Metade Fumaca (1999)

Literally: Half Smoked

Director: Riley Yip Kam-Hung

Producer: John Chong Ching, Solon So Chi-Hung, Claudie Chung Chun

Cast: Nicholas Tse (Ting Fung), Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Shu Qi (Hsu Chi, Shu Kei), Jo Kuk Cho-Lam, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Michael Chan, Stephen Fung, Sam Lee, Terence Yin, Kelly Chan, Anthony Wong, Elaine Gam, Cheung Tat Ming, Tony Ho, Vincent Wan, Vincent Kok

Running Time: 101 min.

Plot: See Alexander's review below.

Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com

JOE909'S REVIEW: Combine the quirkiness of a Milkyway film, the cinematic pizzaz of Wong Kar-Wai, and a bucketload of cool, and you get Metade Fumaca (Portuguese for "Half-Smoked"). A movie I'd never heard of, I was surprised to discover it lurking (in a way-cool, but flimsy, cardboard package) among my father-in-law's pile of vcds. The cover shot, of Nicholas Tse looking cool with his camcorder, and Eric Tsang looking a bit paunchy but ready to kick ass, grabbed hold of my attention. I'm glad it did, because Metade Fumaca is proof that Hong Kong still churns out some great entertainment.

I've always been drawn to stories about heroes who are past their time, but come back for one last go-round. Films like "Unforgiven," "Wild Bunch," and Kirk Douglas' relatively-unknown "The Master Touch." Metade Fumaca is along similar lines. Eric Tsang plays Mountain Leopard, a triad hitman who's spent the past thirty years in Brazil. He returns to Hong Kong, only to find that much has changed in his absence. There's no respect for tradition among modern triads, and everything he knew has been torn down and replaced.

After watching Nick Tse chop up some poor sap who beat a prostitute, Tsang's impressed enough to offer Nick a job; he wants his help to kill an old rival who goes by the name Nine Dragons. This set-up has you expecting a Milkyway-type revenge saga, but instead, Metade Fumaca is more of a drama, with added concentration on character development. Smokey and Mountain Leopard bond as they seek out Nine Dragons. Smokey, who himself searches for the father he's never known, is instantly attracted to Mountain Leopard's quest: not only does Leopard seek revenge, but he also searches for the woman he's loved for the past thirty years, a woman whose name he doesn't even know. Common sense dictates that Mountain Leopard shouldn't have a chance in hell, but film logic dictates something else entirely, of course.

Midway into the film comes a dazzling montage of cinema that reminds us how damn cool Hong Kong movies are. Seeing into Mountain Leopard's mind, we have a flashback to thirty years before, when he was a young triad punk. Choreographed to some nice trip-hop, we see the development of the Mountain Leopard/Nine Dragons rivalry, complete with knife fights, assassinations, and cool-looking characters.

Despite all of my praise, the film isn't perfect. For the first hour of Metade Fumaca, I felt like I was watching one of the best Hong Kong movies I'd ever seen. But the last half of the film seems to stumble a bit, as we discover that Mountain Leopard has a few problems, ones which heavily affect the storyline. In a way, it's original and unique, but after the previous hour of build-up, I was let down by the "A Beautiful Mind" type of ending. Despite that, I still recommend the movie entirely.

JOE909'S RATING: 8.5/10

ALEXANDER'S REVIEW: Every now and then I'll discover an Asian film that will make me forget the reasons why I got hooked on the region's films in the first place -- Chow Yun Fat's dual handguns, John Woo's slow motion shootouts, Jackie Chan's insane stunts, Bruce Lee's pummeling of Chuck Norris, etc. The films widely considered Hong Kong's best are generally heavy on action and light on story. For example, The Killer, Hardboiled, Once Upon a Time in China, Police Story and relatively recent releases like Gen X Cops and Time and Tide are much discussed and widely praised for their inventive action sequences and bloody mayhem, but few Hong Kong films are lauded for their scripts, character development, suspense and dialogue. That films like Portland Street Blues, Comrades, Almost a Love Story, The Blood Rules and Needing You are often overlooked is a shame as each is as moving, entertaining and well-filmed as anything by Hong Kong icons John Woo, Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

Metade Fumaca is another of those Asian films that reminded me that Hong Kong has far more to offer than Johnnie To-helmed gangster flicks. It is humorous, touching, superbly acted and intelligently written -- a rare combination in Hong Kong film nowadays.

There's plenty to like about Metade Fumaca. The cast is superb, including a stellar performance by veteran character actor Eric Tsang and a surprisingly convincing turn by Nic Tse (Time and Tide). Sam Lee (Bio Zombie) and Stephen Fung (Gen-X Cops) are featured briefly in a very funny fantasy sequence and Shu Qi (The Transporter) is perfectly suited for her role as a mysterious bar patron. Kelly Chen (Tokyo Raiders) is mostly seen, not heard, but she too is well-suited for her role as a gorgeous policewoman. Terrence Yin rounds out the cast as a flamboyant small-time hood just back from L.A. There are also a couple of amusing cameos by Sandra Ng (Portland Street Blues) and Anthony Wong (Beast Cops).

Metade Fumaca, while pretty predictable, is fantastically filmed. It reminded me in a lot of ways of Chungking Express. The plot unfolds fairly slowly but the dialogue is so interesting and well-written and the scenes so creatively shot that I never lost interest in the story or the characters. I was enthralled by Tse's and Tsang's Smokey and Mountain Leopard and the relationship they develop as both search for loved ones based on murky, fading images. But while the film's themes are weighty, there is plenty of humor throughout.

Metade Fumaca is worth checking out. Recommended.

ALEXANDER'S RATING: 9/10