Rec-ish review: Playboy Cops (2008): noorie

noorie

Rec-ish review: Playboy Cops (2008)

Apr 20, 2011 01:47

Film: Playboy Cops, 2008 (AKA Bad Boys Hong Kong AKA Fa Fa Ying King)

Genre: Police | Action | Thriller | Romance

Plot synopsis: Millionaire's son Michael Mak (Shawn Yue) actually doesn't need to work, but chasing criminals as a cop has become a hobby of his. With his father's money at his disposal this seems to be quite easy, too, but he is still not very popular among his colleagues. When former policeman Lincoln Lam (Aloys Chen) arrives in Hong Kong in order to solve the mystery of his brother's murder, the newly suspended Michael clashes with Lincoln as latter seemingly dates his girlfriend Lisa (Linda Chung). Michael and Lincoln decide, after having put aside their differences for now, to look for the murderer of the new case who seems to be part of a larger gang, so that Lincoln can go back to the mainland as soon as possible and Michael can win back Lisa. Thanks to a witness who has seen the whole murder the two soon have a lead. However, after ending up in a dead end over and over again they both realize that someone is messing around with them... -- AsianMovieWeb.com

In a nutshell: It's all fun and games until someone loses the plot. File this under 'guilty pleasure' for schizoids & slashers.

Why's this worth watching? Far from being the best film ever made, this is nevertheless a favorite of mine and, at least during the first 70min, it's pretty much pure squee material (see also "slashability" below). First of all, and let me be shallow here, there's a whole lot of pretty to ogle. That includes both the actors and the stylish cinematography. Secondly, OMG Shawn Yue. His EYES. Not just a handsome face, he's good at both comedy and drama. He's also good at fight scenes, of which there are quite a few (nothing spectacular but good fun nontheless). Thirdly, while there's nothing wrong with shallow prettiness and clichéd premise/characters, there's much more to this film, especially in some of the quieter scenes between Michael and Lincoln and between Michael and his dad. The sort of quality that takes you by surprise. As does the ending -- still not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing though :)

Caveats: The love triangle (esp. anything related to Linda Chung's acting), the villain, and some plot elements and scenes are somewhat laughable, and not in a good way. Then there's the fact that the movie completely flips on you: it starts off as a silly but fun action comedy, takes a dramatic twist that makes the characters deeper and more real and then, near the end, it gets unexpectedly and disturbingly violent. I don't want to spoil, so I won't go into detail, but it's just, WHAT?! The funny thing is, I've read reviews where people loved the beginning and hated the end, and then reviews where people loved the end and hated the beginning. So, IDK. I can see why it tanked in the box office, but I stil love it, warts and all. Probably not for everyone though.

Slashability: Look at the plot summary. It goes without saying. & LOL @ this: "[...] given their homoerotic male-bonding banter [these guys] seem to be only a shade away from Brokeback status. Teen girls may dig Playboy Cops automatically because it's a cop movie starring two young, thin, and pretty guys who act both tough and sensitive, and look great in expensive suits and luxury cars. If this doesn't qualify as some sort of thinly-disguised Yaoi manga-to-screen adaptation, then I don't know what would. As a bizarre bishonen fantasy, Playboy Cops isn't without its obvious charms[...]"

Quotes from other reviews:

"You know you can’t take “Playboy Cops” seriously when the opening scene involved a cop propelling down on his own helicopter to catch a small-time robber. Believe it or not, the cop even throws wads of money everywhere to lure him out. But as the movie progresses, this action-comedy directed by Jingle Ma turns out to be quite a mixed bag." -- Linus Tee @ MovieXclusive

"[...] the film creates its very own B-movie charm which is intensified by the fact that [it] doesn't just cover one genre, but that it also becomes surprisingly bloody and dramatic at some points. [...] At the end you don't know what to say or think about "Playboy Cops". This surely isn't a good movie, but being aware of that the film simply tries to be fun. And it succeeds in being so more often than you would have thought this to be possible." -- AsianMovieWeb.com

"Playboy Cops is a fluffy buddy film that exceeds its incredibly low expectations, making it a surprising, though somewhat guilty slice of Hong Kong Cinema. Not really quality, but not much is nowadays." -- Kozo @ LoveHKfilms (If you want an in depth look at the good and bad points of the film, I suggest reading the full review...)

Picspam & more info:

The schizo aspect of the film is nicely demonstrated by the 4 different posters:

Er, anyway. The characters. So, Michael first. He's rich, flashy, and often obnoxious. But also intense, kind-hearted and did I mention hella pretty? Because, yes.

Another rich pretty boy, Lincoln is trying to find the people responsible for his brother's death. He should really be annoying as he's seemingly good at everything, not to mention his strange mix of serenity and smugness. But he has a sense of humor and is basically too damn nice ot really hate.

Michael and Lincoln don't get on well at all. Especially as they turn out to have the same ex-girlfriend. And the same tie. Michael's really unhappy about both.

Then they go investigating a crime together (still not quite sure how THAT happened) and fighting several big guys with tattoos. Not to mention an "intense toilet experience." No, really, don't mention it.