A remake of Taiwanese hit ‘Trick or Treat’, ‘Everything Under Control’ brings together a few members of popular Cantopop group Mirror and the ever quirky Ivana Wong for a suitably amusing and defiantly odd Hong Kong comedy.
An unimpressive security company is given the commission to deliver a case of diamonds to the client, something that goes wrong almost immediately. The hapless quartet are stopped by an equally awkward gang and, in the ensuing struggle, the diamonds are stolen from under their respective noses. When it emerges that one of the security officers had taken the items while no one was looking, the parsimonious leader of the gang sends his colleagues out to retrieve them or be killed. Unfortunately, while the thief is easy to track, events become even more complicated when he ends up stranded in a strange collective on Lantau island. The commune, led by batty Wong Cool (Wong), takes an interest in the diamonds too meaning that three parties are now after the booty.
The only films that have a title credit thirty minutes into the story are either deadly serious arthouse flicks or ones that are vaguely absurd. Thankfully, for my mood when I watched it, this falls into the latter category and manages to be eccentric without being too self-conscious. It certainly has meta moments (the running joke of the radio interview talking about Hong Kong cinema is the main one) but these blend into the humour very well. And this is a comedy that is joyfully unpredictable without being needlessly random.
‘Everything Under Control’ has its faults; some ropey, unnecessary computer effects and a tone that doesn’t quite manage to sustain itself throughout the hundred minute runtime. Nevertheless, the cast buy into the absurdism on offer and it’s hard not to be charmed by their efforts. Even when a measure of pathos enters the narrative, it kind of clicks and that is due to the investment we’ve made in the cast. Ivana Wong is that unique actress who can look either adorable or terrifying while the Mirror contingent do well with the material. ‘Everything Under Control’ is a genuine surprise.
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