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Cast:
Miriam
Yeung
Daniel
Wu
Hui
Shiu Hung
Eileen
Cho
Raymond
Wong
Sammy
Leung
Wyman
Wong
Producer:
Ivy
Kong
Director:
Joe
Ma
Score:
 
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LOVE
UNDERCOVER
AKA:
N/A
Year:
2002 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
After
scoring a surprise smash hit with last year's 'Dummy
Mommy Without A Baby', industry sources were lining Miriam
Yeung up to be the next Sammi Cheng. Indeed the quirky, kooky,
yet absorbing screen persona of Yeung was an uncanny reminder
of Sammi at her best. This comparison has been further
enhanced since the modest comedy 'Love Undercover' proved to
be another hit for Yeung and director Joe Ma, with the lead
actress impressing local audiences.
Kuen
(Yeung) is a policewoman who, thanks to her poor performances
in nearly all parts of her training, is roistered off on the
'Missing Persons' department. Single, lonely and without any
family around her, the young rookie finds herself ignored in
all aspects of her life. A chance for something different
comes when her superiors, noting her circumstances, assign her
an undercover mission as a waitress for an important stakeout.
Her target is Hoi, the son (Wu) of an ex-triad kingpin who is
suspected of involvement in a current big deal with another
mobster. After saving Hoi from a furious ex-girlfriend and
sustaining an injury, Kuen finds herself the object of
attention from the target. With Hoi attempting to befriend
Kuen and trust her, the undercover policewoman's superiors ask
her to play along with the friendship and continue to amass
information. During their time together Kuen begins to see
that Hoi is far too honest to be involved in triad activities.
However, a fairly simple assignment becomes more complicated
as she is forced to pretend that her colleagues are family
members and furiously conceal her real identity. This becomes
a real challenge when both parties begin to fall in love with
one another and the pressures of the double life begin to
weigh down on Kuen.
'Love
Undercover' is a thoroughly satisfying comedy with enough
humour and romance to please all viewers. Although it is a
lightweight effort that does generate too many belly laughs,
'Love Undercover' succeeds with an immense charm that sweeps
the viewer away. Miriam Yeung once again gives an indication
of her future promise with a likeable performance that makes
her character believable despite some of the plot absurdities.
As her romantic interest, Daniel Wu expands his range once
more with his understated warmth shining through. Director Joe
Ma also packs the film with performers who all add that
special something to the film that elevates out of the
ordinary. What therefore starts off as Yeung's show soon turns
into a well-delivered ensemble piece. Viewers looking for a
water-tight plot will doubtless be disappointed as 'Love
Undercover' has all of the holes that are generally expected
from such harmless fare. In fact the ending is slightly
disappointing because it tries to tie up every loose end too
quickly and has a rushed feel to it. However, the real
enjoyment of the previous 80 minutes means that nothing can
effect the overall quality too much. By the time the finale
comes and all of the plot twists are discovered the viewer is
desperate for the two leads to walk off into the sunset
together and produce a very welcome happy ending. A sequel is
already in the pipeline after the original's success and, on
the evidence of this, it will be eagerly anticipated.
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