R E V I E W

ULTIMATUM

Universe. 2001. 93 minutes.
Directed by Kant Leung Wang Fat
Written by Jessica Chan Pooi Wa and Kant Leung Wang Fat

With Yo Yo Mung, Michael Wong

Kant Leung Wang Fat worked as an assistant director for several years (Her Name is Cat, Chinese Erotic Ghost Story) before he directed his first film, The Demon's Baby, in 1998. Among his other credits are Sexy and Dangerous II and Violent Cop.

The film played in Hong Kong cinemas briefly in August 2001, grossing a meager HK $1,020.00 (less than US $200.00).

During 2001, Matrix Productions also made Doctor No, Goldfingers, and The Final Winner.

MOVIE

Performances: All the performances are undermind by the post-synched dubbing. It sounds as though everyone was dubbed by someone else. Joe Lee plays Michael Wong's superior; the director fills a supporting role. Also in the cast are Yuen Wah, William Tuen, and Lee Yiu Ming.

Production: To what extent the billing of Michael Wong as the lead deterred people from seeing the movie, I do not know. It's unfortunate that he may have become a liability, because the central character here is the one played by Yo Yo Mung.

The opening scenes feature a flurry of mayhem. Two different assassins, seemingly unaware of the other, kill many people and escape, despite the presence of the police. Reporters flock to the scene; one of them is May (Yo Yo Mung). She is a former policewoman who quit the force after she was unable to prevent the death of her father. Her boyfriend, Tin Ming (Michael Wong), is a police captain. The case is complicated by the presence of a criminal psychologist from the Mainland, part of an academic exchange, and by the fact that the only witness in the case just happens to be Tin Ming's ex-girlfriend, Diana. As the relationships play out, so does the case.

It quickly becomes apparent that May is one of the assassins, and that the other one is a Japanese killer, part of a criminal gang run by Ola. Ola ordered the death of May's father, so a classic tale of a child seeking revenge for the death of a parent is established. The rest of the plot unfurls conventionally for the most part, with a couple of twists thrown in for good measure.

The strength of the film lies in the drama that takes place between the action sequences that serve as bookends. Especially noteworthy is the character of May, which is revealed a little at a time. The low-key brazenness of Diana is also refreshing; she does not hide her desire to regain Tin Ming as her boyfriend, even if it's right under the nose of May. Diana left Tin Ming three years previously because of career pursuits. Left unsatisfied by the fame and money she has earned as a fashion designer, she is determined to steal him back.

Also on the positive side: the action sequences are competently staged by Willie Ho, the musical score is quite effective (emphasizing rock guitar and techno percussion), the photography by Yip Wai Ying (cinematographer for 10 films and director of four in the last couple of years) is extremely attractive, and the sets are well chosen and set (art direction by Andy Li).

Considering the sound logic and solid direction provided in the majority of scenes, it's all the more confounding to contemplate other choices made by the filmmakers. Certain decisions simply toss logic out the window in favor of style (May has a secret room in her apartment to display her guns, but why is it always smoky? Tin Ming has experienced blinding headaches for a year, but the only apparent reason for their existence is to give Michael Wong something to do), while others that hurt the film may have been dictated by the budget (the post-synched dubbing makes it difficult to become fully engaged with the characters). A number of plot points are also clumsily handled.

Turn over enough rocks, and eventually you are rewarded. This film contains too many glaring faults to be considered a buried treasure, but it's certainly worth a viewing.

Rating: Category IIB. Much explicit bloodshot violence, but a minimum of bloodshed considering the number of people who are shot.

DVD

Look: The letterboxed presentation is very good-looking. The black tones are very deep, flesh tones appear natural, and colors are well saturated. The source print looks fairly clean, although some speckling was apparent.

Sound: Good. I listened to the DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track, and the soundfield was expansive and the low frequency effects and surround channels were frequently engaged. The problem comes from the post-synched dialogue. It's too high in the mix; in order to make it sound less intrusive and artificial, you have to turn the sound down, which undercuts the impact of the gunblasts and atmosphere during the action scenes. Also included is a Cantonese mono track and a Mandarin DD 5.1 version.

Subtitles: OK. The white removable English subtitles contain some rough translations, but are well timed. It's very unfortunate, though, that the last line of dialogue in the film has a poor translation (at least, I hope it's a bad translation and not what the scriptwriters intended). Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

Features: Eight chapters can be selected from a two-page video capture menu. Stars' files are provided in both Chinese and English for Michael Wong and Yo Yo Mung. Trailers are provided for Ultimatum, Doctor No, and Scaremonger.

RECOMMENDATION

Rent. An imperfect yet intriguing drama from a director to watch, Kant Leung.

 

(Reviewed by Peter A. Martin; March 27, 2002)

 

Copyright 2000-2002 by Peter A. Martin. All rights reserved.
No part of this review may be reproduced without express permission by the copyright owner.