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Review
by Kozo: |
The cops take the loan sharks to town in this amusing satirical
comedy from the prolific and generally-appreciated Herman
Yau. Danny Lee stars (again) as Lee Sir, the head cop in a
department beset by individual characters and issues. Lee
is saddled with negative assets thanks to the declining economy,
and his debts make front page news for the headlines-starved
paparazzi. Such publicity is a headache to the top cops (including
Alfred Cheung in a cameo), not to mention fodder for his subordinates.
Still, Lee Sir only owes to banks
and credit card companies, which is nothing compared to some
of his co-workers. Patrolman Benz (Hui Siu-Hung) goes to a
personal finance company to pay off his bank loans, but the
loaners turn out to be a triad-run business which only looks
legitimate. Cueball badguy Chan Ho-Lung (Lam Suet) runs the
organization, which uses various illegal means to collect
their staggeringly high interest. He's not the only cop in
debt to these particular bastards, and even Lee gets drawn
in after Benz uses him as his guarantor. After too many incidents
involving triad intimidation and smug behavior, the various
debt-ridden cops decide that enough is enough. Using whatever
means necessary, they resolve to take down the loan sharks
and abolish their debts once and for all.
The tone here is amiable,
and Herman Yau comes through with mostly amusing character
and situation comedy. Yau is a rarity among Hong Kong directors
in that he actually uses his characters to do something other
than occupy space. The interplay and attitudes of these distinctly
Hong Kong people make for fun, if not too low-key comedic
moments. Furthermore, Yau apparently takes great pride in
skewering the established societal norm. The triads in Shark
Busters thank the government for mucking with the economy,
and see no danger in lending to cops. One particularly rich
character is a gweilo lawyer (Brian Ireland), who joins the
cops as an auxiliary officer because he wants to carry a gun.
At the same time, he represents the triad loan sharks, meaning
he frequently finds himself across the table from his cop
co-workers. Such double-duty would probably lead to physical
and verbal assault in the real world, but in Yau's satiric
space it's just business as usual and prime funny stuff for
the audience.
Still, that audience is not
likely to be your usual Internet-savvy youngster. The cast
and skewered topics of Shark Busters are likely above
the heads of most popstar chasers and casual moviegoers, and
the action and comedy don't make for an epic crowd-pleaser.
Yau seems to sympathize with the mid-thirties to early-fifties
Hong Kong residents who found themselves caught up in the
promise of 1997—only to be disappointed when the bottom
dropped out of the economy. As such, the film may speak to
those people, and indeed Shark Busters is a favorite
of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, HK's famed union of
film critics which likely has no members below the age of
thirty.
But if you can't entirely identify
with Yau's subject, then Shark Busters may be tough
going. The narrative is slow going and not given to action
or thrills; much of what happens is sheer exposition delivered
through the jaws of Danny Lee or Lam Suet. Fans of Ekin Cheng
should probably stay away from this film, but it's nonetheless
a rare and effective Hong Kong film that actually shows some
signs of intelligence beneath the throwaway pratfalls and
mouthy histrionics. Herman Yau should be lauded for attempting
to tackle actual subjects, and he does a fine job of making
pleasant, low-key entertainment out of it. Shark Busters isn't an overly special cinematic experience, but as an alternative
to Wong Jing, it's stellar work. (Kozo 2003) |
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