Suen lo chor (2016) Reviews

• A different type of gangster movie...

  paul_haakonsen2017-06-20

  What initially lured me to this movie aside from the fact that it is a Hong Kong movie, which is more than enough to get me to sit down to watch it, was the fact that it has Chapman To and Anthony Chau-Sang Wong on the cast list. Writer Erica Lee and director Herman Yau have indeed managed to put together a wholesome gangster movie that deviates from the usual mould used to make Hong Kong gangster movies. And this new approach and change of scenery was a most welcomed change indeed. Their movie was more than just acts of violence between rival gangs and undercover cops caught in the middle. So if you like the previous numerous gangster movies that have come from the Hong Kong cinema, then you definitely would want to sit down and watch "The Mobfathers". A good script, interesting characters, a fantastic cast ensemble, a great pace, action and character Development all come nicely together for a very entertaining and enjoyable movie. The characters in the movie were good, with lots of background, personalities and room for character development. And this character gallery makes for a very interesting addition to the script and storyline. And they did indeed have a great ensemble of cast to perform and act the various roles and characters. There is no secret about the fact that it was Chapman To and Anthony Chau-Sang Wong that lured me in, because I do enjoy both of their movies. Anthony Chau-Sang Wong always deliver top notch performances and did so here as well. But it was especially refreshing to see Chapman To in a movie such as this, because he really is a diverse actor with his ability to branch out and master so many genres. This is definitely more than just your 'average gangster' movie, because there are many aspects to the story and to the characters. And the characters are portrayed interestingly, because they come off as real people with real problems and real life situations to deal with. So it becomes more than just your generic gangster boss and his goons pitched against a rival gang. The action sequences in the movie were good and nicely executed on the screen. And since this is not a martial arts movie, you shouldn't expect an excessive display of martial arts. No, this is brutal fighting and dirty fighting. This movie is also the first movie to introduce a fortune reading during an intercourse. That was just so weird and hilarious at the same time. "The Mobfathers" is a very solid addition to the Hong Kong cinema, especially because it does evolve on the already well-established gangster/triad genre. The CGI animated blood spray and splatter was a bit too obviously fake, which was a shame, because that made it seem like more a low budget movie than it actually was. But at least they attempted, just a shame that it was so painstakingly fake to look at. Despite the fake CGI, then there were some pretty brutal fates being dealt out during some of the fight scenes. I was more than genuinely entertained with this movie, and it is definitely a movie that I can warmly recommend that you take the time to sit down and watch if you get the chance. However, the ending of the movie was a bit bland, and it felt somewhat anti-climatic. Personally, I think the movie should have ended a different way entirely, but hey, a matter of personal preference.

• Pretty decent HK gangster movie since awhile.

  ashingtray2016-04-17

  a reasonable good HK gangster movie since awhile! PLUS the chick is hot! Definitely worth the time, very real language, CG although a little fake with the blood, but still, it's a violent and not too dumb down gangster flick. It is always pleasurable to watch Chapman To. Can't say the same for Anthony Wong, it's been awhile since any good roles has hit him, what's with the Godfather voice? I only can blame the director.... ANYWAY the wife of Chapman To in the film starring Bonnie Sin, she is hot and pretty decent acting, and very sexual, surprised that is no data of her being in this film, I don't even think there is an IMDb page of her. Tried looking her up in the internet, also nothing much on her. Definitely worth the time, it has comedy element, action, surprise and a little love, friendship and brotherhood. Don't expect too much of the script though, but still it's not bad, not being too over the top and just entertaining enough.

• A barely watchable H.K. mob film

  BasicLogic2016-07-23

  The screenplay is a very weird one, the leading actor played by Chapman To, is also the narrator of this a bit clichéd, formulaic mob film. His voice over the whole film is such a weird one, since what he said and told about is the story of his own but the weirdest thing is that after he died three months later, he's still telling the story's ending. To, as we saw in his former films, he is not a bad actor, but funny thing is he's like Eric Tsang Chi-wai, both didn't look like a bit of an alpha dog, as they both are short, a bit overweight all the time, in the gangster Hong Kong underworld, yet they always played such unconvincing big-shot roles. Their presences in these kind of crime movies were always felt out of place and even laughable, even they tried so hard to look tough, but their postures and the outlooks are seemingly highly unlikely to be crime bosses. This movie with him to play such kinda role is just another inappropriate casting job. Most of the other actors in this film looked more like mobsters. There are also a very bad joking dialog delivered by Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, the dying Godfather who suddenly became John F. Kennedy, addressed his brothers-in-crime, "My fellow brothers, ask not what your organization can do for you, ask what you can do for your organization." What a lame joke.