Ring: Saishushou [Ring: The Final Chapter] (1999) [Drama Review]

Ring Saishushou; or, Race Against Time

     Why must you hate mankind? Even till now, there’s someone who loves you with all his heart. You didn’t expect it?

Right after the premiere of Hideo Nakata’s Ringu in 1998, the Ring craze took Japan by the storm. In spite of a sequel (more about it soon) released by Toho simultaneously with the original, FujiTV commissioned a TV drama. Ring: Saishushou, also known as Ring: The Final Chapter, is a 12-episode-long adaptation of Koji Suzuki’s famous novel. If counting the preceding films, Ring: Kanzenban and Ringu, then Ring: Saishushou is actually the third re-telling of the novel since its publication in 1991.

Release Info

Directed by: Fukumoto Yoshito, Hidetomo Matsuda, Yoshihito Fukumoto Starring: Toshiro Yanagiba, Tomoya Nagase, Kotomi Kyono, Hitomi Kuroki

Language: Japanese Original Title: リング ～最終章～ No. of eps: 12

 

Synopsis

Kazuyuki Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba) is a newspaper reporter who investigates the case of teenagers who died simultaneously in various places due to myocardial infarction. He arrives at a cabin in the countryside and finds the VHS tape which was viewed by the teenagers. The tape turns out to be… a music video by a pop idol Nao Matsuzaki. With the help of a specialist in paranormal phenomena, Ryuji Takayama (Tomoya Nagase), Asakawa discovers that the video contains a hidden, subliminal curse which causes people to die 13 days after watching it. Together with a fellow reporter, Akiko Yoshino (Kotomi Kyono), and a scientist, Reiko Miyashita (Hitomi Kuroki), Asakawa sets out on a search to find a person behind the curse…

 

Sadako Ain’t Letting It Go

As some other blogger rightfully stated in his review of the drama, each entry in the Ring franchise is bound to be compared with Hideo Nakata’s acclaimed work. It is understandable, in my opinion; however, every Ring adaptation should also be set against its original source material, Koji Suzuki’s novel. The drama only seemingly resembles the literary work in its first few episodes. For example, Asakawa is, indeed, a male reporter, but he is also a widower in this version who single-handedly raises a son. The tape is at first turned into a joke, with its true contents only to be revealed later. In addition, the curse’s time span is stretched so as to accommodate new characters and their subplots.

 

I don now want to get into the spoiler territory, so just let me say that the liberties this drama takes to change the story are not outrageous or particularly bad. In fact, they actually seem to work. I love the new take on the VHS tape and the search for Sadako in this series. We do get to know a lot of details about her life this time, and even some relatives pop up for a moment. Sadako herself (played brilliantly by Tae Kimura) does not do her iconic “coming out of a TV” gig, but she has a whole set of other haunting tricks (for instance, telepathic communication or materialising through a sink).

 

Unfortunately, it is obvious that this drama was made on a tight budget, so do not expect any spellbinding special effects. The only disadvantage that really struck me was an underworked music score which was painfully overused in the key scenes.

 

What I appreciated the most in this adaptation is that it really focused on an aspect from the novel that was conveniently omitted by the movies. Namely, a scientific explanation is implied behind Sadako’s curse. The VHS is merely a stimulant which initiates a virus in bodies of poor people who watch it. By the way, I was surprised to find out that Nao Matsuzaki is a real J-singer. Way to go with promoting your brand via Ring!

 

With regard to performances, Toshiro Yanagiba at first seems to be ardently working on material that was not written for him, but with each consecutive episode he begins to own the part (best confrontation-in-the-well scene in the franchise!). Tomoya Nagase is a worthy addition; however, he gets sidelined halfway through the series. Kotomi Kyono and Akiko Yada are a-okay as an annoying reporter and a distressed sister, respectively. A wonderful icing on the cake is Hitomi Kuroki as a scientist who tries to find a cure for the Ring Virus.

 

Recommendations

If you are as equally obsessed as me about checking out Ring adaptations, then Ring: Saishushou is the stuff for you. You can easily check it out on Youtube. I would not label the drama as scary, but it undoubtedly has the right atmosphere and a few very creepy moments. I’m really keen on watching FujiTV’s follow up to this series, which is Rasen (1999), the adaptation of Suzuki’s second Ring novel.

Overall score: 8/10

All for the Winner (1990) [Film Review]

All for the Winner; or, Stephen Chow's Lucky Streak

     Be serious! Everyone by the gambling table has his own style. This is the armour for the Gambling Saint. That’s right! From now on, your nickname will be the Saint of Gamblers.

The year 1990 was huge for then relatively unknown Stephen Chow. Approximately 11 movies with him, starring in either the leading or supporting roles, were released (talk about market oversaturation!). These were mostly comedies, romance dramas, and action flicks. However, one particular movie really stood out from the bunch, and it is cited by many fans as Stephen Chow’s official breakthrough. I’m talking about All for the Winner, a comedy film directed by Corey Yuen and Jeff Lau.
Release Info

Directed by: Corey Yuen, Jeff Lau Starring: Stephen Chow, Ng Man-tat, Sharla Cheung, Sandra Ng

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 賭聖 Runtime: 100 min

 

Synopsis

Sing (Stephen Chow) is a young, happy-go-lucky mainlander from Guangzhou. He arrives in Hong Kong in order to visit his uncle, Blackie Tat (Ng Man-tat). Tat is a compulsive gambler, playing long rounds of mahjong together with his neighbours. All of a sudden, uncle Tat discovers that Sing has an unusual set of powers. He can see through objects and change the appearance of cards or receipts. Tat decides to use Sing’s skills at gambling. Not long after, the two men are recruited by a powerful businessman, Mr Chan (Jeff Lau), who desires to beat his opponent, cruel Mr Hung (Paul Chun) at the World’s Gambling Contest. Unfortunately, Sing falls in love with Mr Chan's bodyguard, Yee Mong (Sharla Cheung) and his powers go haywire.

 

Poker, Cards, and Ladies

The first thing that should be mentioned about All for the Winner is that this movie is actually a parody of Wong Jing’s God of Gamblers (1989) movie with Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau in the leading roles. The directors Corey Yuen and Jeff Lau wanted to bring back those gambling vibes and play with the convention. However, All for the Winner became so successful in the box office that it was immediately incorporated into the franchise. Stephen Chow himself went on to reprise his role in three subsequent films: God of Gamblers II (1990), The Top Bet (1991), and God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai (1991).

 

“What is the secret of All of the Winner?” you may ask. Well, Stephen Chow himself, of course. He is just hilarious as the lovable idiot with ESP powers. There are lots of great situations where Chow showcases his talent for comedy (for example, confrontation with Mr. Hung or courting Yee Mong). Apart from God of Gamblers references, Chow seems to really like parodying Bruce Lee because he does two such sequences in the film.

 

However, some of the humour seems a bit off, like it was meant to fill up the hole in the storyline. This is especially evident when halfway through the picture, the uncle character tries to evoke Sing’s powers by making his neighbour, Ping (Sandra Ng), to pretend to be Yee Mong.

 

Still, even if some comedic pieces do not work, the movie makes it up with action. Surprisingly, there are a lot of fighting sequences, most of them involving actress Sharla Cheung taking down the bad guys. Evidently, she was replaced by a stunt doubled in some demanding shots, but it is still awesome to see her doing physical stuff. On top of that, her warm smile can melt ice caps.

 

Speaking about performances, Stephen Chow is at the top of his game in this picture. Ng Man-tat gives a very good interpretation of Chow’s comedic sidekick, a sloppy uncle. Sharla Cheung turns out well in the action stuff. In addition, I appreciated the small parts done by Paul Shun (hire him to play a villain in a Bond movie!), Angelina Lo, Sheila Chan, Sandra Ng, and the directors themselves, Corey Yuen and Jeff Lau.

 

Recommendations

I know nothing about gambling, but this movie got me pumped up for some poker showdowns. I recommend All for the Winner if you want to see for yourself Stephen Chow’s acting beginnings. You will certainly have a laugh and get entertained. Other Chow’s films from the God of Gamblers series are fun as well, but they never matched the level of All for the Winner.

Overall score: 8/10

Crime Story (1993) [Film Review]

Crime Story: or, The Strike of Serious Jackie Chan

     A policeman who fires a gun has to face the following dangers: One, hurting an innocent citizen. Two, being shot when exchanging fire. Finally, killing the thug, but unable to stand the shock. You belong to the last type then, Inspector Chan. You can’t stand the shock of shooting and killing.

There was a period in Jackie Chan’s career when he was working under different directors in order to prove that he was a “manageable” actor/stuntman. As a result, in the early 1990s, he played in such movies as Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam’s Twin Dragons (1992), Wong Jing’s City Hunter (1993), and Kirk Wong’s Crime Story (1993). I have a soft spot for the last picture out of Jackie Chan’s unusual string of collaborations, mostly because it provides a completely different take on the cop movie genre than Jackie’s Police Story series.

Release Info

Directed by: Kirk Wong Starring: Jackie Chan, Kent Cheng, Puishan Au-yeung, Law Kar-ying

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 重案組 Runtime: 107 min

 

Synopsis

Inspector Eddie Chan of the Serious Crime Bureau is an efficient police officer who suffers from mild PTSD. He is assigned to protect Wong Yat-fei (Law Kar-ying), a wealthy businessman who had been kidnapped in the past. Yat-fei feels that somebody is following him and that is why he requests the assistance of the police. Unfortunately, things go terribly wrong and Yat-fei is kidnapped yet again. The assaulters demand from Yat-fei’s wife (Puishan Au-yeung) the transfer of 60 million dollars to Taiwanese bank accounts. Together with the police officer who cracked Yat-fei’s first kidnapping case, Detective Hung (Kent Cheng), Chan searches for the kidnappers. However, he does not realise that one of them is a member of the police force.

 

Police Dragon

As someone rightfully wrote in the Internet abyss: “There are Jackie Chan films and films starring Jackie Chan”. Crime Story falls under the second category and, unlike a standard action flick made by Jackie, it takes the dead serious approach in order to faithfully depict the workings of the police force. The screenwriters even credited the kidnapping case of Teddy Wang as their inspiration behind the story.

 

“What is so unique about this film, apart from the dark tone?” you may ask. Well, Jackie is not a happy-go-lucky hero who engages into fights inspired by Buster Keaton. Contrary to his portrayal of a cop in the Police Story series, Jackie plays quite a vulnerable officer who does not fool around and wants to get the job done. Have you seen the cops being brutally killed in Police Story 1-4? No? Well, Crime Story shows full morbidity. Serving justice to those who died in the line of duty and saving a victim are Chan’s primary goals.

 

In addition, Inspector Chan does not get involved in any romantic relationship. The movie baits the viewers with that motif by introducing the Psychiatrist character (played by the beautiful Pan Lingling) at the beginning of the film, but the relationship goes absolutely nowhere. If that was not enough, there is also the character of a prostitute, Ka Ka (great Christine Ng), who is in a relationship with Detective Hung. You could assume that she would help out Chan on the case, but she does the exact opposite.

 

In terms of action and cinematography, Crime Story also differs greatly from Jackie’s usual works. Of course, Jackie does what he does best with regard to kung fu showdowns, but the camera work in Crime Story is extremely dynamic and builds additional tension. Kirk Wong really did an awesome job on that. That being said, the cinematography handled by Arny Lam and Arthur Wong is just beautiful. Many Hong Kong locations look wonderful on the screen. The million dollar shot is that of Wong Yat-fei overseeing a massive building site.

 

With regard to performances, Jackie Chan does exceptionally well as a serious cop. It’s a real shame that he disliked the film because it was adult oriented (ex. Christine Ng’s steamy elevator scene), but Kirk Wong really brought out the acting out of Jackie. Second best actor is Kent Chang as Detective Hung. I have seen him mostly in comedies, but he really stole the show with his performance of a sleazy and underpaid cop. Honourable mention goes to Puishan Au-yeung as distressed Wong Yat-fei’s wife.

 

Recommendations

Check out Crime Story if you can, this movie was really ahead of its time. In fact, it was New Police Story before New Police Story was hailed as Jackie’s first grim motion picture. It is a really engaging crime drama with decent action and explosive finale. I wish we could have gotten more of such Jackie’s films in the 1990s.

Overall score 9/10