Tian ruo you qing III: Feng huo jia ren (1996)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Johnnie To

Writer:

Nai-Hoi Yau (writer)

Release Date:

19 April 1997 (South Korea)

Cast

Alex Fong	...	The Captain
Andy Lau	...	Lau Tin-Wai
Chien-lien Wu	...	Ting Siu-Wo

Also Known As:

A Moment of Romance III (Hong Kong: English title)
Tin yeuk yau ching III: Fung feng gaai yan (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIA

Company:

Sanqueen Limited

An almost perfect romance

An in-name only sequel, Johnnie To's A Moment of Romance III reunites Andy Lau and Wu Chien-Lien but throws out the modern-day Romeo and Juliet plot in favor of a sweeping WW2 romance between Lau's crashed pilot and Wu Chien-Lien's innocent farmgirl set against the Chinese retreat from the invading Japanese. There's little original about the plot and the pitfalls of Harlequin romances abound, but thanks to strong performances and the absolute sincerity with which it's made, To delivers something that's not only rather remarkable and genuinely touching but damn near his best film. The scope photography is impressive, neither sun-drenched nor oppressively grim but somehow beautifully balanced somewhere between the two. True, the step-printed slo-mo in a couple of scenes doesn't work, but it's about the only thing in the film that doesn't. Raymond Wong contributes another score filled with understated beauty, helping turn moments like the two almost-lovers dancing on the wings of the downed plane by lamplight into a moment as magical as the bus ride in Running Out of Time. I loved it, obviously.