I think I have finally seen all the 2003 Hong Kong films that I need to in order put together a legitimate Top Ten list. Admittedly, this would not include seeing any Miriam Yeung films because I just can’t take her any more. Her popularity continues to baffle me in the same way that Adam Sandler’s does. It is almost like a sign that the end of the world is bearing down upon us. I fear that someday she will be in every film from Hong Kong and at that point I switch my attentions to Eastern European film. As it was, she was in about 10% of Hong Kong’s output in 2003 and was in three of the top 10 box office hits. Of course this is nothing compared to Chapman To who was in at least 12 films last year – nearly 25% of the films released in Hong Kong. Does this guy have a good agent or what?

1. Infernal Affairs III - $30.21 (12/12)
2. Twins Effect - $28.41 (07/24)
3. Running On Karma - $26.25 (09/25)
4. My Lucky Star - $24.92 (01/23)
5. Infernal Affairs II - $24.90 (10/01)
6. Love For All Seasons - $24.64 (01/23)
7. Love Undercover II - $21.65 (07/03)
8. Good Times, Bed Times - $19.74 (07/24)
9. Dragon Loaded 2003 - $16.20 (08/21)
10. Lost In Time - $15.49 (11/20)

* Unofficial Box Office numbers provided by Mov3.com, Asianboxoffice.com
Release date information provided by the Hong Kong Entertainment News Web site which lists all the 2003 films here.

1. Running on Karma

A film as peculiar as this could have been an awful mess in the wrong hands, but out of this bizarre mix of romance, action, the supernatural, murder, revenge, Buddhism, faith and muscle bound suits comes a remarkable film that is soaring and challenging in its ambitions. Even encased in his rubber muscle suit, Andy Lau gives perhaps his most personal, deep and likable performance and his co-star Cecilia Cheung is painfully sympathetic as a woman who comes to slowly realize her seemingly inevitably tragic fate. With a first half that exhilarates you and a second half that decimates you, this will possibly leave you confounded but viscerally rewarded.

Johnny To returns to his Milkyway roots and delivers a brilliant noir tale that takes place over the period of a single evening on the dangerous streets of Kowloon. Sparing in its dialogue and plot, it captures the gray connective tissue between police and triads in a minimalist tone poem that explodes in your hands.

This follow-up to the first in the trilogy was in my opinion the strongest film of them all as it devolves into a perfectly paced thriller about cops and triads that pulls a number of plot strings together into a tight stranglehold. As entertaining as the first Infernal Affairs was, it was a bit gimmicky and star dependent but this one is a much more straightforward tale of intricate betrayals and cunning strategy that feels much bigger than it really is. With a fabulous acting cast of Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Francis Ng, Carina Lau and many other excellent character actors, it feels like a classic that will only get better over time.

This is a very poignant but low-key drama that explores loss, remembrance and resilience in an extremely affecting manner. Cecilia Cheung’s fiancée dies in a traffic accident and she has to cope with his devastating loss as well as dealing with suddenly having to make a living, raising her fiancée’s child and a cold uncaring world. With the assistance of a sympathetic Lau Ching-wan, she somehow perseveres and out of this tragedy she becomes a stronger person. Both Cecilia and Lau give performances that will resonate with you emotionally for a long time.

This begins so promisingly with a clever script that lightly skips along in a comically fresh manner and then sags a bit in the middle only to rebound with a surprisingly touching coda. Like a precision military operation, four men plan a night of whoring while their significant others are out of town. But when the women come back earlier than expected, it turns into a fast thinking chess game as they try to stay one move ahead of the other as the women attempt to hunt them down. A terrific ensemble along with the amusing assistance of cameos from Tony Leung Ka-fai, Sandra Ng and Maria Cordero make this film an entertaining sprint and a visual delight with some lovely parodies of the triad and heroic bloodshed genres. My main criticism of the film is that it never has the nerve to really go overboard as it keeps all the shenanigans fairly harmless. How do four men go out whoring and none of them get laid?

I thought this was clearly the best romance to emerge from Hong Kong last year with lovely production values and two very appealing performances from cuddly teddy bear actors Gigi Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro. It reminded me of one of those tender glossy Korean romances in which fate plays out its quirky game like a whimsical child. The two of them meet and discover that during adolescence they had a crush on one another and these feelings quickly re-emerge for these two lonely people lost in a big city. But circumstances cause them to spend the rest of the film looking for one another in near parallel lives – though as the audience knows they live within the sound of a heartbeat of each other.

Hong Kong has always had a special talent for crime films and this year they came out with three excellent ones – PTU, Infernal Affairs II and this film. With current budgets forcing filmmakers to downplay expensive action sequences, they focus more on character and plot and this is a perfect example of what a good script and acting can accomplish without much money. With clever twists that kept me on my toes till the very end, this is a minor gem. The enigmatic Anthony Wong is at the top of his game here and Gillian looks very cute holding a gun. As if she could shoot anyone.

Ringo Lam made just the film he was trying for here – a light and cherubic action comedy that isn’t to be taken seriously for a moment. From all appearances, Lam made the film between margaritas at a Malaysian beach resort and he invites everyone to just come and relax. In a near parody of his previous flamboyant bad guy roles, Simon Yam, and his silent gothic punk sweetie killer cigar smoking girlfriend, Ruby Wong, are the couple of the year – and only Hsu Chi and Andy On are in the way of them acquiring terrorist weapons. Sit back, sip a drink and enjoy some fun nonsense.

Honest, it’s not just the acres of naked breasts that make this an enjoyable film – it tells a slick, original and clever story about the sex industry that has a touch of Citizen Kane about it. In an interview Louis Koo – surrounded by over thirty topless Japanese actresses – relates the story of starting up a magazine in Hong Kong that is a Zagat’s of the sex trade – where to get it, how good it is and how much it will cost you. It brings him fame and fortune but also some despair in his relationships. Along the way we get to meet some intriguing working women such as Titty Bird and Tess Tickles, the master of the “ice and fire” technique of oral sex.

Perhaps this is primarily for fans of Michelle Reis – and I count myself as one of those – but she is stunningly beautiful here and the film indulges us with countless heart stopping close-ups of her ravishing face. She plays a famous courtesan who wants love and to retire from the business, but her contract is held by the Madame (Lydia Shum) who has no desire to let her top earner go. Using the innocent Daniel Wu as an unwitting tool, Michelle devises a plan to force the Madame’s hand, but rarely do things go according to plan nor does love come so easily. Michelle radiates like a cool simmering star.

Infernal Affairs III

It’s not that it’s dreadfully bad, it just feels so unnecessary and is at times quite clumsy in trying to fit its plot into the cracks left open from the first two films. Also, in order to make use of the wonderful cast from the previous films (most of who are now dead of course), they rely on loads of flashbacks that seem to serve very little purpose to me - in particular the Tony/Kelly sections feel like useless filler. The best moment of the film is the very final scene, which actually comes from the first film and gives an emotional slug to the whole trilogy – a splendid and sad frozen tableau. Generally, the film struck me as an attempt to suck a few more dollars out of this franchise (which they clearly did as it shockingly was the top grosser of the year), but there wasn’t enough material to work with and the film becomes a confusing chore at times to sit through.

A number of people I totally respect have really thought highly of this film (YTSL for one!), but it annoyed me from beginning to end. If I had to spend more than a few minutes with the whiny 20-somethings here, I would slowly lose my will to live. Just put them all in burlap sacks along with a few heavy rocks and drown the whole lot – with one exception. Here is a dare to most of these young actors – find something you are good at because acting isn’t it. As much as I usually like Karena Lam, all I wanted to do here was take her phone away and give her a good talking to. Only the quirky Candy Lo kept me engaged and stopped me from tossing this one out the window – only wish I could have done that with the characters.

Liked by many, hated by many – I find myself somewhere in the middle. There are sections that are mind numbingly painful and almost embarrassing to watch, but I enjoyed the general campy animated thrust of the film and found the action slickly watchable. But if the Hong Kong government doesn’t pass a bill soon to keep Edison Chen out of films, the entire industry may face ridicule. His romantic scenes with the little pop tart Charlene were more uncomfortable than a few medical procedures that I have undergone recently – and believe me they were not fun. I still look forward to the sequel though because the Twins are so darn adorable.

I’m still not exactly sure why I found this film so dreadfully dull, but it was all I could do to finish it. I suppose my main complaint has to be lodged against the way the Twins are used. Lets face it – The Twins aren’t exactly good actors – what they do have in spades though is the cute factor – more of it than a truckload of homeless puppies. They aren’t remotely cute here; they aren’t much of anything in fact that registered. The film also can’t decide what it wants to be – a horror film, a comedy, a romance, an idol fest – but none of them click and it dragged along like a one legged mummy.