July 13th
Director: Wellson Chin
Year: 1996
Rating: 6.0
Well, they got it
right for the first 20 and the last 20 minutes of this horror tale, but
unfortunately they could not maintain the mood for the middle section of
this film. Still not too bad an effort, but one could only wish that HK
could make a straight through horror film without the requisite idiot humor.
Here David Ng and Michelle Reis play a sort
of X-File cop team as they investigate a series of suicides. As the film opens,
a young schoolgirl walks determinedly up the steps of an apartment building
in rhythm to a jarring staccato sound track and then jumps to her death.
Another girl witnesses it and says that an old woman was at her side. She
is soon found at the end of a rope. David and Michelle learn that there was
a similar case a few years back that was never solved.
When they locate the cop who ran this old
case, he (Dayo Wong) has completely lost his mind and is in an asylum. Up
till this point the film is fairly creepy and mysterious, but then regretfully
Dayo and his over the top antics take control and nearly ruin the film. What
a shame. He convinces them that he can solve this case and so they take him
out. Then the final segment – though
the explanation to it all is a bit ridiculous – still has a good creepy ambience
to it. Ng and Reis have good chemistry and the old lady, Helen Law Lan, could
send chills down my spine at high noon. If only Dayo had played his part a
bit closer to the vest, this film would have worked so much better.
