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CRAZY
N' THE CITY
AKA:
Crazy And The City ||
Crazy N The City
Year:
2004 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
On
first hearing about 'Crazy N' The City', I immediately
wondered which James Yuen was taking on the directorial role.
Was it the director of the off-kilter and hugely promising 'Clean
My Name, Mr. Coroner', a film-maker who seemed to have the
same quirky touch as Derek Chiu? Or was it going to be the
James Yuen who churned out such bland and mostly irritating
rom-coms like 'My
Wife Is 18' and last year's 'Driving
Miss Wealthy'? The answer is so resoundingly placed in the
latter camp that memories of what audiences have recently been
subjected to by Yuen are convincingly exorcised.
Apathetic,
craven police officer Chan (Eason Chan) is given a rude
awakening one morning when he is assigned a new partner. This
newcomer, Man (Yung) is absurdly enthusiastic and charmingly
naive, a young country girl who is desperate to make a
difference in the big city. Chan is perturbed by his exuberant
new partner and quickly tries to dampen her idealistic goals
with his own supposed words of wisdom. As the partners patrol
the district of Wan Chai, they encounter Shing (Ng), a former
architect who has sadly suffered a severe mental breakdown and
now spends his time prying into other people's business. Chan
is very familiar with Shing and his sad story, but the over
eager Man decides to investigate him further to understand his
plight. As Man begins to learn about Shing and the other
numerous realities of her daily beat, the apathy that Chan is
infused with begins to rub off on her. However, events
conspire to teach both Chan and Man about the value of their
work and their respective importance to the inhabitants of Wan
Chai.
'Crazy
N' The City' was a modest release in Hong Kong, but proved to
be a relatively big hit, thanks largely to the excellent
reviews it received. Indeed while recent films like 'New
Police Story' and 'Kung
Fu Hustle' are a fine reminder that no-one really makes
action films like Hong Kong, 'Crazy N' The City' is further
proof that there's much more to the industry besides. Western
critics may be fawning over the current crop of arthouse
swordplay films, but a production like 'Crazy N' The City' is
every bit as deserving of a wider distribution. It is a
production that is proud to wear its Hong Kong heart on its
sleeve.
I've
often found myself criticising films for trying to juggle too
many moods and tempos, but when such ambitions are as
superlatively realised as they are in 'Crazy N' The City' then
it's a joy to behold. The film combines a tender character
study of Man's gradual redemption, his friendship with Man,
her desire to be an important member of the community, the
tragic story of Shing and even his tenuous friendship with his
new neighbour Phoebe. Yuen even throws a 'killer-on-the-loose'
ending into the mix and yet never once lets any of the other
components suffer. To have a film with such endearingly
written characters and such a well plotted storyline is an
achievement worth trumpeting.
The
main skeleton of 'Crazy N' The City' is the way that Chan and
Man change each others' lives. This central narrative is
allowed to develop at its own pace and benefits from two
sympathetic characters for the audience to care about. Chan is
passive and indifferent to his job, but the director fleshes
out these character flaws throughout the film and we therefore
understand why our anti-hero is the way he is. There are no
histrionics or pointless emotional episodes, just well written
flashbacks to his own change from vivacious rookie to
disillusioned officer. James Yuen also distances the
characters away from any Hollywood style romance, choosing
instead to develop a tentative friendship between the two.
Chan's final redemption is therefore a glorious denouement and
not just a pointless exercise in sentimentality.
By
accident or by design, Yuen has also created a powerful
examination of mental illness. Such a challenging and often
badly handled subject requires a sympathetic director who can
avoid the stereotypes of the illness and concentrate on the
lives it touches. Yuen is masterful in his handling of Shing
and his battle against the past. The introduction of such a
character is seamlessly integrated into the storyline and
never feels as is if its appearing just to fill up time.
Shing's story is by turns touching, amusing and encouraging,
traversing the inherent problems in its subject matter to
create a wonderful thread in the overall success of this gem.
A
director who can call on performers at the height of their
powers is always in with a chance of forming something
special. James Yuen is presented with a main cast who handle
their characters superbly, while there is also a plethora of
excellent supporting turns by some very familiar faces. Eason
Chan has never been better than he is here; Chan has often
shown what good work he can produce with a solid script and
with the character of Chan he is given an especially inspiring
part. Chan is faced with a number of emotions that test his
range throughout the film and he triumphs each and every time.
Joey Yung banishes memories of 'The Attractive One' and proves
that she can be much more than just another wannabe Sammi
Cheng clone. These two young performers produce their very
best for 'Crazy N' The City' and are given exceptional support
by Francis Ng. Ng has long been acknowledged as one of the
finest actors in Asia and, playing the complex Shing, he
cements that reputation. It would be a crime if his work here
isn't given recognition by some award or other.
'Crazy
N' The City' is the first must see film of 2005 and a unique
Hong Kong feature. Full of humanity and interest, it
remarkably manages to takes three or four strong sub-plots and
amalgamate them together without letting any of them suffer.
James Yuen realises the potential that he showed earlier in
his career and had since squandered, now thankfully utilising
all of the strengths he had shown. While I doubt he will ever
read this review, I'd still like to use it to implore him to
identify the great work he's done with 'Crazy N' The City' and
consign the 'Driving Miss Wealthy' school of films to the
distant past. To the non-James Yuen readers, I would eagerly
encourage you all to see this wonderful production as soon as
possible.
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