Fat Choi Spirit (2002)Viewers confused by the brief mahjong scenes that spring up from time to time in Hong Kong movies may need to approach Fat Choi Spirit with a degree of caution. The game features heavily in Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai's Chinese New Year offering, potentially overshadowing the film's well-meaning theme for those not up to speed with the mahjong rules. Andy Lau heads the cast as Andy, a compulsive mahjong player parted from his family and basing key relationship decisions with his girlfriend Gigi (Gigi Leung). Blessed with a string of extremely good luck that's bought him a lavish mansion, Andy's life takes dramatic turns when he comes back to his ailing mother and unemployed brother Tin-lok (Louis Koo). When the brother loses a fortune in a mahjong scam, Andy takes on a revenge match and quickly finds himself caught up with a new adversary... Mahjong scenes abound in all that follows, in scenes those in the know seemed to appreciate -- game play was accompanied by laughter and exclamations of surprise from many in the audience. For those not clued in with the tiles, the game serves as a means to deliver the film's upbeat message. Drawing on mahjong's combination of skill and luck, the scenario charts Andy keeping happy and level-headed when dealt with a bad hand after a career of good luck. The ongoing point that it's okay not to come out a winner gets hammered in late in the piece once Gigi catches on that it's possible to lose happily and exclaims her realisation out loud. While this isn't the first time the filmmakers have covered the theme of winning and losing -- To and Wai's superior Running Out Of Time 2 headed into same territory two months earlier -- it's still good thought to start the Year of the Horse with. As someone who's never played mahjong, I must admit to finding the game scenes tiresome to watch regardless of the directors' intent. Key sequences with the tiles became distractions from concurrent goings-on in the dialogue and the scripting turned out a patchy affair once lengthy game sequences got in the way of more conventional drama. Character depth is skimpy for everyone except Andy Lau and Gigi Leung; a pity since the players are otherwise a colourful bunch to look at. More entertainment can be found in catchy performances that fill in for plot failings and help to make up for the marginal character development. Andy Lau offers a pleasing and calm presence that entirely suits his character in an appealing contrast to adversary Lau Ching-wan, who's decked out in hip hop gear for the occasion. Gigi Leung is superb throughout, bringing together moments of emotion, rage and humour together in an often bouncy package. The cheery Cherrie Ying and the very tanned Louis Koo are bright and enjoyable but likely have too little screen time for viewers to be interested in their roles. |
Credits:
Directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai |
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