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 've never been a big fan of Ekin Cheng. Whatever it is
that the Hong Kong film industry sees that makes them give the guy 10 movies per
year is a mystery to me. Leon Lai elicits about the same response; the pop
singer could rival Cheng for having the same level of ability to project passion
-- which is miniscule. While "Heroic Duo", the two men's
highly touted
first movie collaboration, doesn't completely change my mind about them as
individual actors, it does soften my general indifference to them a bit.
Essentially a Buddy Cop movie, "Heroic Duo" stars
Ekin Cheng ("The
Twins Effect") as a top cop name Kin who, after a fellow cop commits a
crime under hypnosis, springs Leon Lai ("Sausalito"),
playing Li, a jailed ex-cop who also happens to be a master hypnotist. Li claims
to know who is behind the crime, but needs to come along because only he can
identify the culprit's face. And if you thought that was the film's plot, you
would be wrong. "Duo's" first act is nothing more than a set-up for
the film's actual storyline, which involves Francis Ng ("Bullets
Over Summer"), who seems to be miscast in a role more appropriate for
the colorful Simon Yam.
Years ago then-cop Li and his partner had put criminal Ng
away under less than truthful circumstances. Now Ng has resurfaced to exact
revenge, claiming the life of Li's partner as the film opens. But instead of
killing the currently jailed Li, Ng hatches a plan to steal two Egyptian
diamonds worth millions using Li's wife and the family of Li's murdered
ex-partner as collateral. What follows is a couple of clever twists that are
unfortunately overshadowed by more than a couple of unexplained plot gaffes --
such as, who is that "hypnotist" character that just mowed down a
couple of cops? And how exactly was the first cop hypnotized to commit the crime
that sent Kin to Li -- if Li was in jail at the time?
If you thought the first act set-up and the second act
follow-through was interesting, wait until you witness the complete mess that is
"Heroic Duo's" third act. I have never seen a movie come unglue so
fast in so short a time span. The screenplay is reminiscent of the set-up in
"Running Out of Time",
where we don't learn the lead character's true motive until the second act. But
unlike that other movie, "Duo" is clever only up to a certain point --
after which everything becomes painfully contrived. This complete freefall is
most disturbing because the movie is quite nice to look at.
Oddly enough, "Duo's" visuals are too crisp, the
scenes too clear, and the framing nicely devoid of cramping. These are all good
things to have in a movie, but they're not something one is used to seeing in a
Hong Kong movie. Benny Chan's cinematographer shoots most of the film from a
distance, utilizing a wider screen aspect ratio than usual. The script further
complicates matters by being sparse and minimalist. I could picture Johnnie To
("PTU") directing
"Duo", but not the same man behind "Gen-X
Cops" and "Gen-Y
Cops".
Of course once the gunplay begins there's no doubt you're
watching a Hong Kong movie. In fact, the film's most intriguing aspect is its
look. It's as if someone had transplanted all the reckless gunplay and action
choreography of a Hong Kong film and put them into a South Korean drama.
Speaking of action, "Heroic Duo" could use some lessons regarding
realism from Gordon Chan ("2000
A.D."), because Benny Chan can't direct a realistic gun battle to save
his life. On more than one occasion actors forget to acknowledge that they've
just been shot. Later, a character takes 3 bullets at close range, but besides
spitting out some blood, seems to be no worst for wear.
"Heroic Duo" is a decent movie with a terrific
set-up; it's the rest of the film that doesn't deliver. Co-star Karena Lam
("Inner Senses")
has an interesting turn as the egocentric Kin's long-suffering girlfriend, but
her character is unfortunately also involved in another silly plot contrivance
that can't be ignored. After Lam's character facilitates the escape of a man
wanted by the cops, she comes out of the situation completely unscathed.
Apparently the script wants us to believe that her superior wants so desperately
to get into Lam's pants that he'll overlook her blatant criminal activity. Yeah,
right.
The person most deserving of credit is Leon Lai. Lai works
as an Everyman type with the ability to hypnotize people when they least expect
it. His scenes with Xu Jinglei as his wife and Francis Ng as the easily
exasperated criminal are the film's best moments. Another notable scene involves
Cheng's Kin and an interrogation room full of hostile cops with old grudges. In
it, Kin is busy trying to figure out a clue that Li has left behind, even as the
cops begin beating on him. The disinterested look on Kin's face as he fights
back while paying all his attention to the clue is priceless.
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