So what’s Chinese New Year without the obligatory Chinese film? Every year, the studios try their darndest to cash in on the festive season—Hong Kong has Eric Tsang’s I Love Hong Kong 2012 lined up and Singapore has the sloppily made Dance Dance Dragon. But if you need to catch one themed release this year, make it this one, director Derek Yee’s period comedy about a magician trying to win back his childhood sweetheart in early 20th-century China. Sure, it’s a rip-off of the 2006 Edward Norton vehicle The Illusionist, but this one’s the best seasonal offering available.
The plot: A Chinese General is dead and the Japanese are encroaching. Mysterious magician Zhang Xian (the brooding Tony Leung, returning to his comedic roots) catches the eye of a local warlord, Lei Daniu (Lau Ching-wan), who hopes to use him to win the affections of Yin (Zhou Yun), a woman forced into being his seventh concubine. Unbeknown to him, Zhang is Yin’s fiancé who has been waiting for him to rescue her. Zhang is hell bent on destroying the supposedly evil Lei, but somewhere along the way, Lei reveals himself to be a misunderstood ruler with a heart of gold (bear in mind that the film harks to Hong Kong comedies from the ‘80s, which are ridiculous in nature) and by film’s end the two collaborate to fight against the Japanese with slapstick battle scenes and a farcical plot twist thrown in for good measure.
It’s a silly piece of work alright, but with the help of an all-star cast, Yee manages to pull off a watchable, no-brainer of a film. It’s amazing he managed to enlist Leung to head the film, who looks comfortable and mildly engaging in a rare comedic turn that might dampen his more recent arthouse credentials. But it’s Hong Kong film stalwart Lau Ching-wan who holds the film together with his impeccable comic timing as the fumbling and gullible warlord with a horny streak. Zhou Yun is merely serviceable as the bitter Yin, but that’s partly because she’s overshadowed by film’s sheer over-the-top qualities.
Don’t go into this one expecting new tricks and you might just have some fun.