Confession of Pain

Now here's a good waste of pent up potential, with one of the bigger Asian movies of the 2006 holiday season culminating in a largely uninspiring mixture of several elements that by all rights should have worked well together. At least the title is very apt for what transpires, though.

With both Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro throwing in their weight for this one, there seems no plausible reason for failure, as the two aren't only capable thespians and impressive on-screen, they've previously done good when working on the same project, to wit Chungking Express.

However, this time around we are presented with a mediocre release that dabbles a bit too much in a wide array of influences ranging from crime sagas to supernatural thrillers. Confession of Pain (COP) actually nails none of those right smack on the head.

It starts in 2003, presumably on Christmas Eve, as dashing detective Bong (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and his commanding officer Lau Ching Hei (Tony Leung) celebrate the festival by raising toasts and chasing down psychotic criminals. This is where you begin to notice that the movie needs to fess up to more than just it's title: so much is held back, it is as if audiences are expected to surmise literally everything on their own. Not necessarily a bad thing, but COP doesn't do very well with its hint-sprinkling, causing more frustration than anything else. And as every semi-intelligent moviegoer will tell you, most cases of this ilk inevitably lead to one obvious resolution or another, which certainly happens in this case.

At any rate, these first scenes also showcase COP as a product very much endorsed by the Hong Kong government's infatuation with all things touristy, as car chases and other movements traverse the city's more glamorous and unique locales, even if geographically they don't always seem to make too much sense put next to each other like that.

Following a few dark but celebratory successes, the story fast forwards three years to a present tense where Bong faces such tragedy he's moved to quitting the police and switching to the life of a perpetually drunk private eye. Conversely, the more disturbed Lau Ching Hei seems to have hit paydirt, marrying Susan, daughter of a rich businessman. She's done by excellent Xu Jinglei (Spring Subway, Dazzling, My Father and I), and forms the first half of this movie's dominant cast, the ladies. Her complement is Shu Qi, finally recovered from being a thin sliver in Three Times, and looking so sexy you can't get enough of her sweet, giggly portrayal of bar girl Fung. Although Xu Jinglei's northern, Beijing-derived manner isn't exactly at home in a Hong Kong-centric production (plus it's obvious she was dubbed over), Shu Qi's gorgeous visage, extensive Fragrant Harbor filmography and fluent Cantonese mean she's totally like a fish in water here.

Without these two, COP would be close to a total loss. Fortunately, beyond the two female leads, it also possesses an uncanny knack for visceral violence. This is first evinced by a brutal sequence where Susan's wealthy dad gets clobbered over the head with a bronze Budha, with COP sparing us next to no detail. This continues in a few other scenes later on, and we commend directors Lau and Mak for deciding to go with it almost all the way.

Another trait worthy of note is the film's unceasing attempt to throw viewers off. Important events are played and replayed from different perspectives on several occasions, and all seem perfectly reasonable as the story veers ever closer to a who dunnit. So, while COP is basically a blunt tale of violence, suffering, tragedy and revenge, it nonetheless attempts to rise above its simple building blocks with an almost clinical inability to stay still. Does this angle work? Not nearly as well as we would have liked it to. In the end, COP doesn't dish out enough interesting hints, red herrings, easter eggs or even crusty Christmas fruitcake to really intrigue. And even in the brief occasions when it does have you enthralled, the knowledge that sooner or later it'll all come crushing down precludes serious contemplation. This is no David Lynch outing.

As mentioned before, none of the components introduced really get full play. Although Takeshi performs Bong to the best of his ability, and is once more a most likable actor, his relationship with Shu Qi's tantalizing Fung goes nowhere, as the girl pretty soon becomes little more than a comic relief sidekick. The police element isn't explored with any seriousness, featuring several cameos by Chapman To as a officer Tsui, a hapless fellow investigating the bizarre occurrences revolving Susan and her ersatz father. He adds very little to COP, something we regret. Tony Leung, on the other hand, was probably intended as a flatter character, and so we don't feel he was robbed of opportunity as much. Overall, he carries the aloof, surgical Lau Ching Hei with acceptable prowess.

In the end, for something so apparently ambitious, COP gives you very little to take away and mull over, save for Shu Qi in tight jeans and minuscule outfits, but the less we know about what you do with that, the better. A more cohesive storyline would have been preferable, and of course injecting the thing with more elaborate, inventive conventions is high on the list of wish-they'd-thought-of-that's.

To all intents and purposes, we are giving it a pass, yet with the females of the species looking so good and working so well in Confession of Pain, it's a guilty pleasure you may want to allow yourself this time of year.

Rating: * * *

But that doesn't take too much away from the "entertainment". At least not in my eyes. Of course as with the Infernal Affairs movies, this isn't so much about the action, as it is about the drama and the relationships between the characters. And if you have some of the finest (as is the case here), than nothing can go wrong. And although it's apparent from very early on, who did what, that doesn't take anything away from the movie.

Quite the contrary! Even it wasn't revealed in the movie, you would've guessed it. So by showing it, the movie tells you that it won't play any "twist" game with you. And you can enjoy the performances and the nice story as it unfolds.

I LOVE their work on Infernal Affairs. To some extent, I do compare COP with IA but I I've debated with myself not to be unfair with my judgement - because they are quite different.

Confessions of Pain is very real in nature. I am beginning to notice that many avoid stereotyping a person as a good 'cop' and a bad 'cop'. And I echo this. I don't think Tony's character is absolutely 'wrong'. Don't get me wrong as I am not suggesting that his ill-suppressed pain should be taken in the context of crime but we must 'honor his hatred' for his parents' brutal murder.

I must confess that the pain (in this piece of art) can be more e.g. poignant dilemma faced when the truth is revealed about his wife's identity (yes, I am speaking in codes here because my friend spoiled the suspense of 6th Sense by revealing the ending, and I ain't want to be that culprit!).

In essence, I like the movie and the cast is marvellous.

Confession of Pain is draped in deep melancholy. From story to cinematography, one cannot escape the strong moodiness painted by the creative trio of directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and together with writer Felix Chong, this movie is widely anticipated as the one which will top their earlier acclaimed creation, Infernal Affairs. And signs were positive too, as they had snagged great leads in Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

But unfortunately, the strengths and chemistry between the two leads are what lifted the movie from mediocrity. Both Leung and Kaneshiro again play cop roles in the same movie (the other being Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express as lowly beat cops 663 and 223), and in the prologue, we're introduced to their close friendship, as well as a bust which set the tone for the movie, and added a shade of grey to one of their characters.

We know Kaneshiro can do intense. His recent roles in Perhaps Love as the obsessive, driven lover boy, and House of Flying Daggers' bewildered constable Jin, are nothing short of being spirited. Here, his Bong character looked somewhat similar to Aaron Kwok's role in Divergence, as the cop who's turning to the bottle in seeking solace for love lost, and the perennial quest to uncover the Whys to his past relationship. Tony Leung, well, we all know what he can do, and he doesn't disappoint. His role as Detective Hei brings about a duality of sorts, and he delivers this dilemma perfectly. The two men, while best friends, are almost in complete opposites from one another in character, yet their bond is strong, up until the final scene, which probably explains the title.

It's surprising that the story decided to show its hand midway in the movie. While it doesn't exactly provide any definitive answers, by planting that seed of thought in you during its presentation, it locks your thoughts in and doesn't allow them to wriggle free. You're left wondering why, the rationale behind the actions, as well as the filmmakers' deliberate lack of effort of hiding the truth/ Bong's character will bring you on that journey of discovery. however, audiences who have consumed their fair share of crime stories, will find it a no- brainer connecting the dots themselves when the clues are presented.

Which is a pity, because everything turned predictable thereafter, narratively. However, stylistically, it is what assisted in keeping the attention on screen. The cinematography is brilliant, capturing moody loss and melancholy effortlessly in its never ending night shots of the cloudy city, unappealing streets, and empty apartments, and the effects enhanced crime recreation probably is one of the best I've seen coming out from Hong Kong. The pacing is kept tight, and a pursuit of a villain on foot was reminiscent of David Fincher's Seven where John Doe gave our detectives a run for their money.

The supporting characters had little to do, and I find it difficult to try and think up reasons for their roles besides being there for our leads' interaction. Shu Qi is largely wasted in her role as a beer maid and romantic interesting for Bong, and Chapman To, an Andrew Lau and Alan Mak film regular, finds himself as a fellow cop in yet another role for comedic effect, in trying to lighten up moods whenever Bong and Hei begin to wallow. Xu Jinglei as Susan, Hei's wife, also had fairly little to do except to love her husband, and to show pain when things had to go the way they did.

Decorated with a great soundtrack, Confession of Pain is an adequately engaging story of friendship, loss, and the sacrifices one makes in achieving one's goals. The truth is always never easy to swallow, and discovery it seems, would be just as painful as the outcome.

Unresolved pain, harboured grudge and hatred leading to bloody revenge is most destructively tragic. Hei even takes harming/killing his wife as a last resort to fulfil his eye-for-eye, tooth-for-tooth dark plan on his father-in-law who exterminated his family twenty-five years ago.

A "well-taken-care-of" work with who did it is known, how it was did is also known, and viewers chase and chase the line to know why he did that. Every area is fine but something missed... it lacks "power", some more energy and intensity is desired. The film is too "quiet", we need at least one exploding/imploding point to exhibit the tension. In addition, Fiona Sit should take the role of that that Shu-qi occupies here as the girl here is a dotty one. Shu-qi has long passed that playful age. Her talent is not developed her. Wrong choice of actress. And, Kaneshiro is not quite himself, I find no clue why.

When the flame of hatred and pain keeps burning, the fire of vengeance grows stronger and hotter that even the entire furnace falls apart.