Paramount Motel
Director: Billy Chung
Year: 2000
Rating: 7.0
A prostitute is found
murdered in a room at the Paramount Motel – one of those places where the
men cover their faces as they go in and out and where the sheets are changed
more often than a young girl’s mind. A top police investigator is given the
case and he attaches himself to it with the relentlessness and ferocity of
a steel trap. What initially looks to be a simple investigation turns into
a dark exploration of corruption that reaches into the police department
itself.
Ignore the cheap horror/slasher looking cover of the DVD since this film
is in fact a terrifically hard driving and well-paced police procedural film
directed by Billy Chung. Chung keeps the story focused throughout and utilizes
just enough noir like stylistic flourishes – quick dissolving flashbacks,
off kilter camera angles, off setting tinted colors and harsh close ups –
to keep it interesting but never distracting. He also gets excellent performances
from all involved – no one over plays their character – and in particular
a superb one from Simon Loui as the dedicated and at times brutal investigating
officer. Loui wrote this script as well and created a memorable character
for himself.
Loui starts questioning the friends of the dead woman, Pauline Chan, in order
to put context around her life. He learns from the mute hotel clerk, Samuel
Leung, that she was thinking about getting out of the business and from her
friend, Pinky Cheung, that she had recently fallen for a guy, Jason Chu,
who was trying to scam her out of her money. The owner of the hotel, Ada
Choi, knew Pauline as well, but seemingly has little to add. All of the illicit
threads seem to lead to the malevolent Mr. Sun, played by Ti Lung, a powerful
businessman with his fingers in lots of illegal activities. Sun is untouchable
though and when Loui attempts to push closer he is called off the case. While
pursuing the investigation, Loui also has to deal with his wife, Fennie Yuen,
who he learns from private eye, Cheung Tat-ming, is cheating on him with
fellow police officer, Wayne Lai. Like a wounded bulldog though, he just
continues to press on with the murder investigation. He approaches his job
with a Sgt. Joe Friday directness - "just the facts Ma'am", but I can't recall
any Dragnet episode in which Friday ties up a suspect and pulls out his teeth
with a pair of pliers until he talked.
The film takes on a serious tone that it keeps for the entirety of the narrative
and is only marred by an ending that felt almost tacked on and out of place.
Though low budget in almost every way, Chung and Loui show that a well-written
and well-acted film can be a real pleasure - low budget or not.
