The Dark Rose
Director: Kenny Ha
Year: 2000
Rating: 4.0
Poor old Pinky Cheung.
For some reason, this very lovely actress often seems to get whacked around
as much as a piñata in her films. It’s as if she has a sign on her
forehead saying “hit me here”. Even though this one starts off as a sweet
love story – before long Pinky is kidnapped, tied up, transported around
in a suitcase and then a duffel bag, attacked by snakes, dragged around at
the end of a rope and then to top it off she has her period. Just an average
day in the film life of the Pinkster!
As interesting as all that may sound, it’s not. This film simply has no reason
to exist – it’s low budget, dull and has zero exploitation value. Why two
rising young actors – Pinky and her co-star Ken Wong (Slow Fade) would participate
in such mediocrity is a mystery. This certainly doesn’t help their careers
– but I suppose it helps pay the rent.
The two of them are newlyweds and on their honeymoon in Hong Kong when Pinky
is kidnapped on the street. The kidnapper – who isn’t really a bad sort –
snakes withstanding – is clearly doing this for some other party. But who?
The overweight cousin who is in a financial bind or the triad head with a
grudge or Pinky’s friend who seems to be longing for Ken? Does anybody care?
I certainly didn’t – but then anyone with a few “gray cells” as Poiroit used
to put it can figure this one out in a nanosecond. Then it’s just a matter
of waiting for everyone else to.
