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R E V I E W
City of Desire
Mei Ah / 2001 / 90 minutes
Directed by Raymond Yip Man-Wai
Written by Manfred WongWith Sandra Ng, Alex Fong, Josie Ho, Anthony Wong
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
My usual source of information is the Hong Kong Movie Database. Unfortunately, it is down as I write this. I will try to add details later.
The DVD was released in early June 2001.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: Sandra Lui returns to Macau from Canada for the first time in 10 years because her businessman father has become incapacitated to run the family business. She is dismayed to learn that a few legitimate properties are simply cover for the real moneymakers, gambling and, especially, prostitution. She is torn between empathy for the women being victimized (as epitomized by childhood friend turned gambling addict and prostitute Pepper) and the huge profits that are generated (as emphasized by her father's lieutenants, Johnny and Uncle Motor). Meanwhile, a parallel story plays out as straitlaced police officer Cat finds himself falling for a deaf and mute prostitute (Man Sau).
Performances: Sandra Ng Kwan-Yu plays the lead role of Sandra Lui without much passion or outrage. Alex Fong Chong-Sun as Johnny does not make much of an impression; Law Kar-Ying as Uncle brings some life onscreen. Josie Ho Chiu-Yee as Pepper lacks fire. Blackie Ko Shou-Liang and Alice Chan Wai provide minor pleasures as Cat and Man Sau, respectively. Anthony Wong Chau-Sang is used intermittently (and somewhat lazily) as Brother Kam, a priest figure.
Production: Social melodrama is fine if the characters are believable and if the story has a fresh take on the dilemma being portrayed. Unfortunately, this film has neither. Manfred Wong's script sets up a decent premise, but fails to create truly sympathetic or realistic inhabitants of the "sinful" Macau scene. The direction by Raymond Yip Man-Wai is too slack, lacking tension. For example, Sandra is unhappy with the situation she finds with the family business, but takes little decisive action to change things for the better until far too late in the story; Pepper appears too relaxed to be desperate; neither Johnny nor Uncle Motor demonstrate any real moxy as would befit top underlings in such a sprawling enterprise; and we never see why weary veteran cop Cat begins to fall for Man Sau (other than her beguiling eyes). Still, the Macau locations are used effectively, and the flavorful musical score by Lincoln Lo is also quite enjoyable. The cinematography by Lai Yiu Fai is fairly attractive considering that the budget was likely quite low; variety is added by occasional use of documentary-style, handheld video footage.
Rating: Category IIB. One semi-explicit sexual situation; brief partial nudity.
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) presentation is average at best. Black tones, colors, and flesh tones are only occasionally rendered in a completely accurate fashion. Most of the exterior sequences are washed out a bit. The source print appears fairly clean.
Sound: I listened to the DD 5.1 Cantonese track, and it sounded fine, with minimal use of the surround and sub-woofer channels. Also included are DD 5.1 and DD 2.0 Mandarin tracks as well as a DD 2.0 Cantonese version.
Subtitles: The white removable English subtitles contain innumerable misspellings but relatively few grammatical errors, resulting in some irritation but a minimal need to replay scenes to catch their meaning. More problematic was that the subtitles appear nearly transparent in some white backgrounds. Also provided are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.
Features: Nine chapters can be selected from a still-frame menu. The "databank" consists of a simple synopsis and a cast and crew listing. No other features are included. The disk is not time coded.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Rent. Low priority. After setting up a potentially interesting situation in Macau, everyone involved seems to have developed an overwhelming desire to finish the film as quickly as possible and go home to Hong Kong.
(Reviewed 8/21/01)
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