Wu Yen
Reviewed by YTSL
Expect the unexpected. That is the title
of one of Milkyway Image’s films, and seemingly the production company’s credo.
Right from its debut offering -- whose main characters were a female assassin
with an uncommonly cold body temperature and a male hot noodle seller (“Beyond
Hypothermia”) -- all the way through its run of dark Handover era works up
but especially since the calendar years started to have a 2 rather than 1
at the front of them. Its four year 2000 entries -- “Spacked Out”,
“Needing You...”, “Help!!!”, “Comeuppance” -- were as varied a group as they
were different from the company’s earlier efforts. 2001 may have sprung
the biggest surprise of all though; what with the producer-director pair
of Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai having come up with -- almost the last thing
one would have associate with names behind such as the terribly bleak “Intruder”
and “The Longest Nite” -- a bona fide Chinese New Year period comedy mega
hit (For the record, Milkyway Image’s 17th production netted HK$27,241,316.00
at the Hong Kong box office)!
Filled to the brim as it is with cross-dressing
characters, over-the-top -- not just larger-than-life -- personalities, rather
warped love triangles, female as well as male fighters, dollops of low brow
but also its share of clever humor along with contemporary riffs and often
irreverent modern updates of historical material, WU YEN seems to be the
latest representative of the often bemusing as well as amusing comic “tradition”
and genre of Hong Kong films whose other notable exemplars include “The Eagle
Shooting Heroes”, “Holy Weapon” and “All’s Well, Ends Well Too”. At
the same time, the rapid fire verbal delivery of its stars also recall Stephen
Chow (There is one particular moment in the film -- when Anita Mui utters
the phrase “give me another chance, (older) sis” -- that definitely made
me think that I was beholding the female equivalent of the “mo lei tau” king
in action!); and can leave the viewer feeling somewhat nonplussed and exhausted
but also actually exhilarated post viewing this two hour long plus fast paced
movie.
Truly, IMHO, WU YEN is one extremely creative as well as fun offering.
Notable proof of this comes right at the start of the fantastical film:
In the forms of the cute shadow puppet representations of a wizard, a fox-shaped
fairy enchantress, the reigning emperor, his retinue, a woman warrior, the
army she leads into battle and their opponents -- yes, you really did read
what you just did, it really is not as lame as one might imagine this to
be, and my bet is that this is the first time such have ever been featured
in a Hong Kong movie -- whose every appearance, including its introductory
one, is accompanied by a melodic off-screen female chorus (led by Sammi Cheng).
Then there’s the unusual yet inspired choice of Anita Mui to play both the
shallow MALE Emperor Qi -- who gets heard being described as a “lousy archer”,
“poor horseman”, “cold hearted moron” and, most frequently (by the woman who
loves him, no less), as an “imbecile” -- and his equally male Ancestor Huan.
“Hot female star of the moment” Sammi Cheng plays WU YEN’s title character:
The bandit leader of Yaksah Mountain who happens to be Emperor Qi’s pre-destined
wife and the prophesized “ugly girl” who will “rise to the occasion and save
the country” whenever her imperial beloved’s stupid actions causes it to
come under attack from other Warring States (the film takes place in that
so-named period of China’s history) and under threat as a result of an internal
rebellion led by a patriotic “ugly man” (played by Raymond Wong). Cecilia
Cheung is the third talented actress called upon to charm this work’s audience
as well as make us laugh. The Fairy Enchantress she essays is a “crazed
romantic” who takes the form of a young man (when it tries to woo Wu Yen)
as well as TWO youthful females (when the non-human villain of this piece
sets its sights on seducing the Emperor). Without it around, the path
to a happy marital union of the two individuals who inadvertently freed it
from its rock prison to once more trouble mortals (and other folk) would
have been far smoother and straightforward, and way less interesting.
In light of the complexity of the characters portrayed by its three female
leads, it effectively came as a relief that those with supporting roles to
play in WU YEN had ones that were single note (yet often not much less mirth-provoking).
Lam Suet shines as the effeminate Prime Minister but the actors who portrayed
the fart-prone bodyguard, the perennially judgement passing historian and
the usually supportive imperial advisor also contributed to upping the silly
-- but, amazingly, never stupid -- film’s humor quotient. The six rulers
of rival states --one of whom comes in the form of Hui Siu Hung -- are fun
to watch as well, notably in the movie’s second mahjong playing scene.
The elderly ancestral ghosts -- essayed by Wong Tin Lam and Bonnie Wong --
help enliven proceedings too. Ditto re Wu Yen’s colorful band of followers.
Perhaps above everyone and everything else though, much credit is due to
WU YEN’s scriptwriters. The dialogue written by Yau Nai-Hoi, Ben Wong
and co-director-producer Wai Ka Fai is full of wonderful lines that flow
almost non-stop and amazingly well from one to another. The plot twists
are often very imaginative. Many of the presented scenarios are enjoyable
to behold. I frankly don’t know of higher praise for such elements
of a Hong Kong movie than to say that I actually derived at least as much
entertainment from reading this thoroughly adorable offering’s virtually
typo free subtitles as I did from watching what else of the picture unfold
on the rest of my TV’s screen (As a final aside: It may be weird but
nevertheless is true that a particular rib-tickling moment for me came courtesy
of seeing a pompous personage getting rather uniquely labeled a “croissant-head”!).
My rating for this film: 8.5