Project Gutenberg
The thing about Hong Kong crime movies that are filled with
action is that I have a hard time being objective about them. Like many people
who are in their thirties now (and even older), I grew up watching a steady
diet of Hong Kong cinema. For much of my childhood I was convinced Hong Kong
was one of the most dangerous places in the world (mostly the fault of Johnnie
To and John Woo’s films). I have never tired of the Hong Kong gangster film,
much as I have never tired of the Western. And the fairly recent resurgence of
quality crime movies coming out of Hong Kong has been something I didn’t even
realized I missed until the revival and so I’m even inclined to let a few bad
movies slide. However, Project Gutenberg isn’t
one of the movies that needs to get a bye since it’s a thoroughly enjoyable two
hour ride into the world of counterfeit money creation.
With a cast frontline of Chow Yun Fat and Aaron Kwok, the
film already comes with classic actors of the golden period of Hong Kong cinema
(at least, that’s what the nineties were for me). The movie is pretty dense
with a lot happening, especially in the second half. As much as it would seem
to be the kind of film that’s focused on the classic era of crime movies, there’s
a lot of the film that takes a new approach, though director and writer Felix
Chong does show off his aptitude for giving us a film that’s got a lot of
twists in it.
Chow Yun Fat has been a bit inconsistent in his films in the
recent past but this movie is one of the better ones he’s done in a while. The
entire film is as strongly acted as it is written and the acting may be the
strong point of the film although we should consider it’s the script that sets
up the foundation for the performances by giving a lot to work with. The
storyline itself is set up a lot like a heist film with a lot of attention
being put onto the technical details of money counterfeiting.
The technical details of the first part of the film means this
section of the movie feels a lot slower than the second half which adds details
and changes course several times. It certainly can feel as though a plot driven
crime drama got mashed together with a big budget action movie after the first
hour. However, it just about works because of the excellent acting and because
the script is confusing enough to keep the viewer interested but not so
convoluted to stop you from being able to follow or care.
While the script may slack a bit at times, the action set
pieces that are provided instead more than make up for it especially if you’re
a fan of shootouts and explosions. While the film won’t approach Chong’s
earlier works like Infernal Affairs (it
does seem like he’s trying to hit this level due to all the plot twists and disguised
intentions) it definitely is a great way to spend a couple hours and it never
fails to be entertaining.
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