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Review
by Kozo: |
One
of these days someone should take writer Chan
Hing-Kai aside
and ask what he smokes when he writes his movies. The
celebrated collaborator of Gordon Chan is also credited
with the script for A Better Tomorrow—which
may explain his cinematic obsessions. Born Wild
is primo homoerotic stuff, and glorifies the male form
to large excess. Those seeking the bare chests of hot
stars Daniel Wu and Louis Koo will be happy with this
film. However, those seeking actual filmmaking may be
somewhat disappointed. Born Wild is superficially
developed, and really doesn't cohere as a complete motion
picture. But hey, everyone sure looks great!
Wu is Tide, who's informed
one day that his fraternal twin Tan (an appropriate
name for a Louis Koo character) is dead. Seeking answers,
he digs into his slightly older brother's life and finds
a "wild" life which differs from that of the
more reserved Tide. Tan was an underground boxer who
earned big bucks fighting for the amusement of affluent—and
morally bankrupt—individuals. Through flashback,
we discover that Tan was led into the life by his manager
Man (Patrick Tam), and shared a fiery relationship with
his girlfriend Sandy (Jo Kuk of The Longest Summer).
Tide meets these individuals post Tan's death, and discovers
them to be damaged by their relationships with his departed
brother. Seeking closure (or a cure to his boredom),
Tide goes about resolving every plot thread left hanging
by the departed Tan.
Asking the audience
to invest emotion into the life of Tide and Tan (it
sounds like a surf-and-turf restaurant) is probably
where Chan Hing-Kai
and Patrick Leung make
their biggest errors. Unlike the duo's 1997 film Task
Force, Born Wild does not possess engaging
characters. And, unlike their 1996 collaboration Somebody
Up There Likes Me, the film is not given to a compelling
(albeit manufactured) narrative. No, Born Wild
is existential in all the wrong ways. Obvious metaphor
is supposed to create depth, but it only succeeds at
being cloying or even silly. And even the film's final
action sequence is mystifyingly unnecessary. Tide decides
to try and beat his brother's killer, a nameless, faceless
foreign fighter who serves no purpose other than to
be an imposing figure for Tide to pummel. Or maybe it's
another metaphor.
Eventually, we get to
learn through a fabulous MTV fight sequence just what's
driving Tide. Apparently, he's chasing his brother's
shadow. Or, he's trying to understand just why they're
so different. Or, maybe he just doesn't have his own
life, and must walk around in his brother's. To be honest,
it probably doesn't really matter what drives Tide,
because it's likely that you won't even care. Born
Wild asks that you invest emotion into a primary
conflict that serves no true interest, and actors who
aren't terribly interesting. Daniel Wu, while a nice
enough kid, really doesn't embody Tide very well, and
Louis Koo is given very little to do as Tan. Koo fills
Tan with the requisite presence, but his character doesn't
go father than that. Tan is the film's biggest plot
device; he's a character that's supposed to represent
"something" to all the other characters. What
that "something" is a mystery best solved
by the most motivated of cinematic readers.
But, there are positives
to Born Wild. Patrick Tam turns in a remarkable
performance as Man, showing off an emotional range and
depth of character which his co-stars simply cannot
touch. Tam's work was probably the finest supporting
performance of any Hong Kong actor in 2001, and he rightfully
deserves whatever accolades he received. Likewise, Jo
Kuk shows that she's capable of more than "flower
vase" roles, and turns in a compelling, guileless
performance. Those who actually give a damn about non
pop-stars should see Born Wild simply for the
two of them. Assuming Hong Kong Cinema has a future,
more prominent roles should be given to both.
Of course, nobody needs
to say that for Daniel Wu or Louis Koo, who have enough
going for them. Koo has a fine screen presence, and
continues to score big roles. And Jackie Chan has Daniel
Wu's back, so no one needs to worry about him. If anyone
should worry it's Chan
Hing-Kai, who's
starting to run out of tricks in his magic bag. He's
written or co-written some of Hong Kong's best genre
cinema (Task Force and Beast Cops, to
name two), but his tricks are getting old. How often
must we watch male characters examine their lives in
uncomfortably overt ways? Hopefully, the answer is not
much more. Born Wild might have been better received
six years ago, as its narrative excess could have worked
to Chan's favor. It could have been seen as proof of
his creativity instead of evidence that he's begun to
scrape the bottom of his barrel. (Kozo 2001/2002) |
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