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| CONMAN IN TOKYO. Starring - Louis Koo - Nick Cheung - Athena Chu - Christy Chung. Director - Ching Sui Tung. 2000. Jersy is the self-proclaimed number one gambler in all of Hong Kong, but this title comes with a price. Nancy, his girlfriend. She wants a shopping trip to Japan and there is no way that she will rest until she gets it. Eventually Jersy succumbs to the pressure and grants her wish, but this won’t be no ordinary vacation. The pair stumble across a Chinese restaurant and are quietly dining when Triads burst into the premises and attempt to extort protection money out of the owner. Wanting to help his fellow countryman Jersy busts out his repertoire of fighting skills, but it seems that the owner is quite capable and can easily look after himself. The gangsters are stopped in their tracks by the owner’s ability to throw placemats like knives. This arouses Jersy’s suspicions as he has heard of one man who can do this, a man who disappeared without any explanation three years ago. After initially denying the charge the owner reveals himself as Cool, the world famous number one gambling king. He begins to explain to Jersy and Nancy how he retired into seclusion after his fiancée Karen caught him in bed with another woman, she then went off to marry his sworn brother Yeung but she was unfortunately shot on her wedding day leaving her a vegetable. Jersy and Karen decide to help Cool win Karen back but things wont be easy, as Yeung is not as honourable as Cool has always believed. In the nineties there was a glut of substandard comedy dramas flying out of Hong Kong quicker than a Songat refugee escaping to the UK, they did nothing for the industry and even less for the viewers. I thought those days were long gone and then along comes this retarded excuse for a film. Wong Jing has stuck his grubby little fingers into the money making pot again and handed us a real mess of a film. Not knowing which way to turn next Conman in Tokyo fumbles between comedy, drama, action and romance like I fumble through the Quality street, the only difference being I know what I am doing. Ching Siu Tung however doesn’t. The comedy is over the top the drama is about as captivating as haemorrhoids and the twist in the story is offered up so early in the movie it hardly makes any sense continuing on to the end. If you are intrigued by the idea of a gambling movie then get a hold of either Chow Yun Fats God of gamblers or Stephen Chiao’s God of gamblers 3. The first is a superb drama/action flik whilst the latter treads the comedy path, both are worthy of a watch and urinate from a great height on this money making trash. I have learned however that a lot of people did like this film though, which really surprises me. I personally cannot see where a plageristic effort such as this could be called entertainment. In fact the only time I was entertained throughout this travesty was when my youngest son vomited all over my partner whilst she slept. Now that is entertainment and I wish I had the camera handy. 2**stars. |
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