R E V I E W

Beijing Rocks

Mega Star | 2001 | 110 minutes
Directed by Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting
Written by Alex Law Kai Yui

With Daniel Wu, Shu Qi, Geng Le

B A C K G R O U N D
director, in cinemas, recent and related films

Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting has directed just a handful of films (An Autumn's Tale, Eight Taels of Gold, The Soong Sisters, City of Glass), but they've been recognized for their serious intent. Her husband, Alex Law Kai Yui, directed Sammo Hung in Painted Faces in 1988, but since then has generally concentrated on writing and producing (The Soong Sisters, City of Glass, The Blacksheep Affair).

The film played in Hong Kong cinemas in October 2001.

M O V I E

plot
Michael is a struggling singer/songwriter from Hong Kong. His wealthy father has sent him to Beijing so Michael can write songs that are due on his record contract and improve his Mandarin. Instead, Michael goes on the road ("hole hopping") with a rock band led by the mercurial singer Road. Michael harbors a crush on Road's girlfriend, Yang Yin, a dancer. How will the relationships turn out?

performances
Geng Le plays the central role of Road and does a fine job. Shu Qi is bubbly as the Yang Yin. Together the two convey some aspects of a contented couple, but neither is able to capture the desperate edge of fatalishm that seems so essential to their characters. Daniel Wu as Michael is quiet and introverted, as called for by the script. Richard Ng pops up in a serious role as Michael's father. The other members of Road's band are played by real-life Beijing rock musicians.

production
Here's a case where the filmmakers seem to have been fascinated by the setting but had no clear idea what to do with it. So they resort to a rather tired, familiar love triangle as a framing device and then fail to explore either the characters or the setting. And it would have been fascinating to see a deeper examination of the underground rock scene in Beijing. What motivates these musicians? You would think there would be a greater degree of interaction with their fans, or at least with other musicians. Although these are touched on, the majority of the screen time is taken up with the love triangle. In fact, just when it seems that more attention will be paid to some of the other musicians (via the characters speaking directly into the camera in relating their family history) the "confessionals" simply stop. That being the case, the film rambles for the last 20 minutes or so, not knowing when to end.

On the plus side, the photography of Peter Pau is consistently enjoyable to watch, and some of the attempts at jazzing things up (odd editing and the like) succeed. It's also a good change of pace to hear some original rock music in a Hong Kong movie.

rating
Category IIB. Much profanity and one sex scene.

D V D

look
The letterboxed (approximately 1.66:1) presentation looks fairly good. Overall, though, the colors appear a bit soft. Perhaps that was the intention of the filmmakers. The source print looks clean, with just a little wear evident.

sound
The DD 5.1 Mandarin audio track sounded very good. The music is reproduced accurately and sounds quite natural. The surrounds are rarely engaged, though some nice bass punch comes through on some of the songs. No other audio track is provided.

subtitles
The white (with black edging) removable English subtitles are easy to read and well timed. The translation makes it possible to comprehend most of the dialogue, although some phrases seem elusive in their meaning. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

features
Nine chapters can be selected from a still-frame menu. Clicking on "bonus material" allows the viewing of a synopsis, an 18-minute "Making of" (sadly, no English subtitles), two trailers, an alternative ending (with a suprising little story twist), and "Casts & Credits," which contains filmographies for Alex Law, Mabel Cheung, Daniel Wu, Shu Qu, Geng Le, and Peter Pau, as well as a listing of the key behind-the-scenes personnel.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. Low priority. Does not live up to its potential, but has some redeeming virtues that make it worth a watch.

(Reviewed 12/18/01)

THIS DVD IS AVAILABLE AT HKFLIX.COM