Zhou chu chu san hai

Wong Ching-po is an experienced Taiwanese director, who has made the gritty revenge thriller Revenge: A Love Story and the excellent martial arts flick Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (I recommend both), and with his new film he makes another a dent in the world. The film has been receiving rave reviews in Taiwan, with the main character being nominated for the local Golden Horse awards for his performance and the film itself winning the prestigious award for fight choreography. The film mixes genres, alternating between drama, gangster, action and in the end a sectarian thriller. Surprisingly, the biggest plus point of the film is the story itself, its captivating. The main character is a criminal who is diagnosed with lung cancer and on top of that he learns that he is the third most wanted criminals in the country. Depression falls on him and he decides to get rid of the top two criminals so that only he can be the top one; definitely an original and unconventional revenge motivation. Unfortunately, there are only two action scenes, but I have to say that both fights are really classy and they shot me off the couch. They're brutal, the choreography is breathtaking and they're also long. It really sucks that there's not more action, but that’s quite made up for by the finale with the twisted cult, which is properly suspenseful, there's no shortage of twists and turns and the unpleasant atmosphere in the air worked well – it all culminates in a mass brutal execution! A good film with an interesting main character and an unusual story. 75%. (12.04.2024)