Confession of Pain

But that doesn't take too much away from the "entertainment". At least not in my eyes. Of course as with the Infernal Affairs movies, this isn't so much about the action, as it is about the drama and the relationships between the characters. And if you have some of the finest (as is the case here), than nothing can go wrong. And although it's apparent from very early on, who did what, that doesn't take anything away from the movie.

Quite the contrary! Even it wasn't revealed in the movie, you would've guessed it. So by showing it, the movie tells you that it won't play any "twist" game with you. And you can enjoy the performances and the nice story as it unfolds.

This is no Infernal Affairs… Confession of Pain is exactly the type of movie that is so hyped up and combining with the ever dependable Tony Leung Chiu Wai, how can it possibly go wrong. Maybe it is because Neo watched this at the cinemas on Christmas Eve and quite frankly expected something more shocking and surprising than a rehash of what is already been seen millions of time before in Hollywood movies. In that it is a disappointing achievement and when the actual substance doesn't actually strike a cord with the audience until the end, you can only feel further disappointment. From the directors of Infernal Affairs, one would expect better, but the plot goes from cliché to cliché and eventually attempts to throw in some sort of classy ending that only leaves the audience more muddled than it should be. Sure there are redeeming factors, and credit must be given to the directors for not totally going the easier route, but rather emphasis with Tony Leung's character, and the reasons behind his own internal turmoil and the conflict of his mind both in the past and present. Still, this is a wholly average attempt and the result is pretty much falling way below the hype and expectation.

Tony Leung Chiu Wai is Neo's favourite actor and he is without question, HK's best dramatic actor for the past decade or so. His performance here isn't exactly top notch, but his steer presence kept the audience watching the depth of his acting abilities. This is by no means an award winning performance, but in all ways, he pulled off an immensely difficult role to some degree of success. Takeshi Kaeshiro isn't an actor with the greatest range, but can be equally convincing as seen in plenty of Wong Kar Wai's flicks. Shu Qi appears here and there and seems more annoying than sexy. With that being said, Chapman To, is fast becoming the funniest supporting actors in HK today. After his underrated comic relief in Infernal Affairs series, Initial D and Colour of Truth, his performance here is pitch perfect and provides much needed comic relief in an over wise an uncompromising movie. His comic timing has improved and the moment he appears on screen, it is already worth a giggle or two. Laughing at him or with him, Chapman To, has succeeded in drawing a smile on my face.

Those expecting Infernal Affairs should really look elsewhere, as Confession of Pain is really no where near that caliber nor is it aimed at a similar genre. Yes, it is about cops and good guys and bad guys, but ultimately it is partly a love story and partly about revenge and identity. Everyone have a reason for their actions, whether it is good or bad. Directors Mak and Lau fail in every department, except for the redeeming ending and the seemingly high production values. Ultimately the film is too predictable to be a thriller, too few Chapman To, to be a comedy and far too much Shu Qi to be not annoying. With that being said, the most important element that this film lacks is the almost non-existent connection with the audience and the effect is leaving the audience muddled up and confused. All in all, Confession of Pain is really a confession from the directors to the audience about how much pain it is to director this movie. Really, some parts of the journey is painful to endure, but at least they tried…

I rate it 6.75/10

• www.thehkneo.com

This time of the relationship between Hong Kong and China. Andy Lau's "Internal Affairs" examined the roles with far greater interest. This time, though, Lau has sunk to the level of soap, which is sad to see, especially considering how sophisticated his previous work is. Shu Qi is criminally misused to boot. "Confession of Pain" in no way compares to "The Banquet," "Curse of the Golden Flower," "Mo Gong," "Three Times," all of which function on more than one level without sinking into the error of this film, which is not so much paranoia as mawkish self-absorption.

As for camera work, set design, sound, and editing, this movie feels more like a commercial than a feature film. The effect is to cheapen what otherwise might have been great and deep. The same goes for the acting, which seems to have been texted in.

Confession of Pain is draped in deep melancholy. From story to cinematography, one cannot escape the strong moodiness painted by the creative trio of directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and together with writer Felix Chong, this movie is widely anticipated as the one which will top their earlier acclaimed creation, Infernal Affairs. And signs were positive too, as they had snagged great leads in Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

But unfortunately, the strengths and chemistry between the two leads are what lifted the movie from mediocrity. Both Leung and Kaneshiro again play cop roles in the same movie (the other being Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express as lowly beat cops 663 and 223), and in the prologue, we're introduced to their close friendship, as well as a bust which set the tone for the movie, and added a shade of grey to one of their characters.

We know Kaneshiro can do intense. His recent roles in Perhaps Love as the obsessive, driven lover boy, and House of Flying Daggers' bewildered constable Jin, are nothing short of being spirited. Here, his Bong character looked somewhat similar to Aaron Kwok's role in Divergence, as the cop who's turning to the bottle in seeking solace for love lost, and the perennial quest to uncover the Whys to his past relationship. Tony Leung, well, we all know what he can do, and he doesn't disappoint. His role as Detective Hei brings about a duality of sorts, and he delivers this dilemma perfectly. The two men, while best friends, are almost in complete opposites from one another in character, yet their bond is strong, up until the final scene, which probably explains the title.

It's surprising that the story decided to show its hand midway in the movie. While it doesn't exactly provide any definitive answers, by planting that seed of thought in you during its presentation, it locks your thoughts in and doesn't allow them to wriggle free. You're left wondering why, the rationale behind the actions, as well as the filmmakers' deliberate lack of effort of hiding the truth/ Bong's character will bring you on that journey of discovery. however, audiences who have consumed their fair share of crime stories, will find it a no- brainer connecting the dots themselves when the clues are presented.

Which is a pity, because everything turned predictable thereafter, narratively. However, stylistically, it is what assisted in keeping the attention on screen. The cinematography is brilliant, capturing moody loss and melancholy effortlessly in its never ending night shots of the cloudy city, unappealing streets, and empty apartments, and the effects enhanced crime recreation probably is one of the best I've seen coming out from Hong Kong. The pacing is kept tight, and a pursuit of a villain on foot was reminiscent of David Fincher's Seven where John Doe gave our detectives a run for their money.

The supporting characters had little to do, and I find it difficult to try and think up reasons for their roles besides being there for our leads' interaction. Shu Qi is largely wasted in her role as a beer maid and romantic interesting for Bong, and Chapman To, an Andrew Lau and Alan Mak film regular, finds himself as a fellow cop in yet another role for comedic effect, in trying to lighten up moods whenever Bong and Hei begin to wallow. Xu Jinglei as Susan, Hei's wife, also had fairly little to do except to love her husband, and to show pain when things had to go the way they did.

Decorated with a great soundtrack, Confession of Pain is an adequately engaging story of friendship, loss, and the sacrifices one makes in achieving one's goals. The truth is always never easy to swallow, and discovery it seems, would be just as painful as the outcome.

Unresolved pain, harboured grudge and hatred leading to bloody revenge is most destructively tragic. Hei even takes harming/killing his wife as a last resort to fulfil his eye-for-eye, tooth-for-tooth dark plan on his father-in-law who exterminated his family twenty-five years ago.

A "well-taken-care-of" work with who did it is known, how it was did is also known, and viewers chase and chase the line to know why he did that. Every area is fine but something missed... it lacks "power", some more energy and intensity is desired. The film is too "quiet", we need at least one exploding/imploding point to exhibit the tension. In addition, Fiona Sit should take the role of that that Shu-qi occupies here as the girl here is a dotty one. Shu-qi has long passed that playful age. Her talent is not developed her. Wrong choice of actress. And, Kaneshiro is not quite himself, I find no clue why.

When the flame of hatred and pain keeps burning, the fire of vengeance grows stronger and hotter that even the entire furnace falls apart.