The only reason not to give this a 10 is that is only available on a substandard DVD,but the acting by Maggie Cheung is at the top of her game,which means the best.I think she is the most versatile and complete actress working today.Considering that Clara Law has worked in Hong Kong and Australia for the most part I am amazed that she got the locations she did in New York instead of the "usual"places.The scene out along the "N" Line in Brooklyn was really off the beaten path-I grew up in Brooklyn and you almost never see that part of the city even with an American director.The story and supporting cast were also very strong and the treatment of the illegal immigrant experience was well done.As a former INS agent I can attest to that.One scene at the beginning where Maggie Cheung tells a story with only her expression and no dialog is great.Now if there could only be a good cleaned up copy it would be a solid 10.I've seen Maggie Cheung in mediocre and even bad films,but I never saw her give a bad performance.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Heroic Trio 2: Executioners
(1993)
dark sequel to Heroic Trio
15 March 2006
This film continues Heroic Trio in a darker and much more hard edged tone.The viewer should really see Heroic Trio first to help get the story line.Michelle Yeoh and Anita Mui stand out in their roles and Maggie Cheung also turns in a fine performance.The opening scene with Michelle Yeoh driving a medical supply through a bleak environment is what sets the tone for the film-downbeat and serious,much more so than Heroic Trio.I think this film is underrated and certainly compares favorably with the Mad Max and Escape From.... films.The ending is very harsh and there is little or no comic relief in this film.I have seen some negative reviews of this film and I have to wonder if the writers saw this film as a stand alone-because if they did,the plot is not easy to comprehend.
A Mongolian Tale
(1995)
a story that spans cultural differences
15 March 2006
I saw this film on VHS and I wish it were on DVD.This is a great film-it takes place over a long period of time and touches upon a very universal situation regardless of who you are or where you're from.It's about relationships and choices and the consequences of what we decide.And it has great cinematography as well as acting.there is no sex and virtually no violence(okay,a punch in the nose),yet it is riveting by the virtue that anyone who's lived a normal life has experienced what happens.There is an air of melancholy about this film,but it never becomes cloying.I felt at the end of this film that I had shared a journey with the actors because I had some similar things happen in my life-remember Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"or a poem by Emily Dickinson that begins"I had long been away from home....".This is a film to watch over many times.
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