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Review
by Kozo: |
Cheung
Yung (Fan Bing-Bing) has problems, though at first
glance you would never know how deep they run. Sure,
she's got a chronic illness that requires constant
meds and even injections, and sure, her job at a courier/parcel
service is a rather thankless one. But she also has
a loving older brother, Cheung Siu-Chun (Nick Cheung),
who dotes on her, taking care of her medicine needs
and even going so far as to buy her a new flat. She
also has a burgeoning romance with drunken antique
shop owner Shing (Anthony Wong), who she hooks up
with in practically two seconds flat. She's also incredibly
alluring - as one would expect from someone who looks
like Fan Bing-Bing - and so much so that one wonders
why she would hook up with a morose dude that looks
like Anthony Wong. Other than her health issues and
selection in men, life seems generally ok for Yung.
However, Yung has a
major issue: back when she was a kid, her parents
were killed in a robbery/arson of their family home.
At the time, Siu-Chun was absent, only reappearing
years later to take care of his sister. Now an insurance
agent, Siu-Chun is a caring, though somewhat shady
individual, who will actually screw over his employers
in order to help the needy Robin Hood-style. He also
has problems with his memory, and can't remember much
before the loss of his parents. Yung is puzzled by
her brother's inability to remember their childhood,
but since he cares for her so completely, you'd think
she's forgive his odd behaviors, right? Wrong. When
she finds an antique camera among Shing's belongings
that used to belong to her deceased father, it opens
up a can of rotten worms that threatens to destroy
her usual, if not cherished way of life. A couple
of easy possibilities: maybe Shing, or even Siu-Chun
were involved in her parents' death. The confusing
answer: maybe the whole thing is a psychoanalysis
nightmare involving twisted mistaken identity setups,
grainy flashbacks, and over-the-top acting from Nick
Cheung. Which of the above is really going on in Sweet
Revenge?
We'll answer that question:
all the above is happening in Sweet Revenge,
and it's not really a spoiler because if anything
other than some twist-filled pseudo-psychotic thriller
were in the offing, then this would be one boring
movie. Sweet Revenge starts out flat-footed
and remains there for a good half-hour. The introduction
to both Yung and Siu-Chun could put a Red Bull-drinking
squirrel to sleep, as it's slow, opaque, and given
to seemingly unrelated detail. However, the writers
(director Ho Ping and producer Tony Leung Hung-Wah)
actually seem to be following a screenwriting manual;
the minor details all return to play a part in the
film's many revelations. I frequently complain that
Hong Kong needs better screenwriters. Sweet Revenge at least attempts actual screenwriting with its foray
into intriguing psychobabble. The film also gets pseudo
clever, attaching supposed meaning to minute details
- a technique that might seem more successful if the
film were directed with more panache or pacing.
Unfortunately, Sweet
Revenge isn't a very diverting or seductive film,
opting for harsh, claustrophobic cinematography and
continuity-breaking camerawork that make the film
a rather unattractive experience. Furthering that
is the narrative, which is flat-footed and fails at
making its characters resonate with the audience.
Anthony Wong is almost always worth watching, but
his appearance here is minor and rather subdued. Fan
Bing-Bing is very photogenic, and possesses the leading
lady quality of a younger Rosamund Kwan. However,
like Kwan at a similar age, Fan's acting has consistently
been upstaged by her looks. That leaves Nick Cheung,
who once again shows that he can handle dark characters
with admirable facility. What Cheung can't do is make
them very charismatic, and his overacting can occasionally
be alarming. Case in point: the film's key plot reveal,
which features Nick Cheung at his most obviously hammy.
Were this a Wong Jing production, there would be yuks
all around - but since this isn't, a disturbed guffaw
may be all his performance elicits.
Director Ho Ping once won
a Golden Horse Award, though Sweet Revenge seems less influenced by Ho and more by the film's
producer, Tony Leung Hung-Wah, who has been responsible
for more than his share of undeserving cinema. Perhaps
there wasn't enough money or time to polish this film
properly; the production gives off an unfortunately
cheap vibe that the film never transcends. Still,
the one thing that Sweet Revenge does do admirably
is attempt a layered thriller. After about an hour,
the film does generate enough questions that one might
feel inclined to finish the rest of the film just
to get the expected answers. Unfortunately, those
answers may not be enough to make the film worthwhile,
as they're really not that shocking or unexpected.
Nothing especially affecting occurs when the answers
are divulged, because the film doesn't build up the
proper tension to leave the audience wanting. The
story generates curiosity, but once it's all over
the film doesn't feel as if it was worth the effort
spent to watch it. That's a shame because the filmmakers
really seemed to be trying when they whipped up Sweet
Revenge. However, they didn't completely succeed.
(Kozo 2007) |
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