Bullet time theater - "Vengeance"
Today I had the pleasure of seeing "Vengeance", a recent thriller from Hong Kong that is unlike any film of it's kind I've yet seen. Johnny Hallyday, a legendary rock singer from France, is an unusual yet perfect choice to play an aging man on what may be his last quest. He plays Costello, a man who's daughter's family is murdered in her home in Macau. As his daughter lies in a hospital near death he swears to her that he will find the men responsible and kill them. He travels to China leaving all of his contacts behind him, not speaking the native language, armed only with a fragmentary description of the killers he seeks. Fortunately, he soon makes some unlikely friends.
Costello meets a trio of hit men whom he does not know, but who are clearly professionals. He offers them his entire savings, home, and restaurant back in France if they will help them with his quest. Moved by his cause, the size of the reward, and his obvious determination, they choose to help him out.
It's eventually made clear why Costello is so willing to give up everything he owns... not only is he obviously not "a chef" (Under Siege, anyone?), he's beginning to lose his memory due to a bullet in the head from decades ago. He fears that he soon will forget everything, including why he's in China in the first place. He takes pictures of everyone important, labeling them with captions like "ENEMY", just in case.
The plot is pretty familiar but it's done with.. not style exactly, but mood. The action scenes are subdued, but incredibly original. The most memorable takes place in a park lit solely by the moon, which continually drifts in and out from behind clouds, making it impossible for anyone to tell where anyone else is. Another features an advancing hoard of gunmen hiding behind giant bales of garbage that they roll in front of them for cover.
"Vengeance" feels like a Hong Kong interpretation of one of Takeshi Kitano's existential gangster films (see "Sonatine"). The details of the quest don't matter as much as the big picture. Why is it so important that Costello seek vengeance? If he were to forget about everything that had happened to him, is it better just to go home? Or does he owe it to the dead? If you like your bullet operas with a healthy dose of "hmmmm", this film is definitely worth your time.
Costello meets a trio of hit men whom he does not know, but who are clearly professionals. He offers them his entire savings, home, and restaurant back in France if they will help them with his quest. Moved by his cause, the size of the reward, and his obvious determination, they choose to help him out.
It's eventually made clear why Costello is so willing to give up everything he owns... not only is he obviously not "a chef" (Under Siege, anyone?), he's beginning to lose his memory due to a bullet in the head from decades ago. He fears that he soon will forget everything, including why he's in China in the first place. He takes pictures of everyone important, labeling them with captions like "ENEMY", just in case.
The plot is pretty familiar but it's done with.. not style exactly, but mood. The action scenes are subdued, but incredibly original. The most memorable takes place in a park lit solely by the moon, which continually drifts in and out from behind clouds, making it impossible for anyone to tell where anyone else is. Another features an advancing hoard of gunmen hiding behind giant bales of garbage that they roll in front of them for cover.
"Vengeance" feels like a Hong Kong interpretation of one of Takeshi Kitano's existential gangster films (see "Sonatine"). The details of the quest don't matter as much as the big picture. Why is it so important that Costello seek vengeance? If he were to forget about everything that had happened to him, is it better just to go home? Or does he owe it to the dead? If you like your bullet operas with a healthy dose of "hmmmm", this film is definitely worth your time.