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R E V I E W
Final Romance
Wide Sight / 2001 / 96 minutes
Directed by Alan Mak Siu-Fai
Written by Felix Chong Man Keung and Chan Kiu YingWith Edison Chen, Amandra Strang, Sam Lee, Simon Yam
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
Here's an interesting combination: two stars, the writers, and the director of Gen-Y Cops reunite to make a romance. The difference is that Gordon Chan (the veteran director) here is one of the producers, and the director is Alan Mak, who made last year's acclaimed A War Named Desire.
The film played briefly in Hong Kong cinemas. It was released on DVD in early August 2001.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: After "meeting cute," mechanic Dik and rich girl Jean meet again when they travel with their respective best friends, Sena and Faye, to a ski resort in Japan. Dik's brother Wu and Jean's sister Michelle have both died; their last wish was to ask their siblings to make sure their ashes were brought to the hotel where the couple rendezvoused every Valentine's Day. Dik and Jean end up sharing some romantic moments before Jean's father arrives to take her home to Hong Kong and her awaiting doctor boyfriend, Peter. A few more complications await the potential pairing of Dik and Jean.
Performances: Edison Chen Koon Hei, who was charmless and clueless in his previous film, Gen-Y Cops, here acquits himself marginally better as Dik. He displays a comfortable chemistry with Sam Lee Chan-Sam as Sena (who co-starred with him in Gen-Y Cops) and seems at ease in playing a quiet and mostly introverted character. Amandra Strang looks winsome as Jean; she previously had a thankless part in Martial Angels, and here Lois Kwok dubbed her dialogue (as acknowledged in the closing credits). Whether the dubbing was due to linguistic or thespian reasons is difficult to say. Actually, Sam Lee Chan-Sam and Au Si Yee as Faye (her first film role), who play the "best friends" of the main characters, emit more electricity in their smaller parts than the leads. Simon Yam Tat-Wah plays the domineering father with his usual elan. Terence Yin Chi-Wai (Gold Fingers) is effective here in a small part as the small-time gangster who owns the garage where Dik and Sena work; Hui Siu-Hung has a few lines as a police superior.
Production: The script is entirely predictable and the main performances lack sufficient spark. Yet director Alan Mak consistently does an excellent job in framing the visuals and creating some memorable images. The snowscapes provide a fresh backdrop for the gentle romance, and are photographed attractively by Chan Chi-Ying (Tokyo Raiders, A War Named Desire). Peter Kam Pau-Tat's (Big Bullet, Full Alert, Tokyo Raiders) musical score is consistently engaging with its use of guitar and synthesizers. Another fine editing job should not be a surprise, since the ever-reliable Cheung Ka-Fai was on hand (Police Story III, Big Bullet).
Rating: Category IIA. One mildy violent scene with a little blood on display.
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) presentation looks decent. The colors are sharp and the black levels are sufficiently deep. The flesh tones look natural. The source print is fairly clean but displays quite a bit of wear and tear.
Sound: The DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track (which included a fair amount of Japanese dialogue) sounded fine with good directional effects; the big problem is that a distracting hiss is audible during quieter moments. The DD 5.1 Mandarin track dubs both the Cantonese and Japanese dialogue.
Subtitles: The white burned-in (non-removable) Chinese and English subtitles are mostly readable, but present more than the usual challenges in being legible against the often snow-filled backgrounds. Several songs are not fully subtitled (Chinese songs have Chinese subtitles, the English song has no subtitles).
Features: Six chapters can be selected from a video capture menu. A Chinese-language "Introduction" presumably contains a synopsis.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Rent. Creative direction by Alan Mak overcomes some weak writing and less-than-star power leads to make for a pleasant viewing diversion.
(Reviewed 10/30/01)
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