The Island Tales (2000) User Reviews

Not Stanley Kwan's best film, but the script is strong.

[cctensai · 5/10 · 3 July 2000]

The screenplay, especially the dialogue, is strong for a Hong Kong film. It has a promising premise, and some strong performance from the Hong Kong & Japan cast.

The visual style turns a bit messy and pretentious as the film goes on. And, please, no more English dialogue. It's a trend in recent Hong Kong cinema. It just doesn't work.

Multi-cultural Quarantined Density

[ETCmodel02 · 8/10 · 24 June 2002]

Kaori Momoi, Hsu Chi and the rest of the Chinese and Japanese cast are delightful in this odd film about people trapped on an island that has been quarantined briefly by the government for concern over a disease. The quarantine is an effective device in a compressed time frame to force the characters to interact and deal with the worst their assorted quirks and paranoia can bring to bear. Kaori Momoi is wonderful in this (as strong as her altogether different roles in Baunsu ko GALS & Swallowtail), although her English is often heavy with accent (though still sounds authentic certainly) which might make her hard for people to understand that might not be used to the accent that accompanies learning English second to Japanese, Cantonese or Mandarin. A well shot, interesting film where the lulls and pauses are even more delicious than the action.