Gong woo

Before getting a copy of this, I looked into the details. Gangster movie? Cool. A hit on a mob boss? Interesting. Andy Lau? Even better. Jacky Cheung, Edison Chen, Eric Tsang, Wu Chien Lien, and Shawn Yu? Awesome.

I almost thought, "What is this, Infernal Affairs all over again?"

So I had pretty high expectations. I started the movie. I was pretty impressed throughout with the camera work. There was a definite style in this movie. But the movie seemed to head nowhere. I was more eager to see what happens in each scene rather than in the movie as a whole.

So it follows two punks about to kill and a mob boss trying to find his traitor. Big Deal. For an 85 minute movie it seemed to take forever to get there. And throughout most of the movie all I could think was, "So what? What does that have to do with anything?"

Then the ending hits. If you've read any of the other reviews, you'll know that it completely changes the whole movie. I have to admit, it was genuinely cool.

But should a movie completely hinge on a single plot twist? I think not, though I admit I can't really see how they could have done it any other way.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Despite the smart twist at the end, you will probably feel a little dissatisfied. However, if you want to see some stylish film-making, great acting, and find out what the plot twist is, definitely check it out. The movie is definitely made for the experience.

I was very excited about this film when it was first introduced and had been dying to see it. There was a lot of hype surrounding the film, as the last time Andy Liu and Jacky Cheung, two of the most popular figures in Hong Kong pop culture, collaborated before was sixteen years ago, and the media kept reporting the effort and time the actors put into the film. However, just as the reports were on mundane details such as the hairstyles and the time put into the hairstyles, the movie was mundane at best.

The ensemble cast was great, gathering some of the most prominent figures in Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment. In fact, the producers even convinced Wu Chien-Lien, who had not appeared in a Hong Kong produced film in a long time, to make a cameo to play Andy Liu's character's wife. However, it seemed that the movie planned to run on star power and paid little to no attention to the details. First of all, although the acting of the four main characters of the two different arcs were solid, Andy Liu and Jacky Cheung could be better, given their talents. Secondly, the supporting characters' acting were mediocre and even many were prominent names, they seemed to be misused and underutilized, thus making it feel like they were forgettable and unnecessary. For example, Eric Tsang, a very versatile actor who even won a Golden Horse Award (the equivalent to the Oscar in the Taiwan, Hong Kong and China sphere) and able to play many different characters while making them feel convincing, felt very one-dimensional here. In fact, he could be killed off and nobody would care. Next, the plot jumped from one story arc to another at what seemed to be the worst possible time, making the film feel confusing at times. Finally, the script, except the end and the restaurant scene where the mastermind of the whole plan was, was very formulaic and seemed like any other Hong Kong made crime thriller.

Still, compliments had to be given to the camera work and the ending. The camera work was excellent, giving the film a dark and mysterious aura that matched nicely with the plot and the tempo of the film. And the ending was excellent. It was very thought provoking and left the audience, if they still followed the film and did not get bored to death, something to think about. It gave the film a different perspective, which I personally appreciated, and made sense of the whole film. It was one of the best twists that I have seen in a while.

Overall, the film, until the ending, receives 5 out of 10. This maybe biased because I have seen too many films with the same kind of plots. With the ending, it is a 6 out of 10 film. Although the twist was great, it was just too late, as half of the audience probably would not care anymore. Watch it if you love Hong Kong produced crime thrillers and have the time. Otherwise, watch Infernal Affairs instead.

The general consensus among HK cinema followers is that Jiang Hu suffers from this and that, so I expected it to be mediocre. Truth is, it turned out to be the most delightful surprise in many years. Right from the start, the bar scenes are filled with energy and dazzling lighting effects, maximizing the cinematic excitement. The film's retrospective score and set design evoke the old Chinese city which was previous achieved to perfection only by Wong Kar Wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. Jiang Hu's director seems to have learned more than a few tricks from Kar Wai, from utilizing well-placed retrospective songs to capturing the moment for maximum mood. This is to say, Jiang Hu is an outstanding work of art that captures the essence of triad life-cycle and blood brotherhood.

Watching Jiang Hu is like experiencing the 21th century Chinese update of The Godfather or any number of European and Italian American gangster classics in the 60s/70s. In our jiang hu, Loyalty is at stake. Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung, two of HK's finest, reprise their boss-follower roles from AS TEARS GO BY, complete with Jacky's impulsiveness and Andy's more calm personality. Their pure friendship from years ago is turning pale as Jacky's ambition pull him towards the dark side.

While Jacky favors violence as primary resort, Andy Lau's character is more of a pacifist. I find his peaceful resolution approach representative of Buddhist ideology in some manner. When warned that Jacky may turn against him, Andy responds: "I am not worried. If my death is what it takes to make Jacky realize the meaning of blood brothers, then so be it." Andy has reached the top of the game, where money and fame have lost their meaning. He only wishes to change his old friend for the better before time runs out. But Andy does not shove this idea down Jacky's throat; he shows Jacky the way through demonstrations of sophistication and wit, instead of blood and force. In the end, after leaving his words, Andy walks away from the table. Whether Jacky accepts his invitation to recover their brotherly bonding is up to Jacky.

Some viewers have pointed out the lack of brutality/blood. This ties back to Andy's philosophy that success can be achieved without blood, as he expresses many times in the movie. It is a central theme to the story.

Another criticism is about the two intertwined story lines - some think it's confusing. However, let's not forget this kind of narrative structure is featured prominently in Godfather Part II, considered a classic. In that movie, 2 parallel story lines, involving the present day Michael and previous accounts of Vito Corleone, switch back and forth throughout the movie -- very similar to the style of Jiang Hu. I personally think Jiang Hu's approach is even superior to Coppola's classic, since here the parallelism is much stronger (and perhaps more meaningful).

Jiang Hu is the third masterpiece I saw in 2004 (the other two being GONG FU and 2046), a fairly kind year for HK cinema. The film is a bit showy at times, but above all, Jiang Hu is more than a standard gangster flick; its artistic passion yields a touch of timelessness which I suspect will outendure many genre classics. As I write this review in October 2005, no HK film I have seen this year comes close to exhibiting Jiang Hu's rare quality to honor the integrity of the medium.

First of all, I have to say, the acting in this film is aces! Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung are terrific as two best friends who are powerful gangsters. Edison Cheng and Shawn Yue are also very engaging to watch as two young men involved in the gangster underworld. The scenes, the camera work, the peculiarly cheery music playing in the background all add to the pure visual pleasure. This is a great stylish looking film. One of the most watchable scenes in this movie was simply Andy Lau's character and Jacky Cheung's character having a meal in an empty, elegant Italian restaurant. These two actors play off each other very well. It was riviting to watch them talk to each other.

But the story? I had trouble figuring out the story. I rented this movie without English subtitles and my understanding of cantonese is very general.

I watched it twice to figure out everything. The twist in the end is surprising but not very satisfying.

What I got from this movie was this: this is not really a typical Hong Kong gangster film. This film is really about the deep friendship and love (I mean the platonic kind) between two good friends.

Is this film worth watching? Absolutely. Is the story good? So so. Even though I was not particularly satisfied with the ending, I still think it's a film worth watching and enjoying.

Style, class, intensity, mystery - loyalty?/betrayal? love for the art of film ...Jiang Hu is without a doubt a Simply TERRIFIC and ORIGINAL film! For those who have not seen this I will just say.. be Not critical of the film until you have reached the MAGNIFICENT ending!! At first the acting might seem poor from a few characters but it is the correct method to enhance the plot! You Will understand after - Promise!! Second of all this has to be one of the few rare movies to create such Depth in a single film, that will make you enjoy re-watching the film ..Straight after!! Even the credits show more depth to the film! Thirdly this shows the revival of consistency in great Hong Kong films! Like Infernal Affairs, there has not been a movie like Gong Wu (Cantonese title!) There is a SUPERB Twist at the end of this film, Andy Lau is Class! (The triads mole in Infernal Affairs!) In fact the whole cast is BRILLIANT! From the new talent to the veterans. I almost did not see this film because of the poor reviews given to it.. This is why i feel the need to have registered on this site (yes i'm a IMDb virgin) and tell the world how JIANG HU is simply another Amazing, Original/Anti Hollywood Triad film! I can Easily turn this review into a thesaurus of Compliments .... WATCH IT!