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Starring
:
Nick
Cheung
Danny
Lee
Joan
Tong
Chan
Kwok-Bung
Alan
Ng
Chiao
Chiao
Shing
Fui On
Parkman
Wong
Kenneth
Tsang
Producer
:
Danny
Lee
Director
:
Ivan
Lai
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THANK
YOU, SIR (1989)
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
Focusing
on the now-defunct 'Royal Hong Kong Police Cadet School',
'Thank You, Sir' centres on the final group of trainees as
they go through the rigorous course. Lee (Danny Lee), a high
ranking officer awaiting a prominent promotion in England, is
asked to take charge of the school as a stop-gap before his
big assignment. Though Lee is unaccustomed to the system, his
radical, human approach to teaching the young cadets is
happily accepted by some and angrily resisted by others. Two
trainees who appreciate Lee's caring style are Cheung (Nick
Cheung) and Wong, eager cadets who are both faced with
personal complications. While Cheung's doting mother has made
it difficult for her son to be independent, Wong faces the
constant belittling of his unappreciative father (Shing Fui
On). As the two become good friends, the various pressures of
the training and the sometimes brutal nature of the superiors
take their toll. Nevertheless, both of them overcome their
obstacles and eventually reach the apex of their training: the
illustrious graduation.
Though
'Thank You, Sir' shouldn't work, it actually does. Despite a
storyline that is as old as the hills, there's something
refreshingly simple about the execution of Ivan Lai's version
of events. Every cliché that is expected turns up; from the
personal tribulations, to the bullying house officer and the
emotional graduation, 'Thank You, Sir' could so easily have
been stale and routine. However, director Lai manages to turn
moments of pure melodrama into scenes that have their own
dramatic integrity. Though Lai's handling of the story is
capable verging on the accomplished, the performances of a
mostly b-list cast are the film's real foundation. While Danny
Lee's image is emblazoned on the front of the DVD, it's
younger actors such as the now-popular Nick Cheung that give
'Thank You, Sir' its hook. Even when Lee does take centre
stage he gives the film a dose of his screen presence; after
all, in a film focusing on a police cadet school, what better
actor to have filling in the cracks than Hong Kong cinema's
foremost cop.
The
simple goals of the film will not wash with everyone though.
There are no fireworks or surprises, the problems are all
solved by the end of the film and there is a happy ending for
everyone. Of course, such a conventionally story is unlikely
to turn out any other way. However, though it may be
undemanding fluff, its entertaining of its kind - there are
far more self-important works that are far less successful in
this area. It's not a hidden gem, but 'Thank You, Sir' is a
worthwhile purchase for those who are interested by the
premise.
Rating:
  
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