Mad Fate

Pou-soi Cheang's follow-up to Limbo is a messy, slightly underwhelming thriller that dabbles in themes of fate and occultism. It's a curious piece as it just leaves almost no impression after watching it. Coming from a director whose films tend to be visceral and entertaining, that makes it a disappointment.

It begins promisingly, with Lam Ka-tung's manic character performing rituals to avert an upcoming calamity in a woman's life. Themes of fate and possible changing of it enter the film in style and in a slightly bonkers way. But then other characters get introduced, a serial killer and a young man on the path to become one himself. The film starts to get sidetracked and slowly loses focus, with most of the tension dissipating by the time it reaches its conclusion.

Without even mentioning terrible CGI (especially regarding a cat), this just can't keep up with Cheang's past films. Despite all the shortcomings, I wasn't bored, chiefly because its themes are interesting and Lam's character entertainingly unhinged. But it fades from memory fast and leaves an impression of unfulfilled potential.

Mad Fate, the latest from Limbo director Soi Cheang and produced by Johnnie To, is a mean-spirited, nasty crime drama that tries too hard to execute its ridiculous superstition-laden premise, following its soulless characters trying to fool God in a hyper-violent depressing cartoon. It's best enjoyed ironically for its warped bent view of humanity.

San, a fortune teller meets Siu Dong, a cafe delivery boy who possesses a burning psychopathic desire for murder. Siu Dong has a criminal record of assault and animal abuse. Through San's calculations, the boy is destined to spend life in prison for a brutal murder that's due to happen.

San proceeds to help Siu Dong through Feng Shui rituals and practices, guiding him to be a good person and steering him away from his fate. Will the boy change his fate? Or is San just crazy?

Mad Fate's premise and execution are contradictory from the get-go. It wants to build an ambiguity about Feng Shui but then presents it as fact.

To properly ground its premise, writers Yau Nai-hoi and Melvin Li's script suggests that Gordon Lam's fortune teller could be going crazy, from having a family history of mental illness. However, the script blows this out of the water.

Gordon Lam's fortune teller proves to be scientifically correct in his fortune-telling readings to a blatantly accurate degree. San can calculate where people will be geographically whenever he needs to chat with them. San regularly screams at God, represented as the sun in the creamy clouds above (the same one from Soi Cheang's Accident), which appears to be silently mocking him.

This lack of solid foundation launches the story into utter ridiculousness. We are really watching a movie about a superstitious man trying to best God and it's too far-fetched of a concept to suspend disbelief for.

Roland Emmerich's Moonfall asked the audience to entertain Hollow Moon conspiracy theories to follow its sci-fi story. Mad Fate asks the audience to raise their superstitions to believe that Feng Shui can change the fate of a psychopathic killer.

Soi Cheang's trademark gritty graphic novel aesthetic eliminates subtext, or hope. There's a morbid sense of malaise in the air where the most cynical thing you can think of about humanity is immediately played out violently.

I hated the characters and the world this film is trying hard to manufacture. It artificially tries to make the audience feel awful and hopeless, but it sinfully forgets to add heart.

I was disengaged from frame one but out of curiosity, watched how far it took its premise. I forgot the ending a day after.

I would say this movie is a grown-up version of Pixar's "Inside Out" - the three characters depicts three fundamental human natures - humanity, desire and rationality. The storyline is well written and balanced on three characters. One special highlight is Lokman's brilliant performance. Even though he didn't have as much performing experience as other actors in the film, he was so sharp to bring in a significant contrast from other characters. The only part I can complain is the film started with a background from Chinese fortune telling which is not straightforward for overseas audience. Otherwise, this film can be better exposed to international market.

I mean Mad Fate is already a great pun - so my summary line indeed falls into the category of no pun intended (if you even classify it as such). If you've seen Limbo ... well I don't think the previous movie of the director will be able to prepare you for what is going to happen here. Mayhem would be one way to describe it - the main actor is really good. The character he plays .. I sort of would find it great to have him as a friend in real life.

On the other hand ... maybe not! One thing is for sure, anyones life would be ... way more interesting with him in it. What a great powerhouse performance. The movie can be described as mad ... the structure .. same thing! I never was able to guess where it would lead me! Whom are we following, who is the main subject? And many other questions you may have .. really well made, well written and acted by everyone involved! Such great characters and visuals ... but also quite violent! So not for the sensitive people amongst us.