Movie Review: Horseplay/盜馬記

It was nice to see a UFO logo on the big screen, and it even looks nice updated to the digital realm.

And if they keep making movies like Horseplay/盜馬記, I’ll be really happy!

An international thief wants to steal a priceless national treasure.

A disgraced cop wants to catch him.

An aspiring journalist wants to cover the story and take her career up a notch.

Two bumbling idiots try their best to do their job, all the while looking for love in all the wrong faces.

Tony Leung’s entrance as one of the ugliest cross dressers in the history of Western civilization in incredibly memorable.

Especially because he’s in a women’s bathroom, peeing while he’s standing up.

And because he looks like Siu Yam Yam.

Early on, a scene is played with a little too much overstatement.

I found it unfortunate that it was also a scene featuring a mainland person, since I find Big 6 Overstatement to be really annoying.

But it was over quickly, and it was the only instance of it I really noticed.

The scene in the fun house dragged a little, but it was interesting, and the lightness of Horseplay/盜馬記 made it seem a lot easier to deal with.

Almost all of the time.

Blackface isn’t funny.

It happens twice, and both times the audience thought it was funny. I don’t think it is.

But then I’m not Asian.

Other than that particular low-light, there’s a lot to like about Horseplay/盜馬記.

It’s quite sophisticated in its own way. It’s paced really well, it looks great, and it’s an awful lot of fun.

It’s a classic road movie-slash-caper ensemble film, and I really enjoyed how effortlessly it unfolded.

Drama and suspense aren’t the order of the day here. Light, whimsical fun is, and the film delivers.

It was a lot of fun to watch a Hong Kong movie that not only took place overseas but was really shot overseas. It’s obvious that some significant money was spent here, and it shows.

It was also nice to watch the cast, most of whom are veteran actors, play their roles with such grace, assurance, and finesse.

Tony Leung Kar Fai displays really commendable levels of wit, charm, and silliness in his character, and even more commendably he does it in the right places and to the right level.

The comedy in Horseplay/盜馬記 might peek over the edge, but it never goes over the top.