Variety’s Asian arm has got your first review of Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, and Johnnie To’s upcoming crime film collaboration “Triangle” from Cannes (which means the film was okayed by the Chinese censors in time for screening after all). The reviewer calls the film “a seriocomic crimer…that’s a diverting, sometimes head-scratching experiment that will mostly chime with Asian movie buffs,” which bodes well for us, being the “Asian movie buffs” that we are. More about the movie below…

In short, Hark starts the film off as being about three “drinking buddies” who are offered a major cash reward to retrieve a McGuffin. They do so, and that’s when things go bad, as they invariably always do in these movies. Then somewhere along the way, one of the guy’s wife gets involved, and so does the cop she’s having an affair with.

Pic’s passage from an antsy setup, via more character-driven drama, to an elaborately choreographed finale plays to the strengths of each director as well as being a mini-primer of their different styles. Lam and To come off most successfully, while Tsui’s material seems unnecessarily complex and fussy.

Cast of To regulars, including Yam, Koo, Lin and (in a burbling cameo) Lam Suet seems at home, even when the holes in the plotting aren’t fully covered up by smart editing and technique. Overall, pic is a varied meal that provides many passing pleasures for gourmets but may confuse average auds’ palates.

As always, it’s a little hard to read if the reviewer liked the film or not. These Variety guys are always writing like they’re running out of ink and using made-up vocabulary.

Read the review here.