The Moss (2008) Movie Review

“The Moss” is hotly tipped Hong Kong director Derek Kwok’s follow-up to his much praised debut “The Pye-Dog”, and sees him sticking to the same territory with another gritty tale of urban angst. Here, the tone is somewhat darker, and the film delves even further into the lives of criminals and dirty cops, whilst still attempting to find a sense of heart and humanity in their desperate deeds. Although not straying too far from the well, the film certainly represents a step up for the director, as he manages to pull together an impressive cast and tries his hand at a more complex narrative style.

The plot, it has to be said, is not particularly original, following corrupt ex-undercover cop Jan (top Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue, recently in “Shamo” and “Invisible Target”) who still seems to act like a petty criminal, doing favours for his old gang pals and making money on the side. As is usually the case, his life is thrown into disarray by a series of violent and unpredictable events that leave his former boss dead and find him charged with locating the missing son of another triad leader. This leads him into conflict with an oddball hitman (played by (Fan Siu Wong, who cult film fans may remember as the lead in the awesome “Story of Ricky”), whose actions leave Jan’s girlfriend (Bonnie Xian, also in “Naraka 19″) in a coma and who kidnaps her feisty young cousin Fa (actress Shi Xueyi, making her debut).

“The Moss” gets straight down to business with a surprisingly lurid opening scene, complete with sweaty, oily sex and bloody murder, immediately indicating that it is going to be a far more visceral affair than “The Pye-Dog”. Although the subject matter is familiar, dealing with the usual triad troubles, corrupt cops and offbeat assassins, the story is well told, and is just about eccentric enough to give it a touch of freshness. Similarly, Kwok manages to make his characters an interesting bunch, and although none of them are exactly fully fleshed out or explored in any great detail, they are at least vaguely unconventional, each with their own gimmicks - a corrupt cop who has the flu and who spends most of the film sneezing, an assassin who also happens to be a crazy homeless guy, a vicious gang boss who turns out to be a caring mother, and so on.

As with “The Pye-Dog”, the plot is quite slow moving and meandering, perhaps even more so, and although a lot happens, the film comes across as a series of threads, rather than a driven narrative. Everything does come together at the end, quite neatly as it happens, and thankfully without too much in the way of contrivance. This approach actually works to the film’s benefit, making it feel less conventional and more naturalistic and unforced, helping to draw attention away from its essential predictability. The film also benefits from some fairly frequent bursts of action and violence, which help to give the proceedings a welcome jumpstart every now and again. It does get surprisingly bloody and brutal in places, especially towards the inevitable climatic showdown, and this adds to the overall impression of gritty believability.

The film covers some pleasingly challenging moral ground, with Kwok taking a bravely non-judgemental stance, effectively blurring the line between what might have traditionally been thought of as the good and bad characters, and leaving it up to the viewer as to who they sympathise with. Of course, since the film is pretty grim throughout, dealing with some depressing themes and focusing on the decidedly less glamorous side of the underworld, it’s a safe bet that none of them are particularly likely to end up happy, or even alive. Thematically, the film is not quite so successful, with the half-hearted attempt at pushing it as some kind of ironic modern fairy tale never really working, and with the plant metaphors never coming across as anything more than pompous platitudes.

Visually the film is quite accomplished, with Kwok again showing an excellent eye for details, bringing the city to convincing life, being hot and sweaty enough for the viewer to almost feel and smell. Filled with dripping water and with some lush use of saturated colours, the film takes on a somewhat organic look, albeit in an often dilapidated and filthy manner. Whilst it does have a fair few technical flourishes, it is stylish in a quiet fashion, and is never flashy enough to distract from the story or to undermine its otherwise gritty air.

Thanks to this, and to his ability as a storyteller, Kwok manages to lift “The Moss” above its inherent familiarity, and it is a tribute to his skill that he is able to turn something potentially uninspiring into one of the better Hong Kong films of the year so far. Certainly, there is plenty here to enjoy, and it confirms him as one of the most interesting new Chinese directors - although hopefully he will turn his attention to something a little more ambitious for his next project.

Chi-kin Kwok (director) / Clement Sze-Kit Cheng, Chi-kin Kwok, Man Hong Lung (screenplay)
CAST: Shawn Yue … Jan
Seli Xian … Lulu
Siu-Wong Fan … Beggar
Matt Chow … Fai
Jay Lau … Nurse
Kai Chi Liu … Four-eyed Tong