Gam gai

I just got in from watching a surprise from the Chicago International Film Festival. This movie replaced another which had sold out so I wasn't planning on seeing it but it fit the slot. Delightfully so. I would venture that it's my favorite movie of the year.

Kum's life goes through absurd beginnings to humble endings and with it a rollercoaster journey. One minute you're laughing, the next you're on the verge of tears -- the latter quite a challenge. I would be surprised and disheartened if it doesn't get a nod this festival.

This story is about a Hong Kong prostitute ("chicken" is slang for prostitute) who winds up trapped in an atm with a would be robber. To pass the time till power is restored, she tells her life story. This film is a Sandra Ng tour de force. She is great in this role, playing it to the hilt, having fun, enduring heartache and just being her. The movie is told in flashback and while its essentially a comedy there are some sweet, poignant moments. Tony Leung and Andy Lau give some good performances, but this is Sandra's film. I can't imagine this film being remade in the U.S. and that is a great thing. Over her career, Sandra Ng has shown incredible versatility in her acting. She manages to look pretty, sweet and funny, all in the same scene. She won the Golden Horse for Best Actress and she deserved it. Eric Tsang, as the would be robber, is fine, but you'll be blown away by Sandra's performance. Its nit a vulgar film, despite the plot. I highly recommend this film.

this movie first got my attention when it drew rave reviews in HK early this year, but when I rent the DVD, I thought it was even better than what I expected, overall I think this is the most entertaining HK movie of the year. I like it better than "Wu Jian Dao" (Infernal Affairs) which was voted the best HK movie the same year. I just think Gam Gai is a more entertaining and more memorable movie. Not to mention the great performance by Sandra Ng. The story is touching and very funny at times, and although it's a bit predictable, the ending is still very good. I plan to buy the DVD after renting the DVD. Highly recommended. 9/10

As a fan of Hong Kong cinema, I remember watching this movie back in 2003 or 2004, on VCD nonetheless, and remembered the movie only fondly. And now finally getting it on DVD, it is time to revisit the "Golden Chicken" ("Gam Gai").

And the visit was just as great as I initially remembered it. This is indeed a funny and also interesting movie. By Hong Kong standards it is a bit deviant from the usual movies seen in the comedy genre.

The story is about Kam (played by Sandra Ng Kwan Yue), an aging prostitute who is in an ATM booth, when the thief James Bong (played by Eric Tsang) shows up to rob her account of money. As the electricity fails, they become trapped inside the booth, and Kam starts telling stories from her life.

The tales that Kam tells are funny and exciting, but they are also stories of warmth, compassion and finding her own place in life. It is also the stories of how the prostitution business works and has changed in Hong Kong with the passing years, and of how a flood of mainland China girls came into the market. And these individual stories through the years are nicely accompanied by the cast and some really impressive cameos by some of the 'heavyweight' actors in Hong Kong cinema; Andy Lau, Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Eason Chan. But I will say that Sandra Ng really carried the movie quite well, and it was a real treat to watch her in this role.

"Golden Chicken" will have you laughing and smiling, and it will also make you feel happy with the story, because it is the kind of story that sinks in and stays with you.

I can warmly recommend "Golden Chicken" to anyone who enjoys Asian comedies and/or Hong Kong cinema.

In the mildly amusing "Golden Chicken," Sandra Ng, the tough lesbian Sister Thirteen from the "Young and Dangerous" series, plays the hooker with the heart of gold. Her life story is a metaphor for Hong Kong, which acts the eager courtesan with her different masters, but should not be judged harshly because it suffers many privations and is doing the best it can. The newsreel clips interspersed throughout the film try to keep the parallel going, but it wears thin and the ending is maudlin. Tony Leung briefly turns this entertainment into a real film during the short time he is on camera. The smarmy Andy Lau is a self parody as the fairy godfather. "Golden Chicken" provides insight as to how Hong Kong views itself, and is therefore interesting viewing if one cares to know the answer.