By Anne Lee
Can One Nite in Mongkok resuscitate the slumbering giant of Hong Kong cinema: the cop flick? Or is it merely shooting blanks? APA discusses.
With a little more blood and gore than your average Hong Kong cop flick, Derek Yee Tung-Sing's One Nite in Mongkok keeps it real. The film may not be entirely original with its air of vague familiarity, but it does have its moments. And while it should not be compared to the recent cop hit Infernal Affairs, the film can share credit for reviving the cop-and-gangster genre with a modern flair -- which is definitely easier said than done.
Starring American-born heartthrob Daniel Wu as country bumpkin Roy (also known as Lai Fu) -- who arrives in Hong Kong ready to kill -- the movie loosely revolves around chasing him down, mostly by the pack of cops led by Alex Fong Chung-Sun's Officer Milo.
Cecelia Cheung Pak-Chi plays Dan dan, the prostitute Roy befriends at the beginning of his stay in Mongkok, and hailing from his neighboring village. She warms up quickly to him -- and his big stash of cash -- to become his tour guide.
While his acting still qualifies as tender, Wu's performance of the honest, slow and far-from-brilliant country kid should not be overlooked. Of course, it should be noted that his raggedy Mandarin lends him an edge in sounding less intelligent. Cheung's depiction of a straightforward call girl isn't shabby either, but she only really digs deep into her character here and there.
Halfway through the film, it becomes apparent that this is not a plot-driven film, but a character-driven one: it's just a little confusing as to which character. Roy is obviously the lead, but we only catch glimpses of his past and character. As beautiful as the subtlety is, it's not quite convincing that it works. Not to mention that Roy doesn't even appear for the first 20 minutes of the film. Everyone gets a little bit of their story told, which could have been Yee's intent, but whether or not it works to give the movie a strong sense of its own identity is questionable.
Dan dan's story is the typical poor-country-girl-working-as-a-prostitute-in-the-city-to-make-some-extra-cash company line. Her immediate warmth to Roy is genuine, but then her initial attachment is a result of her lust for his money, which makes her transformation into his buddy all too sudden.
Officer Milo's story is just barely tapped into too -- he sleeps in the office and is obviously troubled with something, but it doesn't get much deeper than that. While Milo is a substantial character, the lack of emphasis on his character's story is a bit of a waste, especially in terms of Fong's acting. As a Hong Kong film veteran, Fong's smooth acting could have been put to even better use.
The film also touches a little on Anson Leung Chung-Yat's Officer Ben and his family of cops, but its purpose and what it contributes to the movie just may have been lost in translation.
One Nite in Mongkok does an adequate job bringing back the Hong Kong-gang/cop-flick feel that cult followers of Hong Kong action flicks love so much: the gang wars, the busting of brothels, and of course, the classic cop chases. Only in these films will you see an entire gang of police swarming everywhere, chasing a criminal in huge packs and causing a huge ruckus on the streets.
Perhaps the film is a little overly ambitious in trying to revive a genre lost not too long ago. It's not an easy task to simultaneously address the flaws of its predecessors and bring it toward some new era of its kind. But One Nite in Mongkok is an honorable attempt -- and a modern one -- in restoring some of the nostalgia of Hong Kong action films and reconnecting the hazy ties and gray areas between gangs and law enforcement. It doesn't simply rehash or create a hodgepodge of old films. Instead, it dares to be different, albeit with varying levels of success. One final word of caution, however: this film is not for the weak-stomached.
Published: Thursday, September 22, 2005
