R E V I E W :   Headlines 

Reviewed 5/7/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

China Star / 2001 / 87 minutes
Directed by Leo Heung Laap Hang
Written by So Man Sing, Yu Wing Chuen, Fan Yau Man

Credits for director Leo Heung Laap Hang in the Hong Kong Movie Database are exceedingly skimpy: his only previous one was for directing a Taiwanese drama, Home Again, in 1995. Writer So Man Sing has been involved with Robotrix, Girls Without Tomorrow, The Blade, Once Upon a Time n China and America, and Bio Zombie. This is evidently the first film credit for the other two writers. Producer Nam Yin has the lengthiest resume as producer of the Troublesome Night series and writer on films such as Prison on Fire, Full Contact, Burning Paradise, and To Be No. 1.

The film received a brief run in Hong Kong cinema(s) in January 2001, grossing the incredible sum of HK $73,835.00 (less than US $10,000.00).

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Plot: Peter Wong has recently graduated from journalism school in the United States and begins his first job as an intern reporter at the Hong Kong Daily. Veteran reporter Sorrow is assigned to train him, but quickly ditches him and pursues a story about a local jewelry exhibition. Sorrow's long time friend, Office Mak, has been assigned to oversee security. In the meantime, Peter is assigned to an "easy" story about traffic safety involving a schoolboy's being hit by a car. And fellow reporter Joey smells a story when a teenage boy helps a schoolmate fend off some young triads but declines to identify the rascals. Each of the stories unwinds at a measured pace and in unanticipated (at times) ways.

Performances: Very fine performances all around by the ensemble cast. The lead roles are carried well by Daniel Wu Yin Cho (as the idealistic Peter), Maggie Cheung Hoh Yee (adding depth in a beautiful stint as Joey, who has long ago learned she must use deceit and guile), and Emil Chow Wah Kim (as the savvy and grizzled Sorrow). Grace Yip Pui Man is very effective as the eventual subject of Peter's first story. Supporting roles are played by Lai Yiu Cheung, Leroy Leung, Simon Lui (as another reporter), Rainbow Ching, and Benny Li.

Production: The pace of the film is slower than it needs to be; certain scenes run longer than they should; and the staging is static. (All these points are a little surprising when considering that the editor is Chan Kei-Hop, longtime compatriot of Gordon Chan and UFO, with more than 65 films under his belt.) More variety in these areas by director Leo Heung Laap Hang (in view of the experience of the editor, I surmise that the results reflect his wishes) would have made for a more enjoyable ride. That being said, the actors are given room to breathe and deliver with fine performances. The cinematography by Ross Clarkson (who also shot The Suspect and Victim for Ringo Lam) is fine and naturalistic. The musical score by Mak Jan (Brother) Hung is unremarkable, although the opening themes have some life to them.

Rating: Category IIB. Several violent incidents but a minimal amount of bloodshed; profanity.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) presentation looks very good. The black levels are deep, the colors are rendered accurately, and the flesh tones look natural. The color palette of the film is subdued. Some speckling and other imperfections are evident in the source print.

Sound: The DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track is problematic. On the one hand, the dialogue and music sounds lovely, the sound field is deep, and the surrounds are engaged frequently and naturally. On the other hand, a loud hiss is present throughout many of the quieter scenes, which is very annoying. A Mandarin DD 5.1 audio track is also provided.

Subtitles: Also a mixed bag. The white (with black blacking) removable English subtitles are very easy to read and well timed. A number of times, however, an inaccurate translation into English obscured the meaning of the words. Chinese subtitles are also included.

Features: Twelve chapters can be selected from a three-page still-frame menu. The original theatrical trailer is included, as are pages with a Chinese-language only synopsis and selected filmographies for the four principal actors. The Chinese-language only "making of" feature runs about 5 minutes and includes interviews and scenes from the film.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. An enjoyable trip into the frenetic and highly competitive world of Hong Kong daily newspapers. I have no idea how accurately its depiction is, yet the emotions of the characters certainly had the ring of truth. Good performances, an unhurried pace, and a few interesting twists build up the audience's goodwill, which is needed to survive the story running out of steam near the end.

P.S. Support Hong Kong filmmaking! If just 1,000 people buy this DVD, the film's proceeds will double.

 

---

corrections? broken links? criticism? praise? please e-mail webmaster

this site is a non-commercial resource for region 1
original content copyright 2001 peter a. martin all rights reserved