Peace Hotel (1995)



	Peace Hotel		Return to Review Archive - P
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	Year:	1995	Availability: DVD (Hong Kong) Region 0 NTSC Mei Ah Laser 16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen Cantonese and Mandarin Language Tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1 Removable English and Chinese Subtitles
	Director:	Wai Ka-Fai
	Producer:	John Woo
	Writer:	Wai Ka-Fai
	Cast:	Chow Yun-Fat, Cecilia Yip Tung, Chin Ho, Lau Shun, Annabelle Lau Hiu-Tung, Joe Cheng Cho, Wu Chien-Lien (cameo)
	The Skinny:	Cool stylized action and a good setting make this film interesting, but it never seems to rise above its genre trappings.
	Review by Kozo:	Chow Yun-Fat’s last Hong Kong movie features him in another “tragic hero” role as a legendary killer who offed a bunch of guys a while back. As penance, he opens a hotel for seedy characters called the Peace Hotel (duh), and spends his life brooding and acting like Chow Yun-Fat usually does in his movies. Then, a loud, brassy mystery gal (Cecilia Yip) masquerading as his long-lost wife appears. Problem is, Chow’s wife was actually Wu Chien-Lien, who was murdered in a flashback. So, what’s the deal with this obnoxious lady, and what do these bad guys riding around on horses have to do with it? This film is a mixed bag, at times interesting and arty, and at others pretentious and overwrought. Director Wai Ka-Fai tells his story with all the latest melodramatic techniques, including slow-motion, step-printing, and grainy black-and-white flashbacks. At the very least the film has some powerful, affecting imagery. The film's setting gives the film a certain tarnished feel which is appropriate for the story, and Chow Yun-Fat certainly handles his character with confidence. Unfortunately the film doesn't seem to accomplish much. The story never leads anywhere unraveled, and the themes of sin and redemption aren't played for much more than face value. Chow Yun-Fat slaps a lot of women around in this film, which doesn't really make great cinema. Perhaps this was meant to add some dark layers to his character, but it just looks...ugly. Overall, the setting and stylized violence are sure to please some people, but the movie itself seems only skin-deep. (Kozo 1995)
	Awards:	15th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards • Winner - Best Song ("All Because of You", performed by Cass Phang) • Nomination - Best Actor (Chow Yun-Fat) • Nomination - Best Actress (Cecilia Yip Tung) • Nomination - Best Cinematography (Horace Wong Wing-Hang) • Nomination - Best Art Direction (Yee Chung-Man, Yau Wai-Ming) • Nomination - Best Costume Design (Dora Ng Lei-Lo) • Nomination - Best Original Score (Cacine Wong Ka-Sin, Healthy Poon Kin-Hong)
	Theme Song:	"All Because Of You" by Cass Phang Request this song on HKVP Radio \| Vote for Cass Phang
		image courtesy of Tai-Seng Video Marketing
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