|
Cast:
Jordan
Chan
Alex
Fong
Simon
Lui
Sonija
Kwok
Ken
Wong
Producer:
Ng
Kin Hung
Director:
Billy
Chung
Score:
 
|
THE
CHEATERS
AKA:
N/A
Year:
2001 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
A
group of five con-artists spend their time gaining the trust
of various parties and then tricking them out of their money.
In the opening exposition the group are seen in their chosen
field with a fairly straightforward con on a keen gambler. The
stakes of their dubious profession are raised when they hear
of the return of legendary con-artist 'King Of Ghosts' and
naturally want a part of his latest scam. With this in mind,
the five infiltrate a lucrative business to observe the
activities of 'King Of Ghosts' and also carry out their own
huge money con. As they each begin to gather information on
the holdings of the business and the enormous future potential
it has, the trust that each has for the other begins to blur.
This confusion reaches its height when one of the team is
killed and the others may well be next on the list.
'The
Cheaters' is a film with an intriguing premise that could have
spawned a fine thriller. Unfortunately for the prospective
viewer, the film never reaches beyond the interest of the
synopsis and ends a somewhat dull piece entertainment. The
storyline is never as clear as it needs to be with incidents
and events badly pencilled in. Another thing that soon loses
any interest in 'The Cheaters' is the unsympathetic characters
that quickly become uninteresting to watch. The usual
inner-conflicts and 'after this job we'll go straight' motives
are presented with the expected effect i.e. a definite lack of
the spark it needs. After the hour mark, the narrative does
begin to create some interest with the subsequent twists and
double-crosses finally making the film watchable. Sadly
though, this too is badly used with an ending that is very
much a damp squib in comparison to what it should have been.
Director Billy Chung also decides to replace real emotion and
characterisation within the film with the tired slow-motion
Wong Kar-Wai effects becoming more important. Never is this
more apparent than when a character dies; the expected
emotional effects on the others is absent, leaving no power in
the twists and turns of the storyline. The one thing that is
in 'The Cheaters' favour is the very short running time that
means it is soon over. However, even at 80 minutes long, this
film tends to drag.
|
