Now available from 88 Films
When Chinese mainlander immigrate to Honk Kong in the early 1980s, many issues await them in their newfound freedom.
Written by Clifford Choi and Mak Hui with Choi directing, this film that is considered highly influential on films such as Chungking Express and In the Mood For Love is a little bit boring. Now, don’t quit on this review just yet… The film here is decently written and directed, creating its own universe and setting up its characters for sadness. There is a lot here and at the same time very little that kept this viewer’s attention. The film isn’t bad, it’s just not all that entertaining which is a too bad considering how it’s considered important in Hong Kong cinema. Of course, mileage may vary, and some might get more out of this film than other.
The cast here is good and makes the most of their parts in a film that just takes too long and has too much melodrama for its own, and its characters’, good. The leads here are played by Cherie Chung and Alex Man. The two of them have decent chemistry helping make the film easier to watch. Their acting chops are decent as well and so are those of most of the cast with speaking roles. The work from the cast, lead and supporting, is good, they do their best to bring their characters to life in the best way possible and they help make the film more interesting.
In terms of stunts, as most of what comes from 88 Films lately has been stunts heavy, there are some, there is also some fighting, and both of these things are well planned and well executed on screen. There is something here for those who want a fight film, but it is not enough for fight film fans to stick around through the rest of the film.
When it comes to the look of the film, it looks good and a bit like it’s going for that gritty thing when it comes to poor populace being depicted as dirty and desperate. It’s cliché but it’s also fairly true to the locations and the story here. Is it lacking depth and variations, yeah a bit, but it sets the tone for the leads and their new lives. The cinematography here is by Robert Huke looks good and makes the most of the situation and locations. The editing by works well here as well, lingering when the scene needs to and moving faster when needed.
Hong Kong, Hong Kong is an interesting film in parts, but generally speaking the film takes too long to get to things and to move from event to event. With a few solid scenes, the overall finished product is unfortunately a bit boring.
This new release of Hong Kong, Hong Kong looks great here and the sound is decent for 2.0 DTS. The set here looks good and has a nice slipcover, but the extras on the disc are once again a bit lacking for those who love extras. There is a stills gallery, a trailer, and collectors’ art cards (which are very good here).
