Gam gai

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.

Great fun to watch this, and because the subtitles have been done professionally, many of the puns and allusions do get through. One thing I particularly liked was how the many sub-stories did get resolved, and the ending was (in my view) just right for the tone of the film. One of the best HK films I've seen.

Sandra should have won HKFA award for this. Absolutely brilliant.

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

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.