Hollywood Hong Kong (2002)
Hollywood Hong Kong (2002) 6/10
Hollywood Hong Kong doesn’t make alot of sense, but it does have some strikingly beautiful imagery and the always watchable Zhou Xun anchoring the film. The plot itself is elliptical, and does not necessarily conform to logic. Director Fruit Chan creates a strange mish-mash of black humor, mo lei tau comedy, romantic entrapment, political messages and even murder. Overall, the film is intriguing, but never engaging. Zhou Xun easily steals the limelight while the rest of the cast are decent but unremarkable. One has the feeling that the 3 obese characters are cast more for their physicality than any acting chops. One of the film’s curious subplots involve a pig who goes missing and the efforts spent to retrieve it which was mildly amusing but felt totally unnecessary.
Overall, whilst the film has some interesting elements, the film when taken as a whole is a pastiche of genres, not all of which blend well together. The film has some alienating aspects and one gag involving amputated hands was just lame but the director spends a significant time on that subplot to the detriment of the film. Overall, Hollywood Hong Kong is a mixed bag and while fans of HK arthouse cinema should give it a look, the average film goer will probably not understand or enjoy this movie.
