Sheep Without a Shepherd

The almost-universal appeal of Drishyam's plot, adapted to suit Chinese audiences, does away with the soapy-family-drama elements of the original and gets into thriller-mode from the 15th minute. While I appreciate this aspect and the little contextual tweaks that director Sam Quah incorporates into the film, Sheep Without a Shepherd poses a same-but-different set of questions regarding the crime's cover-up. More than that, the climax here is handled in the most unconvincing way (yes, it's different from that of Drishyam!). The making style and visual aesthetics are far better here, however. The performances too, are pretty good. As such, Sheep Without a Shepherd did entertain me but that ill-conceived ending takes away an extra star.

Stories and metaphors that can be applied to every social environment, but this one is in a Chinese society. Those sheep, when they are not in danger, can let you cut their wool gently. When threatened, they resist. It's still a good type of movie. PS: the beginning may be the end, which makes me feel deeply afraid.

The movie is very tight and does not drag at all. Actors of all sizes are acting crazily all over the stage.

The best part that I liked about the original film was how a moviebuff designed a PERFECT crime. So the climax of this chinese film only made me desappointed.

I gave this a 10-star rating for a movie when Chinese is not even my first language. The cast was excellent and plot interesting. Didn't agree with the ending but otherwise could be a 11-star rating. *wink*