Money Laundry (2000)A young policeman named Michael (Ken Wong) is called on to investigate some suspecting money laundering. His superiors think something shonky is going down at Hung Tai Int'l Finance -- a business featuring ex-cop Leung Lok-lam (Jade Leung) among its key staff. Hung Tai is indeed up to no good and Miss Leung seems to be he sole well-meaning character in the business. When she comes up with a plan to help cash-strapped student acquire extra money for their tuition fees, her boss and colleagues think it's a great way to rinse their dirty dollars. And it's a chance to get extra names on the debtor list too. The higher-ups don't tell Miss Leung about their sneaky plans, however, and have her troop into a college to enthusiastically sell the scheme. The university and its shambolic student representatives are swung on the idea and five kids in particular snap up loans so they can go into business and get rich quick. Their first $100,000 loan turns to nil with a dud investment but a second, and larger, loan gets them a VCD shop up and running. Michael is watching from the sidelines and approaches Miss Leung for inside help to crack the case ad save the kids from ruin... Money Laundry offers little reward for its viewer. On the minimal upside, Simon Loui offers a mildly sinister presence as a corporate loan shark. Jade Leung kicks out the martial arts a couple of times and one kid provides gratuitous overacting throughout. The film also bases its student loans aspect around a government failing, suggesting that students wouldn't need extra finance if the government hadn't "deserted" them. But on the whole, Money Laundry is just a hard slog through low-budget drama. The college kids are unconvincing, their school setting is a junior school, the police investigation aspect is surprisingly spare and the gangster shenanigans thrown in are old hat. VCD and DVD distributor Wide Sight produced the movie (and they even slip in a casual plug for their film To Where He Belongs). So it's interesting when a conversation topic swings to Western viewers of Hong Kong films. "All HK movies come with subtitles, they can understand", a pirate VCD distributor is told. True. But hopefully filmmakers also note that when foreign viewers have films of Money Laundry's poor standard flung at them, they'll be seeking cinema thrills from elsewhere in Asia. DVD information: The Wide Sight disc provides a generally clean, letterboxed transfer of this low-budget offering. The subtitles (English and Chinese) are burned onto the print, easy on the eyes and with an adequate translation. Cantonese and Mandarin soundtrack options are provided, as is a six-chapter menu. The Introduction feature is a brief summary of the info on the back of the case. Note: I am unable to compare this presentation to the cinema viewing. I missed the film in its dismal one-week, two-cinema local theatrical release. |
Credits: Directed by Bill Chan |
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