Brian Thibodeau
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2003
- Messages
- 992
Personally, I find the BETTER TOMORROW films to be overrated NOW, but certainly the importance of the first film in redefining genre and creating a whole new stylistic cottage industry post 1986 can't be understated. After Hong Kong's "new wave" (Tsui Hark, Alan Fong, Ann Hui and others) had become mainstream, a lot of very influential popular genre pictures by other people really kicked Hong Kong's Golden Age into high gear. Ricky Lau's MR. VAMPIRE (see earlier posts) and Johnny Mak's LONG ARM OF THE LAW come to mind, as well as Jackie Chan's POLICE STORY and PROJECT A, among others. Still, i have to admit that, for me A BETTER TOMORROW 1 suffers, though less so, from the same overcooked melodramatics of HEROES SHED NO TEARS. It really wasn't until THE KILLER when John Woo had his cliches in perfect working order, but I strongly prefer the added spectre of pre-1997-handover cynicism and dread that keeps HARD BOILED from becoming a histrionic male-bonding session.
My mini-review of THE MISSION
THE MISSION (1999) D: Johnnie To Kei-fung. Francis Ng Chun-yu, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, Jackie Lui Chung-yin, Roy Cheung Yiu-yeung, Lam Suet, SImon Yam Tat-wah, Wong Tin-lam, Eddy Ko-hung, Elaine Eca Da Silva, Sato Keiji, Ai Wai, Yau Man-shing, Cub Chin, Yee Tin-hung.
After an unsuccessful assassination attempt, triad boss Eddy Ko, at the urging of younger brother Yam, surrounds himself with five ace gunmen (Ng, Wong, Cheung, Suet and Lui), who take on the mysterious assailants in a series of hyper-stylish, ultra-suspenseful gunfights that soon lead them to the man with the plan. But when the youngest member of the team (Lui) is accused of boinking the boss’ wife, the rules change, pieces are drawn against allies, and the clever twists pile on. Intense, edgy minimalist thriller, expertly realized by director To, is filled with surprises and a stellar cast of heavyweights digging surprisingly deep beneath the surface cool of their characters. Despite Yau Nai-hoi’s writing credit, this allegedly was largely written on-set. Francis Ng and Anthony Wong are dynamite together! Action highlight: the gunfight in the deserted mall, with our heroes barely moving but taking out reams of assassins! Johnnie To won Best Director at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards, beating out his own Running Out of Time, among others. Supporting player and pasta casualty Wong Tin-lam is the father of HK director Wong Jing. 10.
I have no formal mini-review of PTU, but I loved it. Similar, I think, in style to THE MISSION, some would argue it's style over substance with this one, but I've read it was shot over the course of several months when time permitted or some such thing. Very nicely drawn characters in this dark thriller. I think To's return to darker films with PTU, BREAKING NEWS and THROW DOWN after a string of successful comedies doesn't carry quite the beautifully bleak worldview that his post-handover productions (THE MISSION, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED, WHERE A GOOD MAN GOES, A HERO NEVER DIES) but I still find these newer films are bright spots in an industry that has largely devolved into bubblegum comedies (although, I kinda like those, too!)
The "thugs" in ATTACK THE GAS STATION have their reasons for doing what they're doing, but their backstories are filled in later in the picture (enough to make you care about them, for sure). I think the film is deliberately filmed like a social commentary on the increasing disenfranchisement of many Korean youth, which, in the context of their country's half-century forced hurdle into westernization and modernization, is a lot different than that experienced by Westerners over the last several decades and as depicted in North American films about rebels and slackers and what have you. ATTACK attempts to satirize and break down the long-held vertical relationship model that Korean society has until very recently taken as a very strict model of collective behaviour, i.e. women respect men, wife respects husband, young people respect elders, employees respect bosses regardless of right or wrong, and achievement or failure is everything (something detailed and more or less criticised in the flashbacks). It's a rigid system that defines Korean relationships, and often results in outsiders perception that love doesn't flow very freely. I think the more Korean popular cinema you see (such as many of those I reviewed in the last page or so), the more important ATTACK THE GAS STATION will seem for giving tradition a good hard kick in the slats.
And BATTLE ROYALE is a friggin' work of art! (how's that for subtlety!)
