’s comrades, Zhu “Pigsy” Bajie and Sha “Sandy” Wujing find themselves stuck awkwardly between the monkey and the monk, but they have a sinking feeling the hairy demigod is more right than wrong.

Unlike Surprise, Monkey King 2 largely plays it straight, or at least as straight as possible when the protagonist is hyperactive primate. This time around, Aaron Kwok steps into Donnie Yen’s monkey suit and just basically goes nuts in a way we never knew he had in him. Watching him zip around in the hirsute makeup sort of brings to mind Robin Williams. Frankly, it is kind of stunning that he can bring this kind of chaos. Reportedly, Kwok trained hard for the role, but the physical is the least of it. Still, he definitely looks good performing Sammo Hung’s zippy, otherworldly action choreography.

While Kwok is a minor revelation, Gong Li re-confirms she is one of the best in the business as White Bone Spirit, a.k.a. Baigujing. She has to be the most alluring and sophisticated supernatural temptresses perhaps ever seen on-screen. She brings all kinds of sinister élan, yet drops subtle hints of her long buried humanity. In contrast, William Feng Shaofeng is a bit wooden as Xuanzang, but it is hard to compete with Kwok and Gong.

Monkey King 2 is so frenetically supercharged, it sort of leaves viewers dazed. At times, the gravity-defying Sun Wukong looks more like a character in a video game than a movie. However, you have to give Kwok credit for pushing himself. As crazy as it gets, Gong still classes up the joint and even manages to outright steal the show. Recommended for fans of big, bold wuxia madness, The Monkey King 2 in 3D open tomorrow (2/5) in New York, at the AMC Empire.

NYAFF ’15: Cold War

Up until the crackdown on the Umbrella Protest Movement, the Hong Kong police had remained popular even when the government was not. Despite what we see in Johnnie To and John Woo movies, the police had always kept the city safe, while maintaining a reputation for integrity. That all might come to an explosive halt in Longman Leung & Sunny Luk’s Cold War (trailer here), which screens as part of the tribute to Star Asia Award winner Aaron Kwok at the 2015 New York Asian Film Festival.

The bad guys will be busy while the PR-sensitive police commissioner is attending a conference in Copenhagen. Soon after a bomb explodes in a Mongkok cinema, an emergency response police van is hijacked, along with the five cops assigned to it. “M.B.” Lee Man-bin, the grizzled deputy commish for operations swings into action, putting the force on a war footing and pulling manpower off everyday duties. Unfortunately, all he recovers during the first twenty-four hours are five mannequins wired with explosives.

Smooth-talking Deputy Commissioner for Administration Lau Kit-fai believes his colleague has over-reacted, perhaps because his son is one of the hostages. When Lee overplays his hand, Lau will move to replace him as acting commissioner. Of course, he might just regret taking ownership of the cluster-dustup codenamed “Cold War,” especially when Internal Affairs starts investigating the aftermath.

Cold War is a fine vehicle for Kwok, showcasing his steely, well-tailored lawman’s chops, much like the relentlessly by-the-book prosecutor in Silent Witness, selected for last year’s NYAFF. Yet not surprisingly, “Big” Tony Leung Ka-fai out hardnoses everyone as the from-the-hip Lee. He and Kwok generate sparks together, like a seat belt dragging down the highway. In fact, the best part of Cold War is the way their relationship evolves from rival into something different.

Cold War also boasts an all-star supporting ensemble, but it does not always fully capitalize, such as when Andy Lau briefly parachutes in, flashing his winning smile as Lau Kit-fai’s political patron. As the public information officer, Charlie Young holds her own with Leung in a key early scene, but she is mostly on exposition duty aside from that. However, Eddie Peng shows hitherto unseen grit as the kidnapped Joe Lee.

Co-director-screenwriters Leung and Luk try too hard to manufacture twists, but the way they merge office politics and urban warfare is definitely entertaining. Just watching Leung and Kwok go at it is seriously good fun. Recommended for fans large scale cop thrillers, Cold War screens this Saturday (6/27) at the Walter Reade, as part of this year’s NYAFF.

NYAFF ’14: Silent Witness

Evidently, the Chinese legal system is not overly concerned with potential conflicts of interest. For instance, nobody objects to a hotshot state’s attorney prosecuting the daughter of his longtime nemesis, even though she is also the beloved pupil of his art teacher wife. His integrity may very well be above reproach, but the defense attorney will possibly cut a few ethical corners that would be spoilery to address in detail. However, it is safe to say the media-frenzy trial is never headed exactly where the opposing counsels assume in Fei Xing’s Silent Witness (trailer here), which screens during the 2014 New York Asian Film Festival.

About the only cases Tong Tao has lost were his white collar prosecutions of slippery financier Lin Tai. Despite his history with her father, Lin Mengmeng still knows him as “Uncle,” but the evidence she murdered her father’s pop idol fiancée is so overwhelming, he must prosecute her anyway. Indeed, it is all so open-and-shut her defense attorney Zhou Li passively sits on her hands, apparently resigned to defeat, until she suddenly obliterates a key prosecution witness. It seems to be more of a game-ender than a game-changer, but there are several more stunning revelations coming down the pike.

Given the title, one might assume somebody out there saw something important. However, Silent Witness is rather more complicated than that. It is a direct descendant of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution, but it clearly depends on the “flexibility” of the Chinese legal system to revise charges on the fly. A case like this would have probably taken decades to unfold in American courts, but it feels like Fei’s characters wrap it up in about a week.

Regardless, the series of shoes he drops are invariably clever. Yet, there is real drama at the heart of the picture. Considering his work in Silent Witness, viewers are strongly advised not to play poker with Sun Honglei. Even though we can tell his Lin Tai is nursing a secret, he still successfully pulls the rug completely out from under the audiences feet. It is a wickedly subtle slow build that completely upends viewers’ responses.

Yu Nan and HK superstar Aaron Kwok nicely anchor the film as the legal eagles navigating the schemes within schemes. Deng Jiajia is also quite compelling as the emotionally stunted Mengmeng. In a smaller but critical role, Zhao Lixin perfectly sells the first reversal as the unreliable witness, Sun Wei. In fact, Silent Witness boasts an unusually deep bench of intriguing supporting players, such as NYAFF special guest Zishuo Ding, who brings verve and energy to the film as Zhou’s associate, Meizi.

Silent Witness presents a nifty series of twists and turns that take on real emotional stakes thanks to the fine work of Sun and the accomplished below-the-titles ensemble. It is such an effective thriller, it would not be surprising if Hollywood started sniffing around the remake rights. Highly recommended for fans of courtroom dramas, Silent Witness screens tomorrow night (7/6) at the Walter Reade Theater, as part of this year’s NYAFF. New Yorkers looking for a way to beat the physical heat today with some smoldering tension should also check out Jimmy Wong Yu in the taut and evocative Soul (full review here).

SFFS Hong Kong Cinema ’13: The Conspirators

They say lawyers who represent themselves have fools for clients.  Evidently, the same holds true for private detectives.  This is especially true of Chan Tam, the so-called “C+ Detective,” who has never inspired much confidence with his sleuthing skills.  He will enlist a local gumshoe in Malaysia for a highly personal case in Oxide Pang’s The Conspirators (a.k.a. The Detective 3, trailer here), which screens during the San Francisco Film Society’s annual Hong Kong Cinema film series.

As the dubious hero of Pang’s Detective franchise, Tam has considerable history as a character, but the only backstory viewers need to know Pang establishes in about five seconds.  The C+ Detective’s parents were murdered by the drug cartel they may have once worked for in some capacity, so Tam has come for revenge.  Since Thailand is his base of operations, he has retained the services of Zheng Fong-hei, a skilled but asthmatic martial artist, who is considerably better at his job than Zheng.

As soon as Zheng starts helping Tam track down persons of interest, dead bodies start popping up. It is dangerous to be an old friend of the family like the mysterious Chai.  Before long, both detectives are marked for murder.  However, the soon-to-be late Chai’s daughter might know where to find the MacGuffin Tam lost before he even knew he had it.

Pang is not Johnnie To, but he can still stage an effective action scene, capitalizing on one-time Royal Hong Kong police officer Nick Cheung’s chops.  In fact, Conspirators has a murky, morally ambiguous atmosphere that is quite evocative of 1970’s genre films.  It is also rather entertaining to see watch Cheung’s Zheng and Kwok’s Tam engage in a battle of hardnosed seething.  Cheung takes the honors, but Kwok hangs with him, revisiting what has become his signature character of the last decade or so.  Shaw Brother alumnus Chen Kuan Tai and Bullet Vanishes standout Jiang Yiyan also add further noir heft to the supporting ensemble.

The crime story mechanics of Pang’s screenplay, co-written with his brother Thomas and Ng Mang-cheung, are all rather workaday, but the execution on screen is quite strong. Old pros Cheung and Kwok deliver the goods as the action co-leads, while Pang drenches everything with pseudo-John Woo visual style.  The results are highly entertaining.  Recommended for fans of dark revenge thrillers, The Conspirators screens this coming Sunday (10/6) as part of the SFFS’s eagerly awaited Hong Kong Cinema series.

Floating Island: From the Harbor to the Boardroom

Bo Wah Chuen’s chronicle is somewhat like the flipside of a James Clavell novel.   The adopted son of “Tanka” boat people, Bo would become the first Chinese Taipan of the British Imperial East India Company—sort of.  Issues of identity will hound the Horatio Alger character throughout Yim Ho’s “based on a true story” Floating City (trailer here), which releases on DVD and BluRay today from Well Go USA.

Images of Hong Kong’s hardscrabble harbor community have become iconic, but they always represented the bottom rung of the Crown Colony’s social ladder.  As a mixed race baby adopted by a Tanka family, Bo was the lowest of the low.  His mother was ethnic Chinese.  His father was not.  At the time, Bo’s adoptive parents projected the need for another son to work with his father.  However, his parents proved to be more fertile than the early 1960’s economy.  As a result, several of Bo’s younger siblings are sent to a Christian orphanage while the family struggles to right itself.

Bo’s path to success will not be a straight uphill climb.  He will drop out of elementary school several times, when already a young man of working age.  His fortunes will turn when the East India Company hires him as an office boy.  Yet, even then it will take years for his virtue to be rewarded, as he labors under Dick Callahan, a ridiculously caricatured lout, who oozes racism from every sweaty pore.  Nonetheless, Bo will eventually catch the eye of the last British Taipan and earn the confidence of Fion Hwang, a mover-and-shaker who will tutor him in the particulars of Hong Kong power politics.  It all leads to feelings of increasing inadequacy for his shy Tanka wife Tai, especially the part about the glamorous Hwang.

As the future Taipan, Aaron Kwok does not look the least little bit British, let alone a full half, despite the bizarre red tinting applied to his hair.  Regardless, this just might be the role of career.  Frankly, many who closely follow Asian cinema might be surprised the Cantopop star had it in him.  Even though he is stuck rhetorically asking “who am I?” far too often, he gives a slow burning, fully dimensional performance as the driven outsider of outsiders.  Kwok and Yim walk quite the fine line, never allowing Bo to sellout his self-respect, yet maintaining a distinctly flexible approach to his corporate superiors.

Beyond Kwok, Floating’s ensemble is a mixed bag, leaning more towards the positive side of the ledger.  Both Josie Ho and Nina Paw are quite touching as Bo’s younger and older adoptive mother, respectively.  Annie Liu is also a smart, luminous presence as Hwang, but you have to wonder what kind of expat dive bar they go to in order to recruit western actors like this.  Egads, can’t any of them pull off a simple line reading?

Over the course of the film, Floating anti-British biases get a bit tiresome, but its treatment of Christianity is considerably more nuanced.  In fact, Yim and co-writer Marco Pong clearly suggest it greatly contributes to the perseverance of Bo’s sainted mother. 

Ultimately, comparisons to Clavell are rather apt, considering Floating’s large cast of characters and decades-spanning narrative.  It has its flaws, but Kwok is a far more memorable Taipan than Bryan Brown or Pierce Brosnan (at least the former had Joan Chen’s support).  Many cineastes will forgive the clunky bits, taking satisfaction from HK New Wave veteran Yim’s return to ambitious, large scale filmmaking.  Worth checking out as a rags-to-riches tale with considerable local color, Floating City is now available for home viewing options from Well Go USA.