My Wife is a Gangster 3

My Wife is a Gangster 3 is the latest in the financially blockbuster comedy action series from South Korea. This installment has nothing to do with the other two -- Eun-kyung Shin is not even in this, instead Shu Qi does the honors. She stars as Aryoung, the daughter of a Korean woman and a Hong Kong gangster, who at the beginning of the film causes an incident when while performing a sword dance in front of a gathering of triads. There was already tension between the international gangs, and Aryoung stabbing one of the other henchmen didn't help matters. So for protection, she is sent off to Korea under the custody of a major gang there. The Korean boss entrusts her to Ki-Chul (Beom-Su Lee), a loyal yet simple minded henchman with his two bumbling sidekicks. They hire a translator, Yeon-Hee, who is stunned to learn that she has to work for a bunch of mullet headed lowlife thugs. But she does do her job, mastering the fine art of translation by not exactly saying things word for word, but to make nice between the two parties. Aryoung is a guest; however disinterested and pushy she seems to be. Ki-Chul and his men can't figure her out, though after a drinking binge, Aryoung demonstrates her martial arts mastery by dispatching a couple of men from a rival gang. Word gets around. Her "secret" is revealed, and in Hong Kong, a group of assassins are sent to dispose of the woman. Ki-Chul and Aryoung have a series of comedic misunderstandings, with most of the jokes on Ki-Chul, until they are all brought in before a gang that wanted payback for Aryoung's beatings. Ki-Chul gamely tries to defend her, but he's simply all bark and no bite -- he gets his ass kicked. Aryoung again saves them by defeating the rival gang. This beating of the gang gets Ki-Chul promoted in rank within his own group, much to everyone's surprise, probably due to his taking care of Aryoung. Eventually they find that the other groups know where Aryoung is, and they go into hiding, Ki-Chul and Aryoung separating from the others to hide in Ki-Chul's family house with his parents. The father, knowing how to write Chinese, talks with Aryoung, and finds that she has a passing interest in his son. The assassins find them and try to kill Aryoung, but are easily dispatched. Aryoung's father is mortally injured in an explosion at a Hong Kong restaurant, after meeting with the rival triad boss. She leaves for home, taking a pendant from Ki-Chul, a gift from his mother, and he confesses his love for her. In Hong Kong, Aryoung and the remaining members of her father's group are hiding in the slums. She resolves to kill the rival boss. During the boss' son's wedding ceremony, Aryoung poses as the bride to be, and tries to assassinate the boss. Carnage ensues, with her father's gang backing her up, along with Ki-Chul, who arrived to see her, under the pretense of returning her mom's photo, whom she had finally met in Korea, but only from a distance. Ki-Chul distracts the boss long enough for Aryoung to kill him, but Ki-Chul falls over the top of the building and manages to land in a dump truck, much to her relief. Ki-Chul heads back to Korea, but is stopped by Aryoung, who wants to marry him, and he accepts.

This movie is all parts and no whole. It feels overmanaged; that they had to include so many things to hide the fact that there is no plot, no strong character interaction, nothing. Shu Qi and the always good Beom-Su Lee have nothing to work with, and they seem lost at times with their characters. Their relationship never really develops, in spite of the screen time they have together. The bonding moment -- when Aryoung is sitting on top of Ki-Chul while driving down a hill, both gasping in erotic delight because he's sporting a hard on, is just silly. What she sees in him we never truly understand. Really, the best person in the film is the woman who plays the translator, Yeon-Hee, who is a riot, starting off as a timid translator to a loud mouthed, gorgeous fireball who rightfully puts down the men for their antics and attitudes. The assassin fight scene was a waste. The ending was by the numbers. Having said that, this film is a lot better than #2 in the series, which was atrocious, but still pales to the classic first movie. Shu Qi fans will be entertained by her presence, and she is great eye candy, but she has proven that she can act, though not here. She was much better in So Close. Rent on a rainy night.

Classic Kobayashi - Inn of Evil

Coming on the heels of the classics Kwaidan and Samurai Rebellion, Kobayashi's Inn of Evil was released in 1970, centering on a small group of rogues who live in an inn on a small island near a port city. The inn provides harbor for the transport of goods from foreign ships and local officials, who provide them cover in return for a cut of money. Nadakai Tetsuya stars as a ronin who has fallen on hard times, and spends his time running errands for the innkeeper and drinking. A young man finds refuge there. He is mourning for the loss of his fiancee, who was sold into prostitution by her father to pay off debts. He ends up helping around the inn, but his yearning for his love, and the attempts to try to get her back against all odds touches Nadakai. He takes up the cause even though the attempt would be suicide -- the brothel has high class connections. The innkeeper sees that the time is coming to a close for the inn -- new officials have taken over the city, and the inn is no longer under any protection. Calls to wipe out the island of its bad elements are strong, and plans are made by the officials. Nadakai convinces the others to take up the young man's cause; to do something noble even though there is nothing in it for them. The initial attempt to free the woman is a disaster; out of the three sent, only Nadakai survives. The innkeeper kicks everyone out of the inn, to save their lives. But they all return, one by one, to fight on their home ground, as the military forces surround them. The rogues pitch one terrific battle, protecting the young man, so he can be reunited with his love. All are killed, but the young man gets away. The following day, the reunited couple returns to the inn and sees the devestation.

This is a good film that has yet to see the light of day on dvd in the States - check out the usual ebay or internet dealers who have an amazing ability to find and subtitle obscure films. Kobayashi again delivers with a tightly plotted film that takes time to develop, as most of the first hour takes place at the inn. It has a Lower Depths feel to it; a one set drama piece with people coming in and out, dealing with people who live under poor circumstances. The murder of the official by Nadakai is startling for its frankness. When the young man appears, things pick up, leading up to the visually stunning battle scene at the end of the film. The use of black and white photography, quite late at this point in time, really creates an atmosphere of isolation and foreboding, especially when right before the battle, the lanterns appear around the inn, as the officials close in to subdue the rogues. Thematically it is similar to Hara Kiri and Samurai Rebellion, as the rogues try to fight against the established corrupt system, to assert their individuality, but as in the other films, they are suppressed, though not without taking a whole bunch with them. Recommended!

Destiny or Foretold? - Death Note

Based on an enormously popular manga, Death Note was made into a motion picture in 2006, directed by Shusuke Kaneko (known for his 90's Gammera films, Pyrokenisis and Azumi 2). A series of murders are occuring all over the world, especially in Japan, where criminals are mysteriously dying. A name is linked to the deaths -- Kira (a derivative of the English word Killer). The authorities are on a massive manhunt for Kira, but all attempts to find him fail. In reality, Kira is a young college student named Light Yagami, who has recently passed a bar exam. He wants to join the forces like his father (played by Iron Chef emcee Takeshi Kaga), who is assigned to the case. Light stumbled across a mysterious book one day that had the words "Death Note" written on the cover, and opening it, he discovers that it is a blank notebook, except for the endpages, where the rules for using the book are written. The possessor of the book can kill anyone, just by writing the name in the book. But he or she must have a vivid picture of the person in their head when writing it, unless someone with a similar name will meet an untimely end. The means, the manner, the time of their deaths can all be predetermined, just by writing it down. Light, once discovering that he has this power, decides to use it for the good of mankind by getting rid of as many of the criminals that he can, by watching the television or meeting the people in person. His girlfriend, Shiori, is also a student, who is disturbed by Kira's actions and her boyfriend's sympathy towards Kira's cause. There is a side effect to using the book - Light can now see a demon called Ryuk, the god of death. Ryuk had lost the book, but seeing that it had a new owner, let Light keep it, and became an observer to how he would bear this tremendous responisbility. As the deaths keep piling up, the police are still baffled, until a senior official presents to the task force assigned to the case L, a mysterious figure who talks to them through a laptop computer. L is a mastermind who accurately narrows down the location of Kira by setting up a situation where Kira kills the head of the International Police, only to discover that the man was a criminal acting out the role. It was broadcasted only in Japan; therefore, Kira must be in Japan. Also, through some amazing leaps of deduction, L discovers that Kira must be a college student, based on the times of the murders, which take place during the evening and early morning, times when a student would be at home, and not at school. Light discovers that he is being tailed by a man, the reasons are unclear, but later it turns out that L had reasons to suspect him, as Kira knew things that were only known to the Task Force. Being the son of the chief, as well as having the skills to access the police server, raised L's suspicions. He asked for and got FBI support. The agent follows Light and Shiori onto a bus, where it is promptly hijacked by a criminal on the loose for bank robbery and murder. Light calls the agent's bluff of pretending not to know him by attempting to subdue the robber, but the agent -- revealing his name as Ray -- stops him. The hijacker threatens to shoot them, but is terrified by the sight of the demon, whom he sees after touching a piece a paper torn from the book. He is killed while fleeing the bus. Ray is later lured by Light/Kira onto a subway, where Kira manipulates him into revealing the names of all the FBI agents involved in the secret investigation. Ray is killed once he leaves the subway, only to be found by his fiancee, Naomi (Asaka Seto, from Bullets of Love and One Missed Call 2). A former agent herself, and having worked under L, she is determined to find her lover's killer. Meanwhile, the consequences of the FBI killings forces the Japanese task force to thin down to only those who are willing to give their lives to catching the killer. Those remaining, including Light's father, are introduced to L, who turns out to be a young man Light's age, who does not give his real name, and requests that the others do the same. L is convinced that the killer is related to one of the members of the task force, and has bugs and cameras implanted in all their homes. They spend a week studying, L especially concentrating on Light. It becomes clear to the others that L suspects Light, but there is no proof. Naomi is convinced, after doing an investigation of the bus incident where Ray was involved. She finds out about Light and Shiori, and tries to confront them about it, but Light refuses to acknowledge it. Naomi survives only by giving a false name to him. At the end of the 7 days a murder does finally happen, but closely watching Light, who was studying at the time, with the tv off, L fails to prove his guilt. But Light did kill a man, by secretly having a mini tv in a bag of chips that he was eating, and writing the name on a scrap of paper torn from the book. Naomi brings things to a head when she forces Shiori at gunpoint to ask Light to come meet her at the art museum. Light suspects something, but arriving at the museum (also being closely monitored by L), refuses to acknowledge that he is Kira, even when Naomi threatens to shoot Shiori. The police arrive, and Shiori escapes, but is shot by Naomi. Light is distraught, and Naomi suddenly realizes that she could have been wrong all the time, and confronted by the police, kills herself. All of it was planned by Light, who had written not only Naomi's death but Shiori's as well, a fact that amazed even the demon Ryuk. The film ends with Light asking his father to join the task force, and he reluctantly agrees, and Light and L finally meet, L eating a bag of chips -- the same kind that Light had been eating when he made his kill during their observation period.

Death Note and its sequel (released later in the year -- I'll do a review soon) came out within several months of each other, generating a lot of notice and were box office successes. I'll have to admit I was very surprised by this film, expecting yet another Ringu or Ju-On ripoff. What I got was a clever and original story, with one foot based on Japanese mythology, and the other in modern drama. Part ghost tale and mostly police procedural, Death Note plays on the notion of fate and control over one's life. The subplot dealing with Naomi's vengeance reveals that power can corrupt even the noble and idealistic Light, as well as demonstrating that even when he plots her demise, he has no idea how it would be carried out. There is still the element of chance and choice in how one lives one's life, no matter how predetermined. It was a kick to see the Iron Chef in a serious role, and Tatsuya Fujiwara in another prominent role after starring in Battle Royale. Kudos for the director Kanedo, who keeps a steady and even tone throughout the entire film, without resorting to hysterics or cliché, as well as putting Asaka Seto in a leather cat suit, bringing back fond memories of Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the tv Avengers series. It's nice to see a straightforward big budget Japanese film that does not resort to monsters in big rubber suits, immature comedies, or demon girls with long black hair spilled over their faces. Recommended!

A Great Wall - An American Comedy Made in China

Peter Wang's A Great Wall, released in 1986, is a wonderful drama dealing with the cultural differences within one Chinese family -- a brother and sister whose families live in two separate parts of the globe. Peter Wang, the director, also plays the lead, Leo Fang, who is the brother who left for America (presumably before the Cultural Revolution?), settled in San Francisco, and became a successful computer engineer. He married a Chinese American woman, Grace (Sharon Iwai), and they have a son, Paul (Kelvin Han Yee), who portrays a typical all American son who loves sports. They live in an exclusive neighborhood in San Francisco, so they are well to do. Peter is passed over for promotion to chief of the department, a move that angers him because he was clearly next in line for the position. He feels that it is because of his race that he was passed over, and quits after an argument with his boss. His sister, Mrs. Chao (Guanglan Shen), writes to Peter and invites him and his family to visit them during the summer. They take her up on the offer, and spend a month in Beijing; Peter to get back in touch with his roots, and Grace and Paul to be exposed to a new world. Grace has only a basic knowledge of Chinese; Paul, despite taking language class year in and out, still doesn't know it well. There they meet Mrs. Chao and her husband, Mr. Chao (Xiaoguang Hu), a former communist high ranking official who lives in a sizable home at the edge of the city. They have a daughter, Lili (Qinqin Li), who is a pretty young woman studying for the national exams. She has a friend, Wang Xiao (Kelvin Wong), who has a crush on her, and is the local ping pong champion. He is studying for the exams as well -- for the third time, having failed exams twice before. He lives with his father in a tiny house, and they struggle to make a living. The Wangs initially stay at a hotel, but their reunion with the Chaos goes so well that they are invited to stay at their house. There each family note the differences between them -- Peter is annoyed at the bathroom, where there is barely a shower, and he has to squat when using the toilet. Mrs. Chao and Grace find some common ground in talking about their husbands, and Mrs. Chao makes Grace a Chinese dress -- Grace shares makeup with her. Mr. Chao accepts the Wangs, but is somewhat bothered by the wife and son's inability to speak the native tongue, plus, he has some preconceived notions of Americans -- promiscuity and violence. Lili, by spending time with the Wangs, comes to assert her own independence, to the point where she argues with her mom for opening the letters she receives from Wang Xiao. Wang is bothered by this intrusion by the American family; Lili never spends as much time with her. His friend thinks that he should follow a different path; not only because of the cultural differences, but the class difference between him and Lili might be too much to overcome. Peter takes up Ping Pong at the local center (having been a city champion player back home), where the coach see promise and includes him in the club to train. Wang, the current champion, ends up training with him. While the differences don't cause conflict between the two families, as the exams draw closer, Lili becomes moody, and ends up locking herself in her room, to cram. The Wangs leave the house and move back into a hotel, so as not to be a distraction. But Lili, going without food for several days, has a breakdown, and ends up going to the hospital, and misses the exam. Wang takes the exam, though it is not certain whether he passes. He beats Peter in the tournament, where both play very well, though Peter is despondent afterwards -- he hates to lose. The Wangs go back home, culturally enriched, while Lili and Wang, both jobless and passing time until the next exams, share a moment that may lead to them being reunited.

The movie is a mixture of drama and documentary. While the story is driven by the meeting of the families, and the differences they find between them, it is also about Chinese culture, both traditional and modern, specifically mid 80's Beijing. It's interesting to look at this film now, in light of the changes that have happened in the past decade. The Beijing of the mid 80's no longer exists, having been replaced by skyscrapers, computers and a new generation that has money, power, and cosmopolitan. There are many scenes of local life, of traditional music and dance, to playing football on the Great Wall. Thankfully there is none of the typical dramatic instances of cultural clashes. They are subtle yet clear to both sides the differences, yet they make the most of being together at this one moment in their lives. A Great Wall is a loving look at a time once lost, for both Peter Wang and Chao's Beijing.

Coming Soon to dvd - Black Test Car

Fantoma dvd continues to release films by the Japanese director, Yasuzo Masumura. Coming out in a couple of weeks, Black Test Car is another biting satire by Masumura, this time focusing on the Japanese auto industry. The film details the lengths that competitors will go to gain an advantage over their rivals, from behind closed door board room intrigue, to the bedroom, to even hilarious James Bond like escapades. Masumura's films are great to watch, as they are not only entertaining, but provide criticism of his own country, in the social and political realms. Other films to watch are Red Angel, Giants & Toys, Afraid to Die (starring the novelist Yukio Mishima in a detective film), Manji, and his wild masterpiece, Blind Beast. I'm looking forward to this one!

Curse of the Golden Flower

The Curse of the Golden Flower is Zhang Yimou's latest, an epic that takes place in 10th century China. Ping (Chow Yun-Fat), has risen from being captain to Emperor, and married the princess Liang (Gong Li), now the Empress Phoenix. Her beauty has now been overtaken by her erratic moods; Emperor Ping had ordered her to take medication. Little does she know that an ingredient has been added to the formula, a poisonous herbal extract, and now it is slowly killing her. Phoenix has suspicions, but there is no proof. She is busy having an affair with Ping's son, the Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye) from a previous marriage. Wan in turn is in love with the royal physician's daughter, Jiang Chan, and spurns the Empress' advances. Prince Jai is the second son, behind Wan in succession, who leads the troops at the nation's borders, is called back by the Emperor for the Chrysanthemum Festival. But not before a bit of manly one upsmanship by the Emperor, who with his skilled swordplay reminds his son who is boss. Back at the palace, Phoenix is preparing for the festival, making lots and lots of embroidered scarves with the chrysanthemum sewn into it. Wan discovers that she is plotting an attack against her husband, as she knows that she is being driven insane by the medicine. A lady ninja had informed her, and she had a double mission: she was also the Emperor's first wife, who managed to escape execution, and disappeared 25 years ago. She later married the Court Physician, and bore a daughter, Chan. The incestuous implications of their relationship drives them apart, and Chan and her mother are later killed in a hail of arrows. Wan, caught between both the domineering father and the scheming mother, is eventually killed by Jai, who decides to take matters into his own hands. Soldiers loyal to each side fight in a brutal battle at the castle, where thousands are killed. Jai, ordered by his father to kill Phoenix, ends up killing himself instead. Phoenix finally goes insane, and the banquet table is covered in the family's blood.

Visually stunning, the yellows, greens and reds overwhelm the film. Like a baroque painting, the great attention paid to detail deflects attention paid to the characters and the story. Like House of the Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower has moments of brilliance, but lack any sense of coherence. There is no real depth to the characters, and the court intrigue lacks tension as the dominoes start to fall. The soap opera plot twists only annoy, rather than add to the story. Too many ideas, not enough focus. Gong Li is outstanding; she really is at her best when working with her old director, this being her first in over a decade. But her efforts are lost on a fellow cast that fumbles, including Chow Yun-Fat, which is sad to see. He still has a charismatic presence, but little to work with except being regal. Everyone else seems out of place as soap opera characters in a epic film. Surprisingly, the CGI is horrible -- this being one of the most expensive films made in China. The battle scenes at the end are laughable, and the superimposition of the characters over a color background feels cheap. The ending is as much a question mark as it is a sigh of relief. I no longer knew what was happening, nor did I care. A time waster.