Gau Lung bing sat

(2001) Goodbye Mr. Cool (In Chinese with English subtitles) THRILLER

Although, "Goodbye Mr. Cool" is self-explanatory many films coming out of Hong Kong appear to always consist to have the same themes, with the only difference that they're shown with different actors and different set ups, and I just want to say that I hardly liked any of them. The theme that is often shown in Hong Kong cinema time and time again is one of those movies, where they showcase a good triad person who's trying to do good things, while being at the top as well as the best creating conflict and showing some downsides upon joining a triad gang, which operates almost like Italy's mafia. I had seen this type of synopsis in Hong Kong films before several times except in this case the star nicknamed Cool Dragon (Kent Cheng) is trying to set a good example to his son. I mean, if you seen one then you pretty much seen them all. Even though there was a movie that actually became very successful as a result of doing this same type of theme which spawned three more sequels called "Young And Dangerous" series which my Chinese friend liked more than I do- I only liked the action aspect of Hong Kong cinema with a few exceptions. I have to say that much of the drama, thriller and art house films from Hong Kong are very boring since they often recycle their plots and themes over and over again and I'll think I'm going to add this one to that list as well.

Well, just 20 years after this movie was released, I had the chance to sit down to watch it. Needless to say that I eagerly took the time to watch it, given the fact that it is a Hong Kong movie that I hadn't already seen. And the fact that it had both Ekin Cheng and Karen Mok on the cast list definitely helped to sweeten the deal - not that it was actually necessary to do so.

And I thought that "Goodbye, Mr. Cool" from writers Susan Chan and Sin Ling Yeung was just going to be another archetypical Triad drama, but it turned out that director Jingle Ma actually managed to make this 2001 movie into more than just your average run-of-the-mill Triad movie.

The storyline is the movie was enjoyable, and I liked how the Triad aspect was just a background thing, it was there to set the mood and atmosphere of the movie, as well as to help establish some characters and their interactions. But the fact that this was a character driven drama about redemption and love made the movie into so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the movie, especially since it was centered around a small local neighborhood restaurant. And having lived in Hong Kong, it was like being back there, because director Jingle Ma had perfectly captured the essence of such a place and the bustling race that is Hong Kong.

Needless to say that Ekin Cheng was really well-cast for this particular movie, and he fit the role quite well, performing rather good in the movie. And Karen Mok was good as well, of course, just wished that she would have had a bigger part and more on-screen time. In addition, then "Goodbye, Mr. Cool" also had the likes of Suet Lam and Chapman To on the cast list. So if you are a long-time fan of the Hong Kong cinema, you are in for a treat.

I was genuinely surprised with this movie and it was definitely a very enjoyable story. This movie is quite well-worth the time, money and effort. And if you are a fan of the Hong Kong cinema, this movie is definitely a contender for being a classic.

My rating of "Goodbye, Mr. Cool" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

Ekin Cheng, plays as Brother Lung (Cool Dragon) in this film directed by Jingle Ma. He used to be a triad member, reformed after ho got out of prison in Thailand after a botched kidnapping attempt. His father died when he was in prison, and could attend his funeral. He decided that once he got out of prison, he will turn a new leaf.

After he got out of prison, he did turn a new leaf. He worked as a busboy at his friends restaurant. However, his old friends from the triads and clans came to him and asked him to join them again. He told them he was no longer interested in joining the triad.

One day, a patron brought along a little child came to eat at his restaurant. And she left the little kid at the restaurant at left him there. Lung called her, only to be told that the kid is his child! Is is a heart-wrenching film, with emotions running high, especially the emotions shown by Ekin Cheng. He developed a very convincing persona of a person that has truly reformed, and has become a humane person, and of a father who protects and care for his son.

Overall, this is a fantastic HK fare. The action scenes was nicely choreographed. And the storyline is also very good, original and was very touching. The dynamics between Lung and the kid is very good and their performance is a commendable one.

Ekin Cheng fans will find this film a masterpiece, and those who have not watched any HK films before, then I'd suggest they start by watching this film first.

The copy I got says Young and Dangerous 8, but I think this is misleading because there's no connection to the story, although cast includes Karen Mok thats reminiscent of Young and Dangerous series.

This movie actually is better than any of the Young and Dangerous series movie. The story, the characters, are better fleshed out, and don't rely on dumb antics from any of the casts.

This movie also has the best performance by Ekin Chen that I've ever seen. I like the story, the presentation, and the acting. Casting I think was also well selected in this movie.

More intelligently made, and story driven than any of the Young and Dangerous series movies, although the overall shell of the situation resembles that series closely.

A great movie that's worth seeing.

7.5/10

"Goodbye, Mr. Cool" is a picture where Ekin Cheng is reformed Triad leader who recently got out of prison. His performance is commendable, not just for his acting but also the few though satisfying action sequences.

For fans of Jingle Ma, this is not your typical whimsical and new age Jingle Ma stuff. It is darker, but not to the point of being gritty. This was a definitely well-received picture.