Gau ngao gau (2006)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Pou-Soi Cheang

Writers:

Matt Chow (written by) &
Kam-Yuen Szeto (written by) ...

Release Date:

17 August 2006 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

A Cambodian assassin finds himself on the run from Hong Kong police after completing his assignment. |

Plot Keywords:

Assassin | Cambodian | Hong Kong | Police | Repetition In Title

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Edison Chen	...	Pang
Sam Lee	...	Insp. Ti Wai
Weiying Pei	...	Yu (as Pei Pei)
Siu-Fai Cheung	...	Chief Insp. Sum (as Cheung Siu Fai)
Yiu-Cheung Lai	...	Insp. Tang Wing Cheung (as Lai Yiu Cheung)
Suet Lam	...	Insp. 'Fat' Lam (as Lam Suet)
Ka Wah Lam	...	Insp. Ti - Wai's Father (as Lam Ka Wah)
Ho Yam	...	Mr. Lee (as Yam Ho)
Kam-wah Koo		(as Koo Kam Wah)
Ask Lee	...	Ben
Chi Wai Lao	...	Internal Affairs Officer (as Lao Chi Wai)
Ka Wing Lee	...	Taxi Driver (as Lee Ka Wing)
Ka Sing Chau	...	Funny Eyes (as Chau Ka Sing)
Kar Fai Lee	...	Kitchen Boy (as Lee Ka Fai)
Ting Fung Lee	...	Young Wai (as Lee Ting Fung)

Also Known As:

Dog Bite Dog (International: English title)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:109 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | Khmer | Thai | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | Singapore:M18 | Germany:18 | Japan:R-15 | Finland:K-18 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Art Port

Soundtrack:

YOU'RE MY SUNSHINE

A Fierce Bite from a Slow Moving Dog

As it is often the case, the impressive and explosive trailers of Asian films add up to nothing more than lackluster stories. Similar to Unleashed (which was great,) Dog Bite Dog tells a story where men are raised as ferocious savage dogs that carry out their master's bidding. The main characters, an emotionally undeveloped, amoral killer who is matched against an equally unstable police officer, are far from the common heroes and villains we often see. In fact, by the end, you lose track of who you're supposed to empathize with, failing to feel even the slightest emotion for either of the men – whether that was the failure of the director or perhaps the underlining message he was trying to tell is up to you to decide.

Although the beginning of the film was filled with intrigue and unpredictability, by the half-way point it slopped down to a humdrum story of survival and revenge. The suspense which was evident at first soon disappeared because of a grossly mismatched music score which brought down the potentially effective story telling. And in the end, you were left feeling that all that detailed background information and introspection of the main characters was somehow very unnecessary.

On the plus side, the transition in story from point a to point b was quite atypical compared to US movies – so those who aren't familiar with Asian films and are tired of Hollywood's predictability should check it out.

The white balance seemed off throughout most of the film. It was like looking into a picture shot on fluorescent when it was supposed to be set on tungsten. Maybe I'm the only one, but it strained my eyes.

The movie also enjoyed playing tricks on you – an interesting build-up gave me hope for the slow moving story until it was diverted to a low budget, low speed chase scene. And just when you think you were going to get an unanswered indie ending with a mix of Shakespearean tragedy, you realize that it's not an ending at all, but rather a transition into a wacky country-music montage about peace and serenity.

Throw in some grisly from-behind choke scenes, a moment of redemption unexpectedly brought back into savagery and back again the other way, Asians' fascination with bodily fluids and a horrible music score that didn't match the film, and you get the average bland Asian thriller.

I just don't get why every fight scene was overlaid with clips of roaring lions …I thought they were supposed to symbolize dogs? Ultimately, in the end, we are reminded about a true killer that still lurks amongst us – tetanus.

4/10