Tin heng tse (2006) Reviews

• Good try

  harry_tk_yung2006-11-18

  Ekin Cheng, who rose to stardom with the "goo waak chai" movies in the mid 90s, didn't have it too well in the last few years. "Heavenly mission" could very well be "goo waak chai – 10 years later", with Cheng's icon character Chan Ho-nam coming back after 8 years in jail in Thailand, wanting to go legitimate (although it was in fact an entirely different character). There's evidence that the movie makers put in an honest effort to make this a story-heavy, action-light, different gangster movie. The result is commendable though not terribly impressive. For followers of the HK movie scene, the huge cast of familiar faces should make it look like a carnival, and I'm only going to mention a few. Ever dependable "Richard Gere" of Hong Kong, Alex Fong Chung-shun plays a seasoned detective vowed to nail Cheng again. Veteran Ti Lung is the aging underworld boss from whom Cheng now distances himself. Cheung Chi-lam (who just had a bouncing 8-lb baby boy with Anita Yuen) is the crooked lawyer. Fung Tak-lun is the explosive young gangster who wants to take over. And there are more, a lot more. Nikki Chow Lai-kai provides the eye-candy element, in the "flower vase" role as Chow's girlfriend. While the script is weak, acting is at least sincere. This movie, which is almost two hours long, deserves at least a "good try".

• a triad film with a different slant

  J_Charles2010-09-07

  most HK triad films either glorify the triads, glorify the cops battling with them, or glorify the violent battles between the two groups. This movie is more along the lines of "A Better Tomorrow" - a story of attempted redemption. Story: Ekin Cheng plays Autumn Yip - a high ranking triad mobster who is caught and imprisoned in Thailand for 8 years. He makes a much anticipated return and is much sought after by the triads who are looking for a new leader, the police who have set up a new anti-triad unit to stop him, and the paparazzi who are looking for the inside dirt. But all three groups are left bewildered by Yip's enthusiasm for philanthropic causes. Everyone is awaiting his next move, to see when "the bomb" will be dropped. Among the triads is a youngster, Gwai Jai (Stephen Fung) looking to make a name for himself. He grows increasingly jealous and frustrated by all the attention lavished on Yip. He sets out to take over the triads by making big deals that unfortunately, he cannot complete without Yip's connections to the underworld in Thailand. The violence and mayhem are mostly caused by Gwai Chai, wreaking havoc, and trying to force Yip to cooperate with him. It all comes down to a tense standoff in Thailand where the film ends. The story is similar to other 'redemption' themed movies - but it hasn't been done by Hong Kong for a while. It had me guessing as to what Yip's real intentions were for the first half of the film. But eventually, you realize, there is no "act". He really is trying to become a reformed man - and sadly, my interest in the plot started to wane. Yip's struggles with Gwai Jai and the police provide the tension in the second part of the film but it doesn't seem to have that same captivating power as the first part when Yip's intentions are still shrouded in mystery. The acting is a bit uneven. Cheng does well as do the older guys . Fung is pretty much a one-note spoiled brat type of character. Carl Wu did some serious over acting in his role as the hot-headed cop. Check out his facial contortions as he goes from one calamity to the next. A flawed but entertaining film. At least it had heart. 7/10

• HK Neo Reviews: Heavenly Mission

  webmaster-30172011-03-17

  Chan Ho Nam finally matures… Who can forget all those moments of seeing Ekin Cheng as his alter ego – Chan Ho Nam in the Young and Dangerous series? It is true that whether it is intended to or not, this flick is one that shows the life of Chan Ho Nam – 10 years on and finally growing up to be a better man. The question remains, can someone truly turn a new leaf, and perhaps to put it into a bigger picture, imagine a cool blooded killer becoming the next CEO of IBM? Such an analogy seems far-fetched, but rhymes true as it is social norm to not believe it can happen. Directed by James Yuen, the person behind the refreshing – Crazy N the City, it is little wonder that they both want to express something about life, perhaps a message. While Crazy N the City succeeds in being realistic, believable and even at times inspiring, the same can not be said of Heavenly Mission as good intention does not make a realistic movie. Ekin Cheng has come a long way since his Young and Dangerous days and it is almost impossible to not associate him with Chan Ho Nam. It is slack that 10 years on, people continue to laud about his past non-acting style, and as hard as he have attempted to shed that image, people still remember him for that role. While Neo can not state that Ekin is a talented actor, but he can certainly be safe to say that he have improved. While he may never be a great actor, Ekin is yet to be given an opportunity to act in a beefy role. Here, Ekin is basically himself and perhaps a more mature version of Chan Ho Nam. It is fitting for him to paid tribute to a role that made him famous, but his almost non-acting and stoic performance here, made the movie impossible to connect. It can be partly due to the unrealistic nature of the script, but nonetheless, the film never reaches the heights of what they want to express. There moments of enlightenment and giving out a reminder that Yuen did direct the inspirational Crazy N the City. Ekin flirtation with the blind chick played by the newly acclaimed (this site's Best Actress in My Name is Fame), Huo Siyan, provides a memorable explanation of what is good and evil. She denotes that when you close your eyes, you cannot distinguish what is black and white. She goes about how good people can do bad things, and bad people can do good deeds. These are rare moments of inspiration, but sadly it never seems to connect towards the audience through pictures rather than words. Stephen Fung appears here and there and produces one of his coolest, yet producing an undemanding performance. Niki Chow does nothing either than being pretty. However, Alex Fong portrays the role of a cop in a suitable fashion as director Yuen uses Fong to comment about the treatment of past offenders. It leads us back to the central question of whether or not past offenders can really turn over a new leaf. The movie leaves the audience wondering if it was the police's fault for thinking that Ekin will do something bad, since he was a triad. The film ultimately wants to express the notion of good and evil and how difficult it is to change someone perception of you, once their mind is set on a way of thinking. All in all, Heavenly Mission is immensely solid, but the result is rather disappointing as the flick never seems to be able to connect to its audience. Sure, it has something meaningful to say, but it is pointless to express an ideal without much substance to back it up. If Ekin wants to shed his former image, and using this film's core as an example, it will seem pretty much impossible. James Yuen has done better and probably should have done better. Nonetheless, this is still an extremely solid flick that ends up just a tat too lacking. On a final note, so can Ekin shed his former image – to be perfectly honest, perhaps… (Neo 2006) I rate it 6.5/10