City of Glass Review 1998 Hong Kong 玻璃之城

City of Glass 玻璃之城
Year: 1998
Director: Mabel Cheung
Writer: Mabel Cheung, Alex Law
Starring: Shu Qi, Leon Lai, Daniel Wu, Nicola Cheung
Running Time: 110 mins
Country: Hong Kong

City of Glass was another commercial success for the tried and tested team-up of director Mabel Cheung and writer Alex Law. But can it match up to their other hits such as An Autumn's Tale, Eight Taels of Gold and The Soong Sisters?

Raphael (Leon Lai) and Vivien (Shu Qi) tragically died in a car accident on their way to a New Year's celebration in London, England. They met and fell in love during their days at the University of Hong Kong in the 1970s, but many challenges and obstacles would often come between them. In the present day, after their funeral, Raphael's son, David (Daniel Wu) and Vivien's daughter, Susie (Nicola Cheung) met for the first time and go on a journey together to discover more about their parent's secret lives.

Following two extremely different love stories, a nostalgic romance in the past and a fresh romance in the present. One story is about destiny and tragedy while the other is more uplifting and positive. Although the film is well written and the characters are extremely likeable, the shifting between stories and time affects the overall drama and impact that the film could have had. It also somewhat hinders the authenticity of the story as Shu Qi and Leon Lai's characters appear to age extremely well. With that being said, Shu Qi is thoroughly engaging and possibly one of the most beautiful screen actresses of all time.

The film is full of stunning still moments with excellent cinematography, dazzling art direction and gorgeous locations, especially capturing the nostalgia of the seventies. Mabel Cheung manages to brilliantly take this period of energetic youth and excitement and frame it all beautifully. The musical soundtrack fits the film perfectly, the choices of songs really set the mood and feelings of the scenes. Leon Lai's rendition of Try to Remember will be lodged in your brain after watching and no doubt you will be humming it for days.



David and Susie are played very well by Daniel Wu and Nicola Cheung. Both are fun characters with a story which unfortunately doesn't receive as much time to blossom. With more development, their romance and side story could have really felt more important. Even with less screen time, the young actors manage to showcase and capture the self-doubt of the Hong Kong youth, some of which is still prevalent to this day.

City of Glass has a lot going on, some of the side-stories and plot devices add to the story, like the Diaoyu Islands dispute, but you are left wondering if it was really needed for the overall story. But in contrast, the Hong Kong handover is used during the story with Wu and Cheung's characters and it embodies the feeling of the whole film. Both sets of love stories can be used as a metaphor for the end of British rule in Hong Kong and the handover to China with an uncertain future ahead.

Overall, it's a flawed film but definitely worth watching. The story, romance and light melodrama are commendable but it's more of a stunning cinematic showpiece with exquisite performances from Shu Qi and Leon Lai that really makes the film feel significant.

6.5/10

Downtown Torpedoes Review Hong Kong 1997 神偷谍影

Downtown Torpedoes

The 1997 blockbuster from Hong Kong was their own answer to Mission Impossible.

An action spy thriller with a large budget combining Hong Kong action with the commercial Hollywood glossy style.

A group of industrial spies are arrested by the Hong Kong government, instead of being sent to prison they are offered a special mission. The printing plates for the British Pound have been recently stolen but the Hong Kong government has found out that the plates are in the possession of MI5 (British Intelligence). In fear of the plates being sold to the counterfeiting market the Hong Kong government wants the industrial spies to steal the plates back.

The plot is pretty thin and apart from a few twists and double crosses you know where the film is going. But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Over the quick run time of 90 minutes the film flies by and never slows down.

Jordan Chan excels in his role as the sidekick, although not the greatest actor, he has great screen presence and charisma which always makes him likeable. Takeshi Kaneshiro is also decent as the lead, although not as quirky as you would hope for. The rest of the cast unfortunately don't have much character to play with.

Someone call Roger Moore!

It's funny to see the technology used in this high tech spy film that was made in 1997 but only released last year by Warner. Everything seems to outdated from the laptops, to computers and of course, the floppy discs. Who knew a floppy disc could store so much evidence or spy data?!

A brilliant transfer from Warner. Really crisp clear video quality, it's hard to think of a Hong Kong Film from the 90s that looks this good. Even the Golden Harvest logo has never looked as polished as that.

A very fun Hong Kong action film, not essential viewing by any means. But worth it for some great mindless action and set pieces and a trip down memory lane to the floppy disc spy era.

6/10

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