What do you get
when you cross a big name cast with stylish direction and triad thriller
trimmings? Infernal Affairs anyone? Jiang Hu stars Andy Lau (A World Without
Thieves, Infernal Affairs Trilogy) and Jacky Cheung (Ashes of Time Redux,
Bullet in the Head), reprising their triad boss-lieutenant relationship from
Wong Kar Wal's debut As Tears Go By.
It also stars
fresh talent like Shawn Yue (Dragon Tiger Gate, Infernal Affairs Trilogy) and
Edison Chen (Initial D, Infernal Affairs Trilogy) as younger Triad members
hoping to make the big time. Comparisons have been made to The Godfather: Part
II, but let's not get carried away. Jiang Hu underperformed at the Asian box
office and was mauled by critics expecting greater things. You can’t really
blame them, the cast list is sublime. Our four protagonists are joined by the
likes of Eric Tsang, Gordon Lam and Suet Lam. So does this 2004 gangster movie
succeed in its own right, or does the love for all things Infernal cast a shadow
over Jiang Hu’s fate?
Triad leader Hung (Andy Lau) wants
to leave the underworld behind and make a new start, but attempting to leave
can result in death so you understand his hesitance. The news that
someone has hired an assassin to kill him in 12 hours doesn’t help much either.
Hung's best friend Lefty (Jacky Cheung) offers to kill anybody that gets in his
way, which means taking control of the business and allowing Hung to leave the
country with his wife and baby. Wing (Shawn Yue) is hoping to make his name in
the gangster world, and he’s taking his best friend Turbo (Edison Chen) along
for the ride.
Wong Ching-Po must have thought all
his prayers had been answered when directing duties came his way; a feeling
that’s substantiated as the film unfolds. There’s no doubt about it, this is a
stylish debut from the fledgling director, but you don’t half get the feeling
that he’s trying too hard. Slow motion is the order of the day here, rain
soaked city streets heighten the emotion and a laughable musical score
undermines the strong performances. I get it. Wong Ching-Po wants us to feel
the passion and drama as it unfolds on screen, but surely he could have let the
actors do the talking?
The over-enthusiastic score makes
the film feel dated, and stylish visual trickery detracts from the mood of the
piece. Not only that, the final showdown prolongs an obvious conclusion and
viewer investment is hard to come by. For a film that clocks in at just under
80 minutes, Jiang Hu makes hard work of keeping the audience engaged. Lau and Cheung
spend most of the movie eating at a dinner table, discussing life and comparing
their conflict to a game of chess. This might sound dull on paper, and in less
capable hands in would have been, but thankfully Lau and Cheung are as enjoyable
as ever, with or without the silly haircuts that upstage their every move.
Despite the over familiar themes
that plague Jiang Hu, Wong Ching-Po’s first feature deserves to do better on
DVD. Like I said, the cast is superb. Not only that, but Jiang Hu does look
good enough to eat at times. Wong Ching-Po could learn a little something about
restraint, but the film still manages to dazzle on occasion, and besides, it would have clocked in at less than an hour had his camerawork not been so enthusiastic.
Lau and Cheung impress in their limited roles, as does the pairing of Edison
Chen and Shawn Yue. The musical arrangements are distracting, of course, but
occasionally, just occasionally, Jiang Hu succeeds in bringing home the bacon.
Then there’s the ending. The one
moment that separates Jiang Hu from the rest of the chasing pack. On reflection
it is indeed nothing new, but the twist in the tale is handled well and I
certainly wasn’t expecting such an effective finish. That being said, it’s
pretty obvious that the rest of the film was engineered around this far out finale, which probably explains why it’s nowhere near as satisfying as it should
be. Jiang Hu is less than a sum of its parts and Wong Ching-Po fails to make
the most of a wonderful cast.
Attractive on the surface, with a
great looking cast and a final reveal that feels more at home in the horror
genre, Jiang Hu is more miss than hit, but certainly worth a look
for fans of the players involved. AW
No comments:
Post a Comment