Forbidden City Cop
Reviewed by YTSL
It has been said of family man Wong Kar Wai
that he may be the Hong Kong movie maker who seems to best understand and
represent (on celluloid) lonely -- but still often romantically hopeful
-- bachelors. It may well be equally asserted of the never-been-married
Stephen Chow and Carina Lau that in their one cinematic collaboration to
date, they have come up with one of the most simultaneously fun and touching
portraits of a happily wedded couple to be found in any filmic offering,
not least a Hong Kong movie and/or primarily (intentionally) farcical production.
And for the record: Yes, this they did in a zany period action comedy
sometimes described as a companion piece to the “mo lei tau” (nonsense)
king’s secret agent parody, “From Beijing with Love” (whose Chinese title
literally translates as “Made in China: 007”); and the same one in which
both a “flying fairy” “specimen” and kungfu stance fairly prominently figure
(along with an evil family, whose faceless patriarch seeks to become ruler
of China)!
The full of surprises FORBIDDEN CITY COP most
definitely contains plenty of laughter-, giggle- and smile-inducing sections.
Many of these come courtesy of the Chow man being put in the kind of absurd(ist)
situations and improbable gadget rich scenarios that those with less incredible
imaginations could never have been able to come up with and successfully
pull off as well as cram into a movie that effectively consists of two
loosely connected episodes: One of which centers on the news and
attending of an announced medical conference in the Gum Kingdom by the
Chinese emperor as well as the imperial bodyguard who prefers to be an
inventor and gynecologist; and the other of which involves the imperial
personage asking his happily married protector to check out a newly-arrived-in-town
famously beautiful prostitute for him.
Other humorous moments and prime visual gags come
by way of supporting cast members like: Cheung Tat Ming (playing
a monarch who has ample reason to be initially displeased -- but later
gratefully satisfied -- with the least physically formidable of his hereditarily
appointed personal guards); an often bewigged Law Kar Ying (as the hapless
sidekick called upon to do such as disastrously demonstrate the mouth cannon...);
co-director Vincent Kuk (as the surgeon who attempts to dissect what he
thinks is an extra-terrestrial being); and music composer Tats Lau (as
“the one who looks like a ghost” and dresses -- and sometimes also sounds
-- like a woman). Carmen Lee, who sizzlingly portrays the bewitching
Gum Kingdom temptress who threatens to ruin the wedded bliss of Stephen
Chow’s Ling Ling Fat (008) character, also makes some memorable contributions
to this tremendously pleasing movie (that has a largely comic tenor but
comes with those extreme mood swings and dips into violence and drama that
Hong Kong movie fans have often come to take as second nature with regards
to quite a few Jade Theatre works).
For this (re)viewer though, the great part of
FORBIDDEN CITY COP’s charm actually “just” comes from watching and hearing
-- though I can’t understand much of what they are saying, I definitely
do notice the nuanced cadences of their voiced speeches -- Stephen Chow
and Carina Lau’s endearing characters making the most of each other’s loving
company. These two immensely talented individuals -- the former of
whom has co-scriptwriting and -directing credits and the latter of whom
apparently also had a major hand in the 1996 film’s costume design department
-- work very well together as on-screen “hubby” and “honey” (Few other
duos could make a wrestling match seem so cute and a husband’s attempt
to successfully lie to his wife be so suspenseful, then funny at a drop
of a hat).
Even prior to viewing this offering, I had thought
of Carina Lau as being one of the most “giving” of actresses and consequently
someone who often makes her co-stars -- not just herself -- look very good
(Cf. her pairing with Charlie Yeung in “Intimates”, and her being part
of the interesting trio who are at the heart of “He’s a Woman, She’s a
Man”). As for Stephen Chow: While he is a master comedian on
his own, he can only benefit from a primary co-star of his vehicles who
significantly adds to -- rather than takes away from -- his efforts to
amuse but also win over audiences. Considering the abundant chemistry
that the pair manifest when together, it seems a real shame that the actress
who always has an appealingly mature air about her and the no less delightfully
boyish looking -- and acting -- man have not partnered each other at least
once more in the years since the making, release and box office success
of FORBIDDEN CITY COP.
My rating for the film: 8.5
DVD Information:
Distributed by Mei Ah
The transfer is fine - clean and sharp.
Letterboxed
Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks
The subtitles are burnt on Chinese and English
that are generally no problem to read but on occasion melt into the white
background.
There is no menu - and thus no extras