Fai seung dat yin

I was totally taken off guard by the end of this movie, and several of the twists in the middle. At the same time, it all made perfect sense, it wasn't absurdist or anything. On the contrary, it was a very gritty. The action was of the kind of action that made you glad you really never get in gun fights. The romance was kind of silly, but I like Hong Kong romance humor. This wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but if you're in the mood for some crime, this is a pretty good bet.

This flick starts off as a typical Hong Kong cop movie, with a dream team of post-unification stars as the good guys: Patrick Yau (who also directs), Lau Ching-Wan and Eric Tsang. There are all the staples -- nasty villains, a beautiful love interest, lots of gats blazing. But you know what? The predictable plot falls apart and leaves you agape, wondering what will happen next -- and the ending... well, I'll let you see the end for yourself.

Unfortunately, as it is in many Asian crime films - and not only crime - you have here a mix-up between action, romance, comedy - light hearted touches that have nothing to do here - and tragedy. So, in a way, you have some unexpected moments, especially in the second and last parts. The overall result after watching is though above average. I saw many of those crime action flicks from the Far East and I belong to those audiences for whom it is agreeable, this melt of emotion annd action; a trademark, I guess, for this kind of stuff. But it remains a culture very different from ours. Bollywood - Indian film industry - also gave us somme neraly similar crime films: tough and fun, cheesy and brutal, poignant and lousy. Terrific ending, in the line of Abel Ferrarra's KING OF NEW YORK.

About the only thing unexpected about this movie was how muddled and uneven it was. So much so that the surprise ending lost all of it's impact. In fact, it seemed tacked on, almost as if it belonged in another movie. Actually, it felt like there were two movies sandwiched together -- a goofy romantic comedy with a violent cop drama. Because the romantic triangle became silly and childish, it was hard to take the ending seriously. It's too bad because there were some good things in it such as Lau Ching Wan. The idea (randomness of life, etc, etc) was good. The execution wasn't.

Some people get it, some people don't. This movie is about the unexpected side of life. In this movie, from beginning to ending, everything are unexpected and every plans failed, there are humour and tragedy in these coincidence, it tells you life is fragile. The style of the gunfights are masterful, comparable to John Woo and Luc Besson. The plot is ambitious as it tries to capture the more realistic side of policing, I think it is quite successful from beginning to end. Moreover, it is not heavyhanded, it just tells you that bright things and bad things happen in life, hence it is not too pessimistic.

Finally, I just want to say, don't treat it like a conventional cop movie, otherwise all the comedy and romantic courting would be pointless, it is in fact a movie about life.

Great hidden gem.