Snakehead

I went into the movie hoping to pass time and not expecting much from it, but it pleasantly surprised me.

I think the scenes could have been lengthened to allow us a more in-depth look the prostitution and trafficking.

It's worth the watch.

Now, I wasn't really sure what I was in for here, as I sat down to watch the 2021 movie "Snakehead". But still, with "Snakehead" being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I found the time to sit down to watch it.

And as it happens to turn out, then "Snakehead" was actually rather enjoyable. Writer and director Evan Jackson Leong managed to put together a very interesting and entertaining storyline where there were many ups and downs along the way, making it a non-linear ride. And Evan Jackson Leong also managed to put together a group of interesting and very detailed characters, along with some good and believable dialogue. And I will say that it was nice to see the writer and director take an alternate approach to showcasing human trafficking and a crime syndicate in China Town.

So yeah, I was genuinely entertained by what "Snakehead" delivered.

It should be noted that the movie's cover is very much reminiscent of an 1990s action movie, which sort of is presenting a wrong presentation of the movie. So don't let the movie slide your interest just because of the cover.

The movie has an all-together impressive ensemble of casted actors and actresses. The movie was especially nicely carried by the performances of Shuya Chang (playing Sister Tse) and Jade Wu (playing Dai Mah). But also with the likes of Sung Kang and Yacine Djoumbaye, then you are in for an entertaining movie with good performances.

While "Snakehead" is listed as an action crime drama, which it essentially is, the main focus of the movie is the crime and the drama, whereas the action is just an added layer.

I can warmly recommend that you sit down to watch "Snakehead", if you have the chance. I was genuinely entertained by it, and it turned out to be a movie that sinks in under the skin.

My rating of "Snakehead" lands on a six out of ten stars.

I don't know if I watched a botched edited version, but there were many scenes that felt pieces were missing, and/or came out of nowhere. This is writer and director Evan Jackson Leong's feature film debut - previously known for documentaries and short films. Overall he did a great job for a newb filmmaker; most of the cinematography and camera work was excellent, but the slow-mo scenes were annoying. It was a visually stylish story, but the cliched gangster narrative fell short on its own heavy ambitions. The short 89 min runtime felt much longer and dragged out with the slow pacing and dragged out and/or unnecessary scenes. Casting was decent, with the stand-out performances by Sung Kang and Jade Wu, but I wasn't impressed with Shuya Chang; her character was unconvincing and it felt like she didn't want to be there with her constant straight-faced look and demeanor. Overall not a bad film, watchable to the end, so it's a 6/10 from me.

While the main plot was initially interesting, the script and acting was mediocre. The scenes felt rushed, not well thought out. How the film moved from one scene to the next felt choppy. The only actor I like was the older woman who played Dai Mah. Her acting was decent. But the main protagonist turned my stomach. She delivers her lines like a spoiled bratty sulking teenager. When you don't feel anything for the main character, the film is doomed. The rest of the supporting actors were just as bad. This production needed better writers and casting.

As the when film is shot in "dramatic" slow motion, at home one can just play at high speed and get this whole whatever you call this mumbo jumbo over in 20 minutes! And all the "plot" even starts to make sense! Try it.