Frenchy’s Fracas

Movie: Running Out of Time (Johnnie To, Hongkong , 1999 - 90 ‘ )

Date: Feb 1, 2007

Rating: (cat and mouse game extraordinaire!)

Plot: A hostage negotiator gets taken on a chase by a criminal who’s terminally ill.

Cast: Usual suspects: Andy Lau and Ching Wan Lau

Visuals: Great chase scenes and action choreography

Conclusion: The chemistry between the main characters keeps you amused and excited during the whole movie - a great action movie! I saw the sequel later in the evening, but that just didn’t cut it, it had some nice elements, but overall way too weak.
Well, that’s it for my Johnnie To movies for this festival. I’ve discovered a new director with interesting ideas and styles, nice!

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Movie: The Mission (Johnnie To, Hong Kong , 1999 - 82 ‘ )

Date: Jan 28, 2007

Rating: (it’s entertainment!)

Plot: After a failed assassination attempt, Triad Boss Lung enlists the help of five of the best bodyguards he can find.

Cast: Again a great cast, with a lot of familiar faces: Antony Wong and Francis Ng carry the movie effortlessly.

Visuals: Nothing spectacular, just solid action.

Conclusion: Entertaining and well crafted. The scenes with the guys just hanging and interacting were the best (especially the little football match at the office scene).

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Movie: Exiled (Johnnie To, Hong Kong , 2006 - 100 ‘ )

Date: Jan 26, 2007

Rating: (not really interesting)

Plot: Two pairs of men are waiting for a guy outside his house, inside his very nervous wife is doing some really worried waiting. One pair is there to kill him and one pair is there to do the opposite. What happens after the showdown when the guy arrives?

Cast: Excellent performance allround, especially Anthony Wong Chau-Sang. Simon Yam as the evil (again) Boss Fay is also impressively over the top.

Visuals: The opening Showdown was friggin’ incredible: three guys, eighteen bullets, a very small apartment with a mother and child in the adjacent room. Great editing, great slo-mo’s.

Conclusion: The way the first Showdown was resolved set the pace for the rest of the story: a classic Western, hold on a classic Spaghetti Western, but with a bit more cash. There’s humor, very weird plot twists and fantastically scored scenes.
A minor point was the way the story just kept on going and going: too many ending scenes in one movie keep making me wonder if some scenes could’ve been skipped to jump directly to the end. Just my little peeve.
The best Johnnie To movie I’ve seen so far!

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Movie: Election 2 (Johnnie To, Hong Kong , 2006 - 95 ‘ )

Date: Jan 25, 2007
Rating: (much better than its predecessor)

Plot: right, so in Hong Kong we have organized crime, and it’s so organized that the members can vote who they want as their new Chairman every two years. Of course, not every one can vote, it’s not a friggin’ democracy. Who will win this time? The calm, serene guy with that unnerving smile or the loudmouth maniac or the reluctant crown prince? Who will be worthy of the throne and all its trimmings?
Same plot description, WTF? Well, sorta.. In the previous story, the nice, serene and even more disturbing guy got the throne with the help of his loyal ‘godsons’. Two years have passed and tradition demands that another Chairman gets appointed. Alas, power is something you don’t want to give up so easily and your helpers become your greatest threats.

Cast: Somehow the majority of the cast that we’ve seen before, is now really better motivated I guess. The performances were great. The “I Want To Quit The Business But They Pull Me Back In” character really does a good job. And the soon to be demoted Chairman character shines as a conniving bastard.

Visuals: Hmm.. Better screen quality, some nice shots, especially at the dog kennel.

Conclusion: After seeing Part One I was a bit worried about this one, but it payed off. The ground work of the first movie came to fruition in this movie. The cast come across in a more connected and coherent way, at least, all the relationships and complications were more clear to me this time around. You don’t have to see the previous movie to enjoy this one, but still.. The two movies together make a better story.

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Movie: Election (Johnnie To, Hong Kong , 2005 - 101 ‘ )

Date: Jan 25, 2007
Rating: (not really interesting)

Plot: right, so in Hong Kong we have organized crime, and it’s so organized that the members can vote who they want as their new Chairman every two years. Of course, not every one can vote, it’s not a friggin’ democracy. Who will win this time? The calm, serene guy with that unnerving smile or the loudmouth maniac? Who will be worthy of the throne and all its trimmings?
Interesting idea, but there’s not a lot happening with it - a bit bland.

Cast: not really impressive. Seen one crazed over-the-top villain, seen ‘em all..

Visuals: not really impressive.

Conclusion: I bought a ticket for the sequel so I’m praying to the Cinematic Lords that Part Two is a lot friggin’ better that this one.. I liked the final sequence, but I just couldn’t understand why things got resolved that way. Anyway, never bring your child to a fishing trip with your rival..

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