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R E V I E W
Gold Fingers
2001 / Universe / 88 minutes
Directed by Benny Wong Chung Yam
Written by Cheuk Bing (or "Jobic Tsui" in the credits)With Terence Yin, Eric Mo, Ben Ng
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
Director Benny Wong Chung Yam has only two credits listed in the Hong Kong Movie Database: 1990's That Money and this film. Writer Cheuk Bing (his name is listed as the writer according the usually reliable HKMDB, so perhaps "Jobic Tsui" is a pseudonym?) wrote the 1994 films A Chinese Torture Chamber Story, A Taste of Killing and Romance, and Sex and the Emperor, and also contributed to the scripts for 1995's Teenage Master and Dream Lover.
The film played briefly in Hong Kong cinemas in May 2001.
Like its similarly-James Bond movie title soundalike Doctor No, the film is presented by Dream Movie Entertainment Ltd. and produced by Tonrock International Investment Ltd., yet has no resemblance to a James Bond movie.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: A brief SDU intro (rappelling police special unit action, etc) during the credit crawl, and then we encounter two low-level gang members, Xi Hwa and Little Peter, who see their boss, Rocky, walking out a restaurant. Rocky is attacked by masked gunmen, and Peter rushes to help out. The boss is impressed by his brash attitude, and Peter is promoted. It turns out that Peter is an undercover cop who is not happy with the assignment, especially because it seems that another policeman is already undercover with the same gang. Peter attempts to get closer to the boss while questioning himself and his motives.
Performances: Terence Yin Chi-Wai as Peter is not able to transcend his character as written -- an unsympathetic bad guy. So the center of the film sags a bit. Probably the brightest spot of this production are the supporting performances: Eric Mo Kai Yin as the boss' angry and conflicted right hand man, Ben Ng Ngai Cheung as the heartless boss, Hui Siu-Hung as Peter's police superior, Lam Suet as the blustery Xi Hwy, Samuel Leung Cheuk Moon as a pimp who seems to exist solely to get beat up, and (going out on a limb as to her name) Chan Yan Yan as Peter's feisty girlfriend Ah Li.
Production: Because the basic story line is so familiar, the viewer rightly expects some twists and turns in the plot, or some freshness to the cinematic telling of the tale. Sadly it feels like a third-hand remake with a limited budget and imagination. Not only does it lack originality, but it also has the fatal flaw of being boring for stretches of time (scenes run too long, nothing happens, etc.). With a general torpor hanging like a dark cloud over the proceedings, it's tough going to watch this one through to its unsuprising conclusion.
Rating: Category IIB. Semi-explicit and less than pleasant sex scene (no nudity), some profanity, and bloody gunshots.
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) presentation looks fine. The colors often lean heavily on a Hong Kong blue tint, but the source print appears quite clean.
Sound: The Cantonese DD 5.1 soundtrack sounded fine, but most of the sonic action is confined to the center channel speaker. Also included is a DD 5.1 Mandarin audio track.
Subtitles: It was very easy to read the white (with black edging) removable English subtitles. Plenty of misspellings and poor translations are evident, but the gist of the dialogue can usually be followed. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.
Features: Eight chapters can be selected from a video capture menu. The original theatrical trailer is included, as are trailers for Runaway, Forever and Ever, and Everyday is Valentine.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Pass. Little here to recommend a viewing, even at the reduced price of a rental.
(Reviewed 10/23/01)
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