Her Fatal Ways
Over two years after the HK Handover to China
occurred, this film may seem to be nothing more than a historical footnote
– but when it came out in 1990 it was a very popular comedy (9th in box
office returns and spawned three sequels) that dealt with the fears about
the upcoming transition in an amusing way. Even though the issues may no
longer be a hot topic or pertinent, this film still retains a great deal
of its original charm. It is a low-key satiric look at the differences
between cultures of the capitalistic HK and the communist Mainland. What
actually strikes the viewer is how much China has changed since this film
was made as opposed to any changes that have taken place in HK. With news
of the entrepreneurial endeavors along with the incredible corruption going
on in China at the highest echelons, the constant references to the “will
of the people” and other Marxist clichés sound very quaint and old
fashioned a mere ten years after the film was made.
Dodo Cheng in a career performance is simply wonderful
as the straight as an arrow Mainland cop who arrives in HK with her assistant,
Alfred Cheung (who also directed), to deliver a prisoner, Michael Chow,
to the HK authorities. She creates this tough, iconoclastic, rude, stubborn
but endearing character. Much of her fine performance is physical – as
she has her posture and gestures down in such a way that she seems very
much what she is suppose to be.
She delivers Wong to Tony Leung Ka-Fai, but
under HK supervision he is able to escape. Feeling it is still her responsibility
to get Wong she joins up with Tony in his attempts to capture him. Needless
to say their views of human rights and interrogation methods are quite
different – and she is often like a bull in a china shop – but the two
make a great pair.
One of the highlights is when Leung is forced
to put up Dodo and Alfred in his apartment where his father, an ardent
Nationalist, also lives. The father is not too pleased to be sharing his
roof with a few of the enemy and one night begins singing patriotic songs
– Dodo and Alfred retaliate and soon a duel of songs is going on. Tony
breaks it up by stating “You are Taiwanese, you are from the Mainland and
I am from HK – but we are all Chinese – so let’s get along”. There
is a lot of amusing dialogue and often Dodo makes sly references to Tony
that though he may be in charge now in a few years time he won’t be and
things will be done differently then. At another point Dodo has to go undercover
as a hostess girl and she finally has an opportunity to shed the glasses,
the conservative hair style and the dowdy clothes and make glamorous.
In the end of course they all team up – with a
group of geriatric Nationalist veterans saving the day – to get the bad
guys. Dodo does a lovely two handed gun imitation of Chow Yun Fat to blow
away numerous adversaries. This is a very pleasant film with quite a lot
of underplayed humor.
My rating for this film: 7.5