A Moment Of Romance
Classic Hong Kong Cinema at it's very finest. Superb film by Benny Chan with a wonderful story and characters and a career defining performance from Andy Lau.
Queue the montages.
Wah Dee is a skilled motorbike rider and getaway driver but is still seen as a small time gangster in the Triad ranks. After a botched heist where Wah Dee is working as the getaway driver, to avoid being caught by the police he takes a young girl Jojo (Wu Chien-Lien/Jacklyn Wu) hostage. The rest of the gang decide they want the girl dead after she sees all of their faces, Wah Dee volunteers to take care of her, but actually sets her free. This starts an unlikely romance between a low level Triad and an innocent rich girl.
Moment of Romance isn't the most original story, in fact there were many similar films from Hong Kong around this time. But the depth of the characters and the directing is what makes it stand out.
There is nothing cooler than Andy Lau riding a motorbike!
Andy Lau is instantly likable as the calm cool gangster, who, although being a Triad, he seems like he secretly wants a clean happy life. His motorbike riding scenes along with the music is so iconic it will stay with you! And has also now been spoofed and copied many, many times.
The music is also excellently fitting. The score and original songs fit the movie like a glove. And the cantopop slow motion montages aren't used in a cheap way, but instead they progress and develop the story.
The violence and action scenes are shot gritty and realistic in an unflinching way which suits the Triad drama and makes some scenes uneasy to watch, and also makes you really feel and worry for the characters.
Speaking of iconic. The ending to the film, and the last shot before the credits are extremely haunting and will stay with you for a long time.
A real gem of Hong Kong filmmaking. Recommended to all. If you are a fan of Hong Kong cinema this is on your must watch list.
8.5/10
8.5/10
#MomentOfRomance #天若有情 #BennyChan #AndyLau #JacklynWu
No comments:
Post a Comment