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Evidently, Chinese period romantic comedies are
once again in vogue, so it seems. Last year's Cecilia Cheung and
Louis Koo flick The Lion Roars is a clear example of the industry's
belief that this genre has become a popular diet for movie-goers
in need of a dose of different comedy fun, as opposed to the numerous
modern-day versions all starring Sammi Cheng or Miriam Yeung. It's
good that filmmakers have decided to diversify in order to get bums
on seats, but judging from these mundane efforts, they have to work
harder.
Cat and Mouse lampoons the famous Chinese folk
heroes of Judge Bao (Anthony Wong) and his loyal men, most namely
the brilliant swordsman Zhin Chiu (Andy Lau). This isn't a serious
spoof because the story is focused on Zhin's tale of woe, and not
on Judge Bao's excellent sense of justice and investigative trails.
The story starts with Zhin's introduction. We
see him totally bored with his current job and wants a vacation.
After seeking permission from Bao, he goes back to his homeplace
and meets a robin hood-esque character called Bai (Cecilia Cheung),
who has disguised herself as a man. Together they discover a plot
to murder Judge Bao, and Zhin heads back to the capital.
Later, Bai is recruited into the service of the
emperor (Cheung Tat Ming) and gradually she and Zhin fall in love,
but Zhin has already been engaged to Princess Yue Hwa (Li Bing Bing).
Soon, Bai uncovers another plot to murder the emperor and all his
high-ranking officials at Zhin's wedding, but nobody really believes
her. Can she save them before it's too late? Do we really care?
In a bid to distance itself from the slapstick
comedy of the Stephen Chow era, Cat and Mouse remains relatively
bland. The comedy has been restrained that relies on forced situations
and one-liners, that unfortunately does not work. Many of the comedy
scenes are too obvious and simply has no energy. There is not one
ounce of creativity in making the jokes work and just seems to be
going through the motions. If the filmmakers didn't care about the
film, then why should the audience?
Performance wise, it is acceptable, but special
mention has to go to Anthony Wong who always put in decent performances
in supporting roles. Cheung Tat Ming and Andy Lau could not have
done better with the material and the rest of the cast are adequate,
yet mere comedic fodder.
The action is well enacted but offers so little
in what is essentially a non-action film. The dialogue is packed
full of jokes but I found most to be unfunny, and the main romance
between Cat and Mouse is simply monotonous, mainly because there
isn't a pinch of chemistry involved.
Overall, I am very much disappointed with the
film because with the talent and budget involved, this should have
been much, much better. The locations, costumes and mise-en-scene
are also superb, so there is no excuse. File under: should have
done better.
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