Spoilers !!!
Written by a university undergraduate, the script for Jainghu came to the attention of the filmmakers through a competition. Producer Eric Tsang said in a radio interview that it was love at first sight with this clever story. The 24-year-old director chosen to make this movie has no commercial movie experience, but has made his mark by several controversial indy work, including Fu Bo which was highly acclaimed in the 2003 Hong Kong International Film Festival. With this combination, you would expect something new, even if the majority of the casts have been teleported from Wu Jian Dao.
The script could very well be a one-act play using a divided stage or some similar technique. Strip away the whistles and bells, it really hinges on one single clever twist, which, even with the spoiler warning, I'm not going to explicitly disclose. Suffices to say that in a small way, it tries to create the 'Sixth Sense' kind of shocking impact and, in a small way, achieves some results. The author being a young lady, the script does not build on the macho man bonding that is the foundation of so many John Woo films, but rather dwells on subtleties and titillating dialogue. Eric Tsang intimated that while 'jianghu' (literal translation 'rivers and lakes') usually refers to the gang-land world, and this movie is about the gang-land world, it is meant here to encompass intricate human relationships in a broader scope. For example, the back-stabbing applies, even if not literally, just as well to the business arena.
The director, obviously conscious of the fact that this is his first commercial endeavor, takes particular care with every single frame to give the audience something different, but not stray too far away from the mainstream. This does work sometimes, particularly in the crisp, efficient technique of omitting the key frame where the action actually takes place e.g. when Andy Lau hands a piece of fruit on the tip of a knife to his wife, or when the gangsters kill two small children. However, after watching the entire movie, one tends to feel on the whole that he is a little overboard with this style thing.
People talk about the influence of Godfather in Jianghu. Fact is, the baptism-and-murder montage has become so classical that to see it in one form of another in a movie is really no big deal (even Kitano Takeshi's 'Zatoichi' has it). Talking about similarities and influences, how about Big Fish, in the parallel development of stories in two time slots? Another example is the scene where physical aggression arouses sexual desire, referencing to a similar situation in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and, if a more literary example is needed, Robertson Davies' Deptford Trilogy, in the third book, World of Wonders.
Turning to the cast, cool Andy Lau is what you would always expect. Although there's no delight unlooked for, you won't be disappointed. The explosive Jackie Cheung, on the other hand, will make you sit up and pay attention, particularly if you remember him last in the mild-disposition school teacher in July Rhapsody. It's the spark between these two that is really enjoyable, especially in the long, stage-play like scene in the plush restaurant, a duel of words. It's also good to see the young pair continuing to improve since Wu Jian Dao. Shawn Yue finally got some fire in his belly, especially in the scene where he witnesses the killing of his brother. Edison Chan, on the other hand, tackles a more subtle character, playing second fiddle, but with the maturity of showing the seriousness behind the clowning. Must also mention Wu Chien-lien who, after a period of absence, appears in such radiant loveliness, even better than in her Tian RuoYou Qing days.
Although a little flashy, Jianghu is a good collaboration between two newcomers, giving the audience a freshness in an escape from banality.
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