LIFE IS CHEAP...
...but toilet paper is expensive
A film review by Thomas E. Billings
Copyright 1990 Thomas E. Billings
Synopsis: A Japanese/Chinese/American "cowboy" (actually, a stable boy) is sent to Hong Kong as a courier to deliver a briefcase to a gangster boss. There he falls in love with the gangster's mistress, and experiences the sleazy side of Hong Kong. A rather unsympathetic look at Chinese culture, done with deadpan humor. However, the humor fails to rescue the weak plot; a very forgettable film. Released with a self-issued "A" rating.
Hong Kong (Cantonese and English; subtitled for US distribution), color, 1990, 89 minutes.
Director: Wayne Wang Writer, Star, Co-Director: Spencer Nakasako
Before discussing specific details of the film, it is worth noting that this film is making history by being the first film released with a self-designated "A" ("adult") rating, after receiving an "X" rating from the MPAA. The newspaper ads for the film contain the following note: "A This film contains adult themes or images that may not be appropriate for viewers under 18 years of age. [following, in small print:] This film does not carry a rating issued by the MPAA. Many leading filmmakers believe the MPAA's current rating system promotes censorship and does not serve the best interests of the viewing public." If you can't convince the MPAA to adopt an "A" rating, this case shows that you can easily "go around" them with a self-rating system.
This is the latest film from Wayne Wang, whose previous films include CHAN IS MISSING and EAT A BOWL OF TEA. Here Wang returns to his native Hong Kong (he is a U.S. citizen/resident) to create a low-budget film that appears to be a personal statement (and a critical, sarcastic statement at that) about Hong Kong and Chinese culture.
The story concerns a Japanese/Chinese/American, a stable boy at a racetrack in the San Francisco area, who is hired to be a courier and deliver a briefcase (which is handcuffed to his wrist) to a Hong Kong gangster boss. When he tries to deliver the briefcase, the boss is sick or away (can't tell which), so he decides to see Hong Kong while he waits.
Our hero goes sightseeing, where he meets some very strange characters. Then he is invited to a party at the gangster's house, where the gangster announces the planned wedding of his beautiful daughter. There is a funny scene where the daughter talks about astrology and the stars bringing them together, while her groom explains that he is a Ph.D. anthropologist, studying the history of the Chinese workers who built the railroads in America, by digging up the fishbones they dropped along the way.
The courier (who is, it seems, a "man with no name" as in the famous Italian westerns of years ago) goes sightseeing again. Two thieves steal the briefcase from him, and the story continues from there.
Although the film has some deadpan, black humor in it, there isn't enough to make up for the very weak plot and other faults. It is clearly a low budget film; there is a long chase scene filmed using a shoulder-mounted camera that is so shaky you can't stand to watch it. The style of the film is similar to a documentary; talking heads speaking directly to the camera, with added narration from the hero. The result is a disjointed, nearly incoherent way of developing the plot.
The film is likely to offend many viewers. There are violent scenes, including one where live ducks are hung up and their throats slit. The camera lingers on them as they bleed and die; clearly this film is not for the squeamish. As for the "A"/"X" rating, there is no explicit sex in the movie. Rather the film is aimed lower -- at excretory processes rather than sexual. Frankly, after seeing the movie, I thought it should have a self-rating of "GR" for "gross-out" or "D" for "disgusting." The grossness is apparently deliberate, as the Director uses it to criticize the concept of saving face.
Having a taste for unusual, offbeat movies, I am willing to put up with some "poor taste" elements in a film if the film is otherwise entertaining. However, the poor taste overwhelms what little humor there is in this film, and I don't recommend it.
Distribution. In its initial US release, the film is currently showing at two theaters in the local (San Francisco) area.
Reviewer contact: teb@stat.Berkeley.EDU
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