A man is hired by a group of people he believes to be gangsters to escort a briefcase from America to Hong Kong. When he arrives, however, his contact is nowhere to be found. With no ...
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Title: Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive (1989)
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1 win & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
 |
Wan Kin Cheng | ... | Duck Killer (as Chan Kim Wan) |
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John Chan | ... | The Son-in-Law (as John K. Chan) |
|
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Kwan-Min Cheng | ... | Uncle Cheng (as Cheng Kwan Min) |
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Allen Fong | ... | Taxi Driver |
|
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Rocky Wing Cheung Ho | ... | Punk #2 (as Rocky Ho) |
|
|
Cinda Hui | ... | Kitty |
|
|
Gary Kong | ... | Punk #1 |
|
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Chung Lin | ... | Ex-Red Guard (as Lam Chung) |
| Lieh Lo | ... | Pianist | |
| Wei Lo | ... | The Boss (as Lo Wai) | |
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Cora Miao | ... | Money |
|
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Spencer Nakasako | ... | Yat Boon Jai |
|
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Bonnie Ngai | ... | The Daughter |
| Victor Wong | ... | Blind Man | |
|
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Wu Kin Man | ... | Spiritualist |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Storyline
A man is hired by a group of people he believes to be gangsters to escort a briefcase from America to Hong Kong. When he arrives, however, his contact is nowhere to be found. With no further instructions, he decides to take in the sights of Hong Kong, which consist of him taking part in a great deal of blood, sex and general weirdness, all while wearing a briefcase handcuffed to his arm. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>
Plot Keywords:
chinese | chinese american | japanese american | chinese japanese | man with no name |Taglines:
A scathing new black comedy from the director of "Dim Sum" and "Chan Is Missing"Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
24 August 1990 (USA) See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$108,392Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Contains one of the very longest foot chase sequences in film history. See more »Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Flatliners/Young Guns II/The Two Jakes/Metropolitan/Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive (1990) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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This was one bizarre flick. And yes, that foot chase was so long I was winded watching it. But anyone into "arty" films should definitely check it out. Some of the scenes remind one of the Mondo films from the '60's. This came out in America in that wave of NC-17 films. Wayne Wang is a director who clearly should be better known. The narrative of this film can be a little confusing. Also there are some graphic scenes involving bodily functions. Anyone who has been to Hong Kong might be able to relate slightly. I also enjoyed seeing the late Victor Wong in his brief scenes as a semi-tour guide. Try to catch it in a theater if possible. I own the video but I was able to see it at an art theater in Tokyo as well.