Troublesome Night 6 (1999)As September begins, the Hong Kong media's professional ethics and press regulation is the hot topic. Purpose-made paparazzi tailing of a judge, general celebrityhounding, the insidious creation of "the Human Scum" and the stalking suspected-to-be-married beauty contestants just some of the local press' 'misplaced priorities' raising the ire of legislators, stars and readers. And right on the back of this privacy debate appears Herman Yau Lai-to's superb Troublesome Night 6. It's 1996 and two newspaper photographers go to a hotel to snap exclusives of a Miss Hong Kong pageant entrant they suspect has mothered a child (a no-no in HK pageantry). Instead they find a lady in red hanging in the lift. She's dead, they take photos, and eventually they're dead too. Cops Louis Koo and Simon Loui hit the scene. Though Koo doesn't know it yet, a four-year-old tangle of media privacy violations and forgotten drunkenness has placed him on a ghostly hitlist that includes journalists and paparazzi... Slowly - very slowly - past actions are unearthed as Koo delves further and encounters an unappeased ghost (Gigi Lai). The Troublesome Night title is simply a misnomer. Unlike parts one to five of Herman Yau's groovy little TN horrorshows, few audience members laughed through this one. The "sequel" discards the earlier formula of spooky fun, teenage frights and triple storylines and instead is a languorous, suspenseful and deadly serious affair. Perhaps it's the influence of the Japanese horror flicks inundating the HK moviehouses that simplified the plot and made for a darkened atmosphere. Or perhaps it's simply that the talent behind this series makes an extra effort for us viewers. Press activities are brought to the fore with professional ethics issues slipped in subtly enough not to lecture the audience yet still remain somewhat damning. The soundtrack, as usual credited to Brother Hung, is a solid score, injecting a suitable atmosphere thoughout and at one point even laying vocals into a reprised TN theme. And though stretched into its 89 minute form, TN6 never meanders from its course. Fascinating viewing, no less, and an intelligent cut far above this year's crop of HK haunters. DVD information: One good thing about HK DVDs is that they get released while the theatrical release is still fresh in your mind. I was still hyped on TN6 when it hit the retail racks and despite an iffy picture quality, the film is still a blast. The image is generally dark - it's not how I remember it at the cinema, though it was by no means bright there either. The print could have done with a cleaning. The disc's stereo soundtrack is terrific - crank it for the excellent score and all the moody moments. Eight chapters are provided as are the other standard features; Cantonese/Putongua soundtrack choices and English/Chinese x2/Bahasa (Malaysia) subs. The English translation is very good. "Star's File" is written singular for a reason; there's only Louis Koo (as Leo Koo). The bio is a one page affair and includes a very obvious error. See if you can spot it. The TN6 trailer is provided, and so are teasers for A Lamb in Despair, Ungrateful Tink and Steve Cheng's dodgy Rules of the Game. |
Credits: Directed by Herman Yau |
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