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R E V I E W
Day Off
Winson / 2001 / 98 minutes
Directed by Raymond Leung Pun-Hei
Written by Raymond Leung Pun-HeiWith Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Lam Ho Yee, Shirming Yiu Lok Yi
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
Raymond Leung Pun-Hei directed his first feature in 1989, The First Time is the Last Time. Four more films (Weakness of Man, Justice My Fool, Back to the Root, and Scarred Memory) followed, the last in 1996.
The film opened in Hong Kong cinemas in May 2001.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: Lok is a professional assassin. He sleeps with a prostitute named Catherine before every assignment, and then moves to a different location. However, he is increasingly plagued both by his conscience and by memories of past killings. He falls into a relationship with Snow, a convenience store clerk.
Performances: Once again, as in the recent Runaway, Nick Cheung Ka Fai is cast in a humorless role as the stoic Lok. He fulfills the technical requirements, but is not able to completely connect with the character in a way that communicates meaningfully with the audience. In what is apparently her film debut, Lam Ho Yee is sometimes quite appealing and sometimes quite annoying as Snow. Part of that is her character as written, and part of it is her current limitations as an actress. One of her scenes induced cringes, simply because she was not capable of pulling it off. Perhaps if she has some supporting roles in the future her true potential can be discovered. Sherming Yiu Lok Yi brings a level of maturity to her brief role of Catherine. In fact, her character was more intriguing than Snow.
Production: If you've been feeling lately that "they don't make 'em like they used to," here's the movie for you. Borrowing wildly from Chungking Express, C'est La Vie, Mon Cheri, and probably a dozen others, writer/director Raymond Leung Pun-Hei has fashioned a moody little film. It tries hard to be significant but is hard-pressed to discover any ground that has not been trod many times over in the "assassin dealing with a conscience" genre. Lok narrates much of the film; insights on his profession are nothing new. Plenty of flashbacks are interspersed, and here the camera takes on Lok's point of view. It seems director Leung has never met an extreme camera angle that he doesn't like; he also favors the use of handheld cameras for no other reason than for visual variety. Leung also edited and produced the film. Clearly it's a low-budget affair, and I hate to stomp too hard on what was probably a labor of love for all involved. Some scenes demonstrate that Leung has an eye for framing his compositions, and the pace moves along at a suitable rhythm. Still, it's hard to discern a personal vision or to find an overwhelming reason why this story cried out to be filmed. Tommy Wai Kai-Leung composed the flavorful and varied musical score (including some welcome touches of flamenco). O Sing-Pui (Made in Hong Kong) served as director of photography.
Rating: Category IIB. Several killings, with a minimal amount of explicit violence and a muted, non-explicit love scene.
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) video presentation is less than average. Because of the low budget, it seems high quality film stock was out of the question. Colors and flesh tones are washed out a bit, and overall the film looks a bit dull. An extremely dirty source print magnifies the problem; constant dirt and scratches are quite evident.
Sound: I listened to the DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track, and also sampled the DD 2.0 Cantonese version, but there was little difference between the two. I did not detect any surround or sub-woofer action, and all of the sound came from the center channel. The post-synched dialogue is not very exactly matched to the movement of the actors' lips on screen.
Subtitles: The white (with black backing) removable English subtitles were quite easy to see but difficult to read at times due to the multitude of misspellings. Simplified and traditional Chinese subtitles are also provided.
Features: Nine chapters can be selected from a video capture menu. The original theatrical trailer is not included (does one exist?), but trailers from Undercover Blues, Life is a Miracle, Grandma and Her Ghosts, and Sleeping Bride (the Japanese film with no English title) are provided.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Rent. Low priority. Effort was made to create a film off the beaten path, which is commendable, yet better films have beaten Raymond Leung to the punch. Still, there are a few redeeming virtues that may be worth your time.
(Reviewed 8/6/01)
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