Hong Kong 1941 (1984)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written by Chan Koon-Chung
Directed by Leong Po-Chih
Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Alex Man, Cecilia Yip, Paul Chun, and Yung Sai-Kit

Features:

• Interviews with cast and crew
  
• Chow Yun-Fat bio/filmography
  
• Still gallery
  
• New and original trailers
  
• Original promotional materials
  

Released by: Fox
Region: 1
Rating: R
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Rent it.

Yip Fai (Yun-Fat) wants out of Hong Kong in the worst way. Living with an abusive uncle and his scatter-brained wife, he's trying to scrape up enough money to catch a boat to Australia, where he hopes to make his fortune in a booming land of opportunity. But he's got a way to go before he's got the money put together. Working whatever odd jobs he can find, Fai is doing well enough to afford rice and stash a little money, which is significantly better than the rest of Hong Kong. Starvation is rampant, and rice theft is a serious offense that will get you flogged and thrown in a very small hole somewhere. Yip Fai decides he coul probably use a friend in this dog-eat-dog world, and introduces himself to Kong (Man). Kong is a bit of a local thug leader, but a generally genial and harmless guy once you get to know him. Despite some initial suspicions, Kong and Fai become fast friends.

When Kong's true love Anna (Yip) is betrothed to another by her politically ambitious father, the trio make a run for the boats to sail for Australia together. Unfortunately for them, it was December 1941. The morning of their planned escape, the trio awoke to bombardments, fires, and Japanese assault on the city. Despite making their way to the docks, only Fai was able to reach the boat in time, and couldn't desert his friends. So the three remain in Hong Kong, as the Japanese assume control and the worst offences imaginable are committed by the occupying force. Fai, ever the pragmatist, signs up to be an agent for the Japanese, as this will afford him food, money, and a free pass to move about the city and help out his friends. Kong, on the other hand, stays in and out of trouble with the law. And Anna fights her growing feelings for Fai, while trying to avoid the unwelcome advances of a Japanese general (Sai-Kit).

Hong Kong 1941 is, at its core, a movie about friendship and what the word really means. There are elements of a love triangle, and certainly the war movie aspect, but these are secondary to the relationship between the three principal characters, and how that relationship is tested by circumstances beyond their control. The film also raises some interesting moral and ethical questions, and attempts to offer a variety of possible answers to those questions via the actions of different characters. The dilemma of Chow Yun-Fat's character Fai, in his attempt to live his dream regardless of what he has to do or how distasteful it might be, makes some unpleasant decisions over the course of the movie, and it's a testament to Yun-Fat's acting ability that he handles this inner turmoil in such a subtle and moving fashion. The chief weakness of the film, however, is that it poses a great many more questions than it attempts to answer, and this makes the story seem ultimately unfinished. Too many plot complications or subplot elements are introduced and then ignored for the remainder of the picture.

The trio of leads hands in absolutely stunning performances. Yun-Fat's acting talent is unfortunately second to his action star reputation in this country, and more's the loss to us. He possesses a fantastic range, capable of tragedy and comedy within moments of each other, and a screen presence that was undeniable even at this early stage of his career (he was twenty-nine when this film was made). Cecilia Yip also does fine work here, though her character's undescribed (and unexplained) mental illness is handled in such an oddball fashion that it ultimately detracts from her otherwise excellent acting. The supporting cast are all solid as well, though occasionally prone to caricature. This isn't too surprising giving the VERY limited screen time anybody gets aside from the three main characters.

The digitally remastered DVD is beautiful. It's hard to believe the movie was shot nearly two decades ago, given how clean and crisp this transfer is. The audio is also excellent, though do yourself a favor and skip the English dub. I'd rather read subtitles than listen to the over-emoting Americans trying to carry a subtle emotional film with lots of squealing and melodrama. There's a ton of bonus material here for those interested, including interviews with cast and crew (though only Cecilia Yip of the leads gets one, which is a shame). There's a slew of promotional material as well, which is always interesting to see given the differences in style between Eastern and Western movie promotion.

This movie will appeal to any that like historical pieces, or war dramas where the war comes second to the drama. It's not typical of what the West has seen of Chow Yun-Fat, but that makes it a great introduction to the man's range and the depth of his talent. The flaws in the storytelling ultimately make this more of a rental than a keeper, though.