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BELOVED
SON OF GOD
AKA:
Fat Cat ||
Fei Maau Lau Long Gei
Year:
1988 Reviewer: Scott
Napier
Kent
Cheng returns in this sequel to his 1985 directorial debut hit
'Why
Me?', 'Beloved Son of God'. This time, Dick Tso takes over
directorial duties, presumably to allow Kent more space to
perform and develop his acting skills in a more superior
manner rather than divide his time between this, directing and
scriptwriting as he did in 'Why Me?'.
The
sequel takes off from the original with Fei Maau (Fat
Cat) serving a 3 year sentence in an asylum for causing
the murder of one local triad (Shing Fui On) among his two
other 'assistants' who were constantly harassing the innocent
man. When his imprisonment expires, numerous social workers
are placed to help him but initially fail and in result,
spends another 6 months in the asylum.
Fortunately
for Fei Maau, the determination and understanding of dedicated
social worker Bi Bi Cheung (Maggie Cheung) helps document his
innocent and good natured spirit, but also his psychological
problems in communication. Instances when he is provoked and
faces prejudices have triggered a violent temper in
retaliation, and as a result; worsens his confidence.
Determined to justify his case, she immediately insists on the
responsibility of providing care and through this; helping
regain his freedom in society.
Unfortunately,
Bi Bi becomes involved in a road accident leaving Fei Maau
confused, unaware to recent events and believed to have been
abandoned. He mistakenly identifies another passenger for Bi
Bi who's boarding a Ferry destined to another village. With
no-one or nowhere to turn to and little food, he embarks on an
journey hoping to find the woman who once showed real
affection for him.
During
his journey, he becomes embroiled with a disgruntled older
gentleman, Uncle Wu (Wu Ma), a respected figure in the village
he resides as the local doctor, herbalist and a friend-in-need
to his fellow neighbours nearby. The old man is reluctantly
forced into adopting Fei Maau into his home after failing to
trace comprehensible information from him of his background
but as time goes on, they are attracted with an obvious
father-son bond. Unfortunately, Fei Maau's newly found
lifestyle of happiness and peace, is deemed an 'unlawful' one
by the authorities and social workers...
This
film manages to establish itself as a prominent
heart-warming drama without worrying about subplots
creating what could possibly have been a 'fuller' experience.
Who knows, it probably wouldn't have required it or the
predecessor already covered it and naturally, a sequel was
made continuing on the story. Nevertheless, the solid uncomplicated
storyline/narrative and performances from main cast tend to
compensate for any areas that received lesser attention and
the missed opportunities to develop/edit further.
I
found this sequel very much preferable to it's predecessor
thanks to the welcome addition of noticeable humourous
character exchanges that Dick has cleverly (and occasionally
carelessly) implemented - an example is watching Fei Maau
convert the short-tempered veteran into a more positive and
lovable character. Dick also tries to remove any silly
comedy or incomprehensible screenplay which some Westerners
(perhaps everyone!) will remain bewildered at. Unfortunately,
Kent failed most of these bullet points in 'Why Me?'.
However,
similar to what Andrew reported in his 'Why Me?' review,
viewers are treated to a partially inaccurate and misleading
portrayal of mentally disabled people, a misconception often
found in Hong Kong movies such as 'Heart of
Dragon'. Of
course, there were a few brief moments when he portrayed his
character too histrionically and as a result, becomes a little
irritating due to possible lack of experience in how to
produce acting skills in certain aspects (as 'Why Me?'). That
aside, he gives a striking performance in the tragic telling
of the heart-warming Fei Maau character.
With
regards to Kent, I feel he's passed through both good and bad
stages in his film career (as everyone). Needless to say, his
talent has been literally wasted in movies such as 'Once Upon
a Time in China 5' and 'Bodyguard from
Beijing' when he is
relegated to the parts of an irritating co-star. This isn't
always the case however, as he doesn't usually let an
opportunity slip to display stronger and professional acting
skills in movies such as 'Crime
Story' and the infamous
category III flicks.
On
an overview concerning 'Beloved Son of God', it's a highly
recommended viewing if you can ignore some of the very minor
quirks stated, thanks to the wonderful and touching
performances from Kent, Wu Ma and Maggie. A rare chance to
witness them in quite possibly one of their best performances!
I should also take the chance to mention that this can prove
to be an effective tear-jerker too!
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