Hao jile

A very strange animated movie ... one that you may think you might have seen as an live action movie. But this thriller about greed (for money as you can guess or just the will to survive, as some may call it), is really well made. While it may take a second (or two) to get yourself into the mood of this movie and its many characters and figure out who is who and what their ultimate goal is (although very similar if boiled down), you will be more than entertained with this, no matter if you watch it alone or with a crowd.

I watched it at a film festival, but since it was the midnight screening there weren't that many people. And it doesn't really contain that many "omg" moments, although it does have quite a few outrageous things in it. So be prepared for this, because this was not made for kids (I do hope you don't show it to little children before you check the rating or the reviews) ...

A neo-noir animated take on a mob film, following a big bag of money as it moves from one person to the next, suspiciously. At once an absurdist escape and a biting commentary on consumer culture, the movie will captivate big audiences with its homage to films like "The Godfather," "Blade Runner" and the works of Tarantino. The characters are all fascinating in their oddities, and the animation style captures the mood in even the smallest details— like a dog limping in the background or a neon sign flickering on the street. Watch it for the violence, watch it for the dry humor, but definitely watch it because the visual style is artistic, emotional and insanely brilliant.

Everyone and everything in this movie is a "used to be". The gangster boss who finds out that his money was stolen, used to be involved in more important deals. The hit-man who is supposed to get the money back now works at a butcher's shop. His best days are behind him. The hotel where the main character tries to hide for sure has seen brighter days.

The story is set on the edge of any large Chinese city. The drawing style focuses attention on the fact that decay is everywhere. Even though building sites are part of the cityscape at all times.

Brilliantly ironic, even cynical, with a great soundtrack by the Shanghai Restoration Project this animated movie is a definite recommendation.

It might well be the soundtrack from the Shanghai Restoration Project that is most notable about this gangster feature. Otherwise, it's all a rather poorly put together animation that follows the story of a suitcase with ¥1 million in it that's been pinched from a boss who is maybe just a bit past his sell buy date. Just to reiterate that point, he puts it's retrieval into the hands of an hit man who has gone a bit from ninja to nanny as he tries to track down the bloke whom we know, pretty much all along, has the cash and hopes to make to to his struggling girlfriend. What are the chances of him getting out alive? Well actually that's not really much of a question - the whole drama sort of meanders along with a degree of inevitability to it that rather draws (unwelcome) attention to the very linear style of the animation. Many of the characters remind me of those rub-on transfers I used to get as a kid. Very two dimensional and rarely in proportion to their contemporaries or their surroundings - especially if there's movement or changes in pace, light/shade going on. It relies on the dismal surroundings of their dilapidated environment and the weather to create much of it's sense of menace and the dialogue does little to put any meat on the bones of their characterisations. Perhaps it's meant to be an allegorical indictment of communist China - a cityscape that, like everything else here, has seen better days? Possibly, but as a crime thriller it's quite literally as flat as a pancake.

28th STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. DAY 4, NOV 11th 2017. Swedish premiere.

With impressive and stylish animations and a nice humouristic touch, the film offers a satirical criticism on the problems of modern China.

The second feature film from writer-director Liu Jian, after his animated debut "Piercing I" in 2010, "Have a Nice Day" (2017) is a proof of talent and aesthetic vision, promising, with the right financial support for Liu Jian, a filmmaker with clear potential.