Double Fixation
Director: Yonfan
Year: 1987
Rating: 4.0
Going into nearly
any film the viewer has to be willing to suspend belief to some degree and
often be willing to accept some film cliches. This is perhaps even more true
with many HK films because they often employ amazing leaps of logic or have
scripts that leave enormous plot holes for the director to try and dig himself
out of in the two week production time. But there are limits to which a viewer
should not be willing to go – and this film simply pushes the credibility
factor beyond any reasonableness. One would have to believe the world was
the size of my NY apartment for all the coincidences to take place as they
do and that the characters were all dropped on their heads at birth. I sat
there watching the plot unfold with growing disbelief at how inept it was
and what a waste of the talents of Cherie Chung, Jacky Cheung, Paul Chun
Pui and Pauline Wong it was.
And yet for the first five minutes I had hopes! A crystal orb is stolen from
a safe and then sold to an antique dealer, Chun Pui. This orb seems to have
some magical powers as it flashes and dazzles when the lights are turned
off. But it is never revealed what they are and why everyone is after it.
OK – I can accept this – a McGuffin as Hitchcock termed it is a well-known
cinematic device – used recently in Pulp Fiction. It is used simply to get
the story going. Now Chun Pui needs pictures of this orb to show someone
else interested in buying the stolen property and like all fences do he hires
a random commercial photographer - Jacky Cheung – to come to his house
and take pictures. What a wonderful idea – creating photographic evidence
of your crime and a witness to boot!
Now on the way to Chun Pui’s house Jacky spots Cherie on the street and snaps
her picture and later puts it on his wall. Jackie then takes some pictures
of the orb and after finishing goes to visit a friend in a gallery where
sure enough Cherie is standing about. Again he snaps a picture. There are
some other villains out to get the orb – and their main instrument of death
is Pauline Wong. I am getting to like Pauline the more I see her. She has
an air about her that gives the promise of a touch of sleaze, a taste of
sex and an edge of danger. Her smile is simply wicked and inviting.
Well, she gets the orb – and then for some reason finds it necessary to also
get the negatives from Jacky – why this is important we never find out –
and develops this ridiculously elaborate plan to get them. Maybe they should
have just asked him first! But no – lets frame him for a murder – send him
on the run – and mess with his mind. So he comes home to find a dead body
in his studio – of course he doesn’t call the police – but starts running
like hell – a few people chase after him – and he runs into a club. And who
should be sitting there? Take a wild guess. Yes, Cherie Chung – and is she
involved somehow in all of this? – take another wild guess!
And it only gets worse – at one point thinking that Cherie is dead Jacky
departs grief stricken for San Francisco – and whom should he run into there?
No don’t even guess any more! By then my finger was edging towards the fast
forward button and it was all I could do to stop myself. Everyone in this
film is an idiot – Jackie would not be able to spot a setup if he were sitting
on it. Perhaps the only stupider people are ones like myself who watched
it all the way through!
Not to be completely negative – both Pauline
and Cherie looked fabulous - though the above poster picture of Cherie in
the swimsuit does not actually take place. Ah, that’s it – maybe there is
another version out there in which all this would be explained and make perfect
sense – sure – and its right next to the tooth fairy!