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R E V I E W
The Suspect
Tai Seng / 1998 / 109 minutes
Directed by Ringo Lam Ling-Tung
Written by W. K. Lau, Ringo Lam Ling-TungWith Louis Koo, Simon Yam, Julian Cheung
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
Ringo Lam followed up the acclaimed Full Alert with this political thriller.
The film played in Hong Kong cinemas for two weeks beginning on July 16, 1998, but had to be considered a box office disappointment, grossing only HK $4.5 million.
Lam next directed Victim. His most recent effort is the American film Replicant.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: Don killed someone in his youth. Immediately upon his release 12 years later he is dragged into the assassination of a political figure by his old boss. But Don wants nothing to do with his former life . . .
Performances: The performances in this film were a bit problematic for me. Louis Koo Tin Lok does not bring a lot of passion to the central role of Don. He maintains one look on his face, and it was hard to identify with him or empathize with his struggles. Similarly, Julian Cheung Chi-Lam, as his former brother-in-arms Max, decided on one facial expression and stuck with it throughout. Ray Lui Leung-Wai was more effective and enjoyable to watch as a mercenary leader, as was Ada Choi Siu Fan as a reporter brought along, unfortunately, for only half the ride. Simon Yam Tat-Wah is fairly cool and impassive, but, when needed for one scene, was able to convey some genuine feeling behind his usual sunglasses.
Production: The action set-pieces deliver for the most part. Rest assured that there is plenty of running, shooting, and the usual helicopter hijinks. The film runs a bit long and, while the concocting of an anonymous Asian country may have been felt necessary for the plot, the locales also look anonymous and lack much sustaining visual interest. The cinematography by Ross Clarkson is workmanlike. The musical score is quite good at underscoring emotional points (music supervision is credited to Raymond Wong and Andrew Worboys).
Rating: Category IIB. Plenty of action and violence, with some explicit violence but not an excessive amount.
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.66:1) presentation is a disappointment. A basic "haze" is present, making colors look drab, fleshtones indistinct, and black levels not sufficiently deep. The source print looks fairly clean.
Sound: I listened to the DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track, and it sounded like it was recorded in a large drum at times, with too much echo and not enough deep and true bass . Also included are DD 1.0 (mono) tracks in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
Subtitles: The yellow removable English subtitles are very easy to read and well timed, with relatively few obvious mistakes. One added bonus is what is missing -- the plentiful amount of English dialogue is not subtitled, as has commonly (and distractingly) been done with other English-heavy releases. No other subtitles are provided.
Features: Twenty chapters can be selected from a multi-page still-frame menu. Slowly scrolling filmographies are provided for Ringo Lam, Simon Yam, Louis Koo, Julian Cheung. A Mandarin-language theatrical trailer is provided as well as an "international" version of the trailer (i.e., English-language with narration); video release trailers are also included for Phantom Lover, Naked Killer, and Beast Cops.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Rent. Not a bad way to spend 108 minutes, but does not belong in the top shelf of Ringo Lam films.
(Reviewed 7/23/01)
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