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R E V I E W
Could You Kill My Husband Please?
Mei Ah / 2001 / 86 minutes
Directed by Yiu Tin Hung
Written by Tam Wai ShingWith Michael Wong and Jade Leung
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
Yiu Tin Hung has more credits as an editor (18) since 1990 than as a director (6). His films include Ghost Killer, Girl Gang, Drugs Fighters, Faces of Horror, Black Wind Inn, and Sworn Revenge. Writer Benny Tam Wai Shing has also been working the quieter side of the street, with his previous credits including back to 1982 (Life After Life). His next produced script was Demoness From Thousand Years in 1990, and his subsequent efforts include Devil Sex Love, Drugs Fighers, and the recent Ghost Meets You and Angel Cop.
This film is not listed in the Hong Kong Movie Database, so I am not sure if it was ever released to Hong Kong cinemas. The DVD was released on June 7, 2001.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: Ho Chui San has made an effort to be a "traditional" wife to her businessman husband Ho Ching Po. But she has become increasingly dissatisfied by his devotion to work and inattention to her. Desperate, she invites herself along on one of his business trips to Shanghai, thinking they may have some time together. When Ching Po discovers an irregularity in the branch office fianances, he decides to return immediately to Hong Kong to correct matters. Upset, Chui San remains in Shanghai and camps out in a bar. After she's had a few drinks, Wu Man He approaches her and subsequently hears her drunken declaration that she wants someone to kill her husband. He decides to take her up on her offer.
Performances: Jade Leung looks ravishing as Ho Chui San and does well with a thankless and poorly written role. The only other cast member I can identify by name is Michael Wong as Wu Man He, and he is dreadful -- or so it seems. The entire film was post-synched, and the actor chosen to dub Wong's voice has a very deep baritone voice that sounds completely out of place coming out of Michael Wong's lips. By the way, Jade Leung earlier starred in Satin Steel with Michael Wong's brother, Russell, in 1994.
Production: I liked some of the music, which ranged from a light Spanish guitar to a little techno pop beat. Otherwise the film is entirely without merit. The post-synched dubbing is terrible -- it rarely matches with the on-screen performances. The plot is crashingly obvious and boring. The direction -- well, Michael Wong and the actor who portrays the lead police investigator both look like they can barely keep from laughing at the dialogue. Despite the brief running time and the fact that I watched the film over two sittings, I had difficulty staying awake. The film never builds to anything, the action scenes are flat, many scenes run on too long, the others are poorly paced. Did I mention that it was boring?
Rating: Category IIB. A little muted violence; an interrupted dream sequence sex scene (not erotic at all, but not meant to be).
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) presentation bears the Mei Ah trademark washed-out look. The source print used looked a bit worn, with plenty of speckes and dirt. Colors were less than vibrant, blacks insufficiently deep, etc.
Sound: I listened to the DD 2.0 Cantonese audio track, with poorly dubbed post-synched performances and flat sound effects. The sound itself was unexceptional. Also on board is a DD 2.0 mandarin track -- which also sounded horrible.
Subtitles: The white removable English subtitles were not too bad, with only occasional mistakes, but often flew by too quickly to read. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.
Features: Nine chapters can be selected from a still-frame menu. The databank contains a brief synopsis and cast and crew listing. Absolutely no extra features are included.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Pass. No redeeming reasons to watch this one. Avoid like the plague.
(Reviewed 8/13/01)
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