Gam gai

As a fan of Hong Kong cinema, I remember watching this movie back in 2003 or 2004, on VCD nonetheless, and remembered the movie only fondly. And now finally getting it on DVD, it is time to revisit the "Golden Chicken" ("Gam Gai").

And the visit was just as great as I initially remembered it. This is indeed a funny and also interesting movie. By Hong Kong standards it is a bit deviant from the usual movies seen in the comedy genre.

The story is about Kam (played by Sandra Ng Kwan Yue), an aging prostitute who is in an ATM booth, when the thief James Bong (played by Eric Tsang) shows up to rob her account of money. As the electricity fails, they become trapped inside the booth, and Kam starts telling stories from her life.

The tales that Kam tells are funny and exciting, but they are also stories of warmth, compassion and finding her own place in life. It is also the stories of how the prostitution business works and has changed in Hong Kong with the passing years, and of how a flood of mainland China girls came into the market. And these individual stories through the years are nicely accompanied by the cast and some really impressive cameos by some of the 'heavyweight' actors in Hong Kong cinema; Andy Lau, Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Eason Chan. But I will say that Sandra Ng really carried the movie quite well, and it was a real treat to watch her in this role.

"Golden Chicken" will have you laughing and smiling, and it will also make you feel happy with the story, because it is the kind of story that sinks in and stays with you.

I can warmly recommend "Golden Chicken" to anyone who enjoys Asian comedies and/or Hong Kong cinema.

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 Ng probably should have won HKFA Best Actress award. Comedy is an under-appreciated art and Sandra Ng is a true artist, if under-appreciated. This movie shows the trials and tribulations of a Hong Kong woman through her career as a "fish ball" girl, club hostess, masseuse and prostitute while showing a unique view of HK history. I've watched this movie twice and I intend to watch it several more times. There is so much to catch--cameos, social history, irony, subtleties. It's a real treat!

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.

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