Hong Kong Cinema 2010 – Part Two

For all purveyors of brain-rotting ineptitude, 2010 saw two cinematic infections released among the Asian public. And the key ingredient in both was the toxin known as Wong Jing. ‘Beauty On Duty‘ was the first attack on our collective nervous system, a semi-sequel to a semi-sequel to the Miriam Yeung ‘Love Undercover‘ films. A procession of atrocious jokes and supremely annoying stars, this should have been the worst film of the year. Then ‘Future X-Cops‘ escaped from the laboratory, intent on destroying the reputation of Andy Lau and everyone else involved. Every human emotion was exploited and suffocated by the least funny, least exciting, least moving, least technologically advanced film imaginable.

Enough misery. There were notable successes. Jingoism found a new champion with ‘Ip Man 2’ as did high production values and superb action choreography. This was a massive financial hit – no bad thing considering which imports dominated the local top ten – and made this reviewer quite open to the idea of ‘Ip Man 3’. Just tone down that nationalism please Mr. Yip. Dante Lam continued his rebirth after last years exceptional ‘Beast Stalker‘. While neither ‘Fire Of Conscience‘ (with Richie Ren and Leon Lai) or ‘The Stool Pigeon’ (which reunited the ‘Beast Stalker’ cast) quite reached their predecessor’s heights, they were still superb thrillers. The former was especially dark, Lam creating a nightmarish Hong Kong for his characters to inhabit. Any future Dante Lam film will be greatly anticipated if he can maintain this personal style that has become his trademark.

The best thriller, maybe even film, of the year was Felix Chong & Alan Mak‘s ‘Overheard‘. Recalling the great conspiracy dramas of the 70s, this was a tense, atmospheric and constantly gripping production with three great lead actors. The genre was once dominated by Hong Kong’s output – Johnnie To‘s contributions especially memorable – before Korea took control. If the past eighteen months is anything to go by though, the local industry could be going through another purple patch. Hong Kong cinema, even at its lowest ebb, has a canny habit of finding a particular genre to excel in.

Alongside a few fine thrillers, there were also films like ‘Hot Summer Days‘, ‘Crossing Hennessey’, ‘The Break-Up Club’ and ‘Love In A Puff’. The first of the four was an especially sprightly, sweet and funny rom-com with an excellent cast and superior script. Jacky Cheung and Rene Liu were joined by some up-and-coming stars from S.A.R. and the Mainland, a combination that paid dividends in this much maligned genre. Not quite up to that mark, but entertaining in itself was the subtle ‘Crossing Hennessey’ which featured another strong lead performance from Jacky Cheung. Lacking the charm it probably needed, it was nevertheless a film with a great deal of local flavour, capturing the intensity of the eponymous road and its surrounding area. A promising second outing behind the lens for Ivy Ho who has penned some of Hong Kong’s finest films in recent years (including one of my favourites ‘Anna Magdalena‘). Perhaps directors like Ho and Barbara Wong will form the spine of future Far East cinema, emulating the great Ann Hui (who returned with ‘All About Love’ near the end of the year) as strong female voices in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Speaking of Hong Kong greats, it was a solid return to form for Tsui Hark after the bland ‘All About Women‘ was released last year. ‘Detective Dee & The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame‘ has potential franchise written all over it, yet was infused with a bit of local magic from Tsui’s golden era. Andy Lau was a good Dee – an historical judge well known by local audiences – and banished those memories of ‘Future X-Cops’ almost immediately. An Asian ‘Sherlock Holmes’ film complete with all of the computer trickery that Guy Ritchie’s production bathed in, perhaps a sequel could utilise its Hong Kong traditions a little more next time.

Adding to the blend of old and new in 2010 was Clement Cheng and Derek Kwok‘s ‘Gallants‘ which saw relatively young directors calling on the talents of such luminaries as Teddy Robin, Chen Kuan-Tai, Lo Meng and, in a pleasant surprise, Bruce Leung. After lavish kung-fu spectacles dominating the market, it was encouraging to see a more realistic approach to traditional fisticuffs from Kwok and Cheng, and a few genuine legends given a long overdue return to the spotlight. That sentence could also sum up Felix Wong’s witty ‘Once A Gangster‘ which perhaps stands out as one of the unexpected bonuses that this year brought along. A triad satire that was biting and often very funny, recalling ‘Jiang Hu – The Triad Zone’ and ‘Days Of Being Dumb’. Jordan Chan and Ekin Cheng do a fine job of sending-up the very films that made them stars, while Felix Chong is not above some classy self-deprecation.

Two decades ago, such a yearly retrospective of Hong Kong cinema would have used up many more pages of text. Sadly that volume of production will never return, but 2010 has shown that the local industry can more than hold its own with the invaders from all shores.