Movie Review: Vengeance/ 復仇

I saw this film back at the beginning of the Summer HKIFF.  I put off the review because I was feeling ambivalent.

In some ways, I feel that a review of Vengeanceis rather superfluous; it's a Johnnie To movie. That idea speaks for itself.

But that idea also carries both positive and negative connotations.

Sometimes a Johnnie To movie is great because of the director.

Sometimes it's not that great because of the director.

First, let me say this film is better than Linger. Before that one, I would have thought Mr. To couldn't make a bad film. I was wrong. The bad taste from Linger... lingered.

He was back to form with Sparrow. But again, that form is part of the problem.

Over the last few years, Johnnie To's movies have become "Johnnie To movies." They're recognizable by their good and bad attributes.

Vengeanceis beautifully filmed and very well-executed and an absolute pleasure to look at.This film is almost pornographically stylish. It is technically brilliant and enrapturing.

But only until people talk, because it is also almost completely devoid of substance. There's not much story, and what little of it there is seems to be an afterthought, or actually not thought out at all.

I admit, the idea of a French protagonist in an 'action' film is hard for me to swallow; when I saw a Frenchman with a gun in Vengeance, I instinctively expected him to drop it and put his hands up.

Not to mention that Johnny Halliday is old. I'm getting there my damn self, but Monsieur Hallyday is tres vieux. He's so old you can't help but know there's a stuntman or three doing the tough bits."Excusez-moi... Ou est la salle de bain?"I feel bad being less than effusive about a Johnnie To movie, especially since he's one of the last great directors Hong Kong has. 

But that doesn't mean he gets a pass. This film is not really engaging beyond the visual aspect. It's hard to care about these people at all.

That said, it's a blast to look at.

And not just for the Jo Koo cameo. She's what Ricky Bobby called "A tractor-beam of hotness."

I would encourage you to watch the film in theatres because, as I said, it's magnificent looking. It's fun, and a nice distraction, but it's nowhere near The Mission.On a more 'localized' note, go see the film and watch for the AnD 'Easter egg' surprise in the end credits. It will make the film more fun, even retroactively. It might even make you want to see it again.