Fau wa yin

Based on the 1945 British stage-play by J.B. Priestly, and getting its first feature film adaptation in over 50 years, writer Edmond Wong and producer/director Raymond Wong, bring a typically Hong Kong styled, slapstick and outrageous approach to social elitism!

Of course, Raymond Wong is joined in the directors chair by the great Herman Yau, who would join forces again a few years later for the fun-filled film, A Home With A View. Bringing a little more whackiness to this adaptation though, both films are equally as entertaining, with this one probably being just a tad funnier. It's like a crazy cocktail of Knives Out meets All's Well, End's Well '92 (also from Raymond Wong) with a Wes Anderson-directed feel to some of it. With Louis Koo's titular inspector coming across as a mix between Daniel Craig's character and Inspector Clouseau...

The film is based around the apparent suicide of one girl who, as it turns out, has been involved with every member of the opulent and crazy family. As things progress, and more guests arrive for their daughters engagement party, the film reveals just how much attention and care was put into the script as it ties in pretty much every character to the narrative, barely slowing down as the crazed inspector tries to solve his case.

One major thing that stood out for me was in the incredibly and lavish set design, bursting with colour, textures, and perfectly designed to make it one of the most gorgeous films I have seen in a long time. No expense is spared in making every shot stunning with some intricate sets, costume design and art direction - and it shows, with some scenes looking like they were shot on a stage in true theatre style. And that house is just friggin gorgeous!

Although the majority of these are real, a number of scenes (in particular flashbacks) are aided by some very impressive VFX and really add a wow factor to an already amazing looking film. It is amazing to think that, given the incredible example and achievement of CGI quality in this, director Jeff Lau couldn't have gained the same level of artistry to make his dire A Chinese Odyssey 3 (which came a year later), a bit more presentable...

Eric Tsang, Teresa Mo and Louis Koo are as fantastic as always, although in all honesty, everyone puts in a great comedy performance. Co-director and producer Raymond Wong plays a scene stealer squeezing in no less than 6 different roles (often hilarious), and if that wasn't enough, martial arts superstar Donnie Yen does his bit playing all 4 members of a band which is brilliant!

Overall: Wong and Yau's New Year comedy may not appeal to everyone, but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it (especially the gorgeous Hans Zhang)...

This is one cheezy camp theatre production, taken to film just so they can amp up the kitstch with the stage sets. BUT, and it's uppercase BUT this makes for serious entertainment if viewed along with the deadly serious 1954 version of the play set just before WWI.It's an oldie but easy to download in glorious black and white. Set at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the country the kicked it all off, Britain. When over two thirds of the world was under the royal family's control and masses of rural British folks moving to the cities willingly for 'a better life' (they had it better than the colonies who were kidnapped or indentured into migration across the Atlantic!). Eugenics was the scientific norm, and class/race meant working class people were seen and depicted as subhuman. That setting made the original play very powerful.

Here we are in a millenium where a new mainland power is emerging, there are mass migrations of rural people to the cities working in factories (none left in deindustrialised Britain). Well you can see where I'm going... so why choose frivoluse campness for a remake over the opportunity for a deep deadly serious drama which would bring the original right up to date by being in China?

Watching both versions sides by sides makes for debate along these lines, in fact we're still talking about it as I write this.

Right, well it would appear that it was now Hong Kong's turn to render their vision of "An Inspector Calls". I had no clue that this movie existed before I happened to stumble upon it by sheer random luck. And being fan of the Asian cinema, then of course I picked it up and gave it a go.

I do have a love for the Hong Kong cinema, but I must admit that this 2015 movie was not really one that I fully took to heart. Sure it was entertaining, but it was just a bit too much in sense of it being too ludicrous and out there. But then again, I am not familiar with previous renderings of "An Inspector Calls", so I don't know what this Hong Kong version is measured up against.

The story is about Inspector Karl (played by Louis Koo) whom shows up at a rich family's home on the day when they are to host a wedding reception. The inspector bear evidence of foul play and start to single out the family members one by one, placing guilt and association on them with intricate, detailed stories.

There is a good amount of comedy thrown into the mixture here, which makes the more somewhat easier to sit through, compared to if it had been a regular detective/crime movie. And the comedy is kept to a fairly moderate level, so that it doesn't take over and turn it all into a comedy.

What is impressive is the cast of talents that they had assembled for the various roles. It is always nice to see Louis Koo and Eric Tsang in movies, because they bring a good sense of drama and comedy respectively to their movies. Teresa Mo is also quite work a thumbs up in "An Inspector Calls" (aka "San Taam Ka To"), because she was a pure delight to watch on the screen. However, the one that totally stole the screen, despite having an almost non-important part, was Donnie Yen as not just one, but four singers in the wedding band. That was just priceless, and that alone makes it worthwhile to sit through the movie. And before I forget, then I will also say that to a longtime fan of the Hong Kong cinema, then it was nice to see Kelly Chen make a short appearance in the movie as well.

The storyline is actually constructed quite well, because you don't really know what is going on, and it is impossible to figure out just what is going on, which leaves it very unpredictable. And I will also say that the way that the various stories were tied together was quite good.

However, with that being said, then my final conclusion of the movie as a whole is that the movie was mediocre. Why? Well, because it wasn't outstanding in the Hong Kong cinema, nor was it a movie that you would really watch more than a single time. As such, then "An Inspector Calls" scores a mediocre five out of ten stars.

I wish Steven Chao was the director. The film may have been saved. The script is perfect, costume sublime, sets gorgeous, and acting is suitable. But the tone is all wrong. It's oddball direction clashes uncomfortably with the serious script. A better director may have toyed with the craziness as in Aeroplane, but we weren't so lucky.