Koma
 
                          
Director: Lo Chi-leung
Year: 2004
Rating: 7.0
A strangely unsettling film from director Lo Chi-leung and starring two of the biggest young actresses on the scene at the turn of the century. Lo had a fine little run going on at the time - Viva Erotica, Double Tap and Inner Senses leading up to this film. The two actresses are Karena Lam (July Rhapsody, Inner Senses, Floating Landscape) and Angelica Lee Sin-je (Princess D, The Eye, 20:30:40) and they go head to head like rams with their horns locked. Inner Senses and The Eye were perhaps the two best Hong Kong horror films at the time, so it feels only right that they are put together. It is very nicely shot and builds up slowly and down crooked crisscrossing paths to a great final fifteen minutes that is almost a homage to The Shining. Nothing much more scary than a person chasing someone with an axe. Other than waking up to find your kidney removed.  The film is not always smart or sensible but it grabs your attention from the beginning.



Two of Angelica's (Fung Chi-ching) friends are getting married and she is getting drunk. She gets the bouquet and is all happiness. She follows her friends to their hotel room and immediately throws up. She then leaves and stumbles into an unlocked room where a woman is writhing on the floor after having her kidney removed. Blood is the color of the day. Angelica runs screaming and sees Karena walking down a hallway. We had seen her earlier looking upon the wedding with pure unveiled hate. But for who? Angelica identifies Karena to the police on a video and the head games begin. Turns out she has slept with Angelica's boyfriend (Andy Hui) and he mumbles "Just once".  Well, not exactly. Karena seems psychotic at times - threatening to take out Angelica's kidney with night time calls and sneaking into her house - but then she can be a good friend as well and saves her at one point. Angelica is fragile like porcelain, spoiled by her wealthy family. Karena is steely-eyed and remorseless and has nothing but grit and desire.



They become buddies, spiritual sisters - and the removal of kidney's goes on. The audience sees who it is drugging and kidnapping the woman - sweet looking Raymond Wong. It is hard to figure out where the film will go though you have an ugly feeling down deep that it won't be good. No home sweet home. Then the director takes the gloves off and it gets to be good fun as the axe is slowly dragged along the floor. Some good talent around the film. There isn't that much action but it is choreographed by Stephen Tung-wai, produced by Lawrence Cheng and the script comes from Susan Chan who has some fine credits to her name - Big Bullet, Nude Fear, Tokyo Raiders, Summer Holiday, Simple Life and many more.