Marooned (2000)

While out on a casino raid, Macau cop Tai Chan (Andy Hui) chases a suspect and corners him in an alleyway. It's his cousin Sonny - a kid turned to crime and fleeing with three million in cash. For his own welfare's sake, Sonny pleads to be caught on the proviso that Tai secretly minds the money. Tai obliges, and keeps the fortune out of sight.

Later, Tai sits at home thinking. "Have I done wrong?" he asks himself. Of course he has! No one stashes so much dirty money in the tiny enclave and gets away with it. That night Sonny's boss Kwuen - the meanest boss in town, we're told - is on Tai's case. He wants the cash slipped into a bank account first thing next morning. As Tai's a busy man at the police station, he asks his girlfriend Siu-yu (Gigi Leung) to pop in and deposit the cash.

Then there's a hiccup. The bank is robbed as Siu-yu forks the money over to the teller. The money's gone and there's no receipt. Kwuen is not happy, and gives Tai seven days to retrieve it all - his clue a skull tattoo on the thief's finger. Just to make sure, Kwuen holds Tai's passport lest he chooses to skip town instead. And while all this happens, the police catch on to what Tai did with the money...

Pulling this together, Marooned scores well with its location shooting in Macau. Viewers impressed by the historic settings in the far superior Where A Good Man Goes will find more architectural eye candy here. Unfortunately, Marooned's story isn't as pleasing as its backdrop.

While the plot is straightforward enough, it falters with details and three unremarkable lead characters. The scripting is diminished with a couple of quick fixes that mar the story - Tai being unbelievably quick to reach a hilltop lighthouse, and a handy hacksaw just when it's needed. Watching Tai seek out the bank robbers by checking Macanese ruffians' fingers isn't particularly exciting. A weak joke from fellow cop Crow (Edmond Leung) is surprisingly inappropriate for someone scripted to be Tai's closest friend. The sole moment of audience laughter at the screening came as Tai and Crow refuse to tip a helpful old man. Ultimately, as I exited the cinema, I didn't feel anything in particular towards the story as a whole. Just a bit of drama here, some mild action there, and a final wrap-up that's far too clean.

Though the actors are the main draw, alongside Jingle Ma's producer credit, they're not up to much. Gigi Leung plays it cute and is given a fairly weak girlfriend character to play; a pity after her impressive A War Named Desire role two months earlier. Samuel Leung's a pleasing addition as ace informant Rat, balancing his sniffing out the underworld with family routine.

Another fabulous painted billboard at Wanchai's Imperial Cinema.

Credits:

Directed by Lo Kim-wah
Produced by Jingle Ma Chor-sing and Patricia Cheng
Screenplay by Yeung Sin-ling
Starring Andy Hui Chi-on, Gigi Leung Wing-kei, Edmond Leung Hon-man, Samuel Leung Cheuk-moon, Woody Chan and Joe Ma