As Tears Go By (1988) [Film Review]

As Tears Go By: or, Stand By Me Older Brother
     At least you were a hotshot for a while. But what about me? Everyone looks down on me. Does that make you happy? People think I'm nothing, like some stray dog just following you around. Did you know that? I'd rather be a hero for one day than go on being a fly all my life.
Charged by Wong Kar Wai's ambience from the previous week, I decided it is high time to watch the director’s film I have not yet seen. That is, his directorial debut, which is often not discussed or mentioned among the critics’ top rundowns of Wong Kar Wai’s filmography. So please, put on your shades, switch on your CRT TV, and let’s take a closer look at As Tears Go By.

Release Info

Directed by: Wong Kar Wai Starring: Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Maggie Cheung

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 旺角卡门 Runtime: 102 min

Synopsis
Wah (Andy Lau) is working for the triad gang as an enforcer. All of a sudden, his distant cousin from Lantau Island called Ngor (Maggie Cheung) comes to Hong Hong to have a medical procedure. Wah hangs out with his best friend Fly (Jacky Cheung), who often gets in trouble with other mobsters because of his hot-headed attitude. When Wah falls for Ngor, Fly has to fight for survival to pay off his debt. Wah rushes to help him.

Glass in the Heart
Evidently, As Tears Go By stands out from the rest of Wong Kar Wai’s auteur masterpieces. It is not a bad movie by any means, but it is apparent from the get-go that the young director desperately wanted to break into the cinematic mainstream, and in the process of doing so, he sacrificed his artistic intentions for the purpose of entertaining the audience.

I believe “commercial product” is the best way to describe this motion picture. As Tears Go By really tries to tap into the typical 1980s trend of violent tales about the triads. Wong Kar Wai even borrows from John Woo and Ringo Lam the familiar motives of modern chivalry and overt bromance vibes between the male protagonists. We get blood, gunfights, and Shakespearean drama. Unfortunately, the love subplot is just for the sake of being there, so the audience could have some emotional anchor to root for the hero.

Under many of these commercial layers, it is hard to uncover the Wong Kar Wai we all know and love, but it is not impossible. By means of cinematography and editing, the auteur filmmaker weaves his passion and sensibility into the fabric of As Tears Go By. In the foreground, it is a story about brotherhood and innocent love, but in the background, the core of everything is Wah who becomes an adult and has to come to terms with decisions he makes.

Perhaps the best example of Wong Kar Wai’s visual subtlety is the 6-minute-long sequence in the course of which Wah is reminiscing among Ngor while listening to Sandy Lam’s sensual cover of “Take My Breath Away”. This sequence is a tell-tale foreshadowing of similar scenes involving music and lyrical loneliness as featured in Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love, and beyond. Interestingly, this song was removed in the Mandarin dub of the film and replaced with “You Are The Eternal Pain In My Heart” by Dave Wang and Augustine Yeh.

With regard to performances, Andy Lau is absolutely outstanding as the upright lead with a moral backbone. Maggie Cheung is just as memorable as Ngor, even though her role is very one-dimensional because she plays a kind-hearted love interest. I always found Jacky Cheung to be a very expressive actor, and he cranks up this aspect to the max in his supporting role as Fly.

Recommendations
If you think of WKW’s movies as refined dishes, then this one is junk food. It is delicious, but you know it is junk food nonetheless. Yet, this should not prevent you from enjoying it! In fact, I like this film a bit more than Days of Being Wild mainly because the plot itself was more understandable and accessible. The movie was released in 2021 on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection as part of a special boxset devoted to Wong Kar Wai. I watched my own copy of the film from Mayfly’s double-disc DVD edition, which also contains Days of Being Wild.Overall score: 8/10

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Tiger Cage (1988) [Film Review]

Tiger Cage; or, Between a Rock and a Hard Place
     We bachelors really envy your true feelings. You're lucky, you're quitting tomorrow.
Tiger Cage is a trilogy of films made by Yuen Woo-ping between 1988 and 1991 which focus on the hard life of Hong Kong cops who solve criminal cases. The first movie in the series is a hard-edged thriller with an excellent cast and explosive action.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Jacky Cheung, Simon Yam, Donnie Yen, Carol Cheng

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 特警屠龍 Runtime: 92 min

Synopsis
Officer Hsiu (Leung Kar-Yan) together with his anti-narcotics team raid the smuggling den. The policeman is chasing a bad guy (Johnny Wang) during the raid. The mobster is presumably shot dead, but he actually survives and takes his revenge on Hsiu by killing him. Shirley (Carol Dodo Cheng) who was about to marry Hsiu finds it hard to get over the loss of her fiancé. She is consoled by Inspector Wong (Simon Yam). In the meantime, two officers, Fan Chun-yau (Jacky Cheung) and Terry (Donnie Yen) discover that their partner, Uncle Tat (Ng Man-Tat) actually cooperates with drug dealers. When they present the evidence to Inspector Wong, they unknowingly put themselves in danger…

Upholding the Law
Tiger Cage seems like a prelude to Yuen Woo-ping's other classic action film In the Line of Duty IV (1989). Indeed, action set pieces are exhilarating and Donnie Yen appears as the righteous cop. (Un)surprisingly his character is killed off early on in the picture, mostly due to the fact that Donnie was not then as popular as Jacky Cheung who is the real leading man.

Great cast and excellent fight sequences are indeed the main advantages of Tiger Cage. It is a pleasure to see Donnie Yen facing off against Michael Woods and Jacky Cheung battling the intimidating Simon Yam. Interestingly, Carol Cheng (during pre-Her Fatal Ways days) shines in the film, in spite of having small screen time. Also, Ng Man-Tat has a lot of stuff to do in the movie, contrary to being just a comic relief as in his many other roles from the 1990s.

The only disadvantage of Tiger Cage, I would say, is the film’s tendency to crank up that aspect of uncomfortability to the max in certain scenes. For instance, the death scene of the character played by the graceful Irene Wan is too harrowing and too out of the blue. In contrast, Uncle Tat is the story’s main punching bag, but he survives every ordeal.

A word of caution: if you expect to see traditional sequels, it is best to say out-front that Tiger Cage 2 and Tiger Cage 3 are completely unrelated to the original film, even though some of the cast members (Donnie Yen and Carol Cheng) return in new roles. The follow-ups present completely independent storylines.

Recommendations
That being said, I admit that Tiger Cage is a pleasant viewing. If you like the cops vs. bandits spectacles , then I recommend the film. In addition, the 1980s vibes and suave Simon Yam as well as Jacky Cheung on the edge are awesome bonuses. Gotta love classic Hong Kong productions.Overall score: 8/10

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A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991) [Film Review]

A Chinese Ghost Story III; or, Heavenly Dilemma

     Why are you telling me your name? I won't be visiting you, and you won't be visiting me. Man and ghost can't be together... Even if you were human, it'd be hopeless because monks and women can't be together. Remember to be more careful in future. If you meet other monks, they won't give you a chance. Take care of yourself!
Tsui Hark and Ching Siu-tung did not wait long to release the next follow-up, as A Chinese Ghost Story III saw the light of the day just one year after the premiere of the second part. This particular motion picture; however, feels more like a soft reboot rather than proper continuation.

Release Info

Directed by: Ching Siu-tung Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Joey Wong, Lau Yuk-ting

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 倩女幽魂III：道道道 Runtime: 104 min

Synopsis
The film begins with a flashback from the first film in which we see the fight between Yin Chik-ha (Wu Ma) and the Tree Demoness (Lau Siu-ming). The monk manages to imprison the demon via magical seal, but it breaks after 100 years. This is the beginning of a new story centering on a young Buddhist disciple, Shi Fang (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), and his master (Lau Shun) who are travelling to the Imperial City in order to deliver the figure of a golden buddha. For fear of being robbed by thieves, they spend a night in a haunted place known as the Orchid Temple (the same place from the first film). There, Shi Fang is being seduced by a ghost called Lotus (Joey Wong), but the monk remains resilient to her charms. In order to avoid detection by the master, Shi Fang lets Lotus escape. As a way of returning the favour, Lotus attempts to protect Shu Fang from her mischievous sister Jade (Lau Yuk-ting) and the Tree Demoness. Nevertheless, Lotus’s intentions are exposed and Shu Fang is forced to seek the help of a noble mercenary Yin (Jacky Cheung).

100 Years Later
Fans of the series often point to A Chinese Ghost Story III as the weakest of the bunch. Understandably, the movie suffers from the lack of Leslie Cheung and Wu Ma, and falls into repetitiveness (the return of the Tree Demoness). Also, Joey Wong plays an entirely different ghost this time. Yet, the film still manages to be its own thing.

There is room for comedy as well as action. There are also fantastic dynamics between Tony Leung’s character and Joey Wong’s ghost. Their relationship is not a simple rehash of the romance between Choi-san and Siu-sin because the young monk tries as hard as possible not to be physically interested in Lotus, which leads to a lot of hilarious bickering between the two characters.

What is more, A Chinese Ghost Story III puts a lot of emphasis on the aspect of Buddhism. While in the previous pictures, the monks used sutras and special charms to fight the evil spirits, here we have beads, special paint, golden buddhas, flying carpets, and divine light pit against snakes, swirling tongues, and lighting bolts. Tony Leung transforming into a glowing red buddha in the film’s finale is arguably one of the coolest things ever.

Recommendations
I recommend A Chinese Ghost Story III to anyone who would like to experience an action-packed fantasy story with comedy elements. Personally, I believe that the original trilogy works so well primarily because of Joey Wong. Throughout the three films, she played different roles which really showcased her acting range and talent.Overall score: 8/10

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