Bloody Friday (1996)


	Bloody Friday		Return to Review Archive - B
	Year:	1996	Simon Yam has a bad day in Bloody Friday
	Director:	Danny Lo Kam-Pau
	Cast:	Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Loletta Lee Lai-Chun, Ada Choi Siu-Fun, Au Kam-Tong, Tsui Kam-Kong, Emily Kwan Bo-Wai, Ivy Leung Si-Man
	The Skinny:	Better-than-average thriller that's unafraid to surprise its audience, but doesn't do so without becoming implausible. Simon Yam gets the award for worst cop of the year.
	Review by Kozo:	Simon Yam stars as a cop on the trail of a mysterious killer/biker who kills women on Friday. Somehow, he enters into a bargain with the mysterious "Friday Killer." Here’s the deal: if Simon stops the killer from offing Maggie (Loletta Lee), then Simon wins. But if Maggie is snuffed, then the killer gets to kill Simon’s family in return. Despite the obvious crappiness of the bargain, Simon is game. Then, in one of those suspension-of-disbelief moments, Simon doesn’t even bother to send his family elsewhere. He just plays along, as the killer begins showing him up by taking out other people. His wife (Ada Choi) gets scared and her marriage to Simon goes on the rocks. That’s okay though, cause Simon decides to cheat on his wife with Maggie. Too bad that the Friday Killer finally decides to off her. Can Simon stop him in time? This movie features a supremely dark story that earns points for its audacity but loses them for a loose plot and the underuse of Ada Choi. The willingness of the filmmakers to embrace darkness is laudable, but none of this would happen if Simon Yam weren't such a damn incompetent cop. The film is entertaining and even gripping, but also somewhat ridiculous. (Kozo 1996)

		image courtesy of Universe Laser & Video Co., Ltd.
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