cityonfire.com | Partners

	Partners "Watch this one only if you suffer from insomnia." - Reefer Partners (2002) Director: Bee Chan (Billy Chan) Producer: Daniel Lam Siu-Ming Cast: Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Michael Wong, Mary Kwan, Lihan Pang Running Time: 80 min. Plot: Internal strife mars the professional relationship of three expert thieves. Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com Reviews REEFER'S REVIEW: It was obvious from the first five minutes of Partners that this movie had problems. It starts out with some nameless, faceless members of a SWAT team descending upon a building. A narrator then proceeds to elaborate on the background information of the three "partners". Exposition that could easily have been related though dialogue. It comes off like they were trying to patch some holes in the narrative. Kwan (Lam) is a gunman. Rick (Wong) is an ex-cop who plans the capers. Hung is the driver. Foon (Tsang) has gangster ties and can bring in the business. All partners. No one is the chief. This is basically all the background information that the audience is blessed with throughout the film. And it is simply not enough. Furthermore, these are strangely tight-lipped thieves who don't seem to discuss anything besides their missions and money. Directed by Billy Chan, Partners attempts to be stylish: tracking shots, slo-mo, creative editing, etc. Curiously, the fancy stuff fails to help the characters, because none of it makes you remotely believe that the thieves have any expert capabilities. They just rush into a bank or store or building and start blasting and beating. Most of the action happens with a very shaky hand-held camera. I don't mind violent characters, but the trio is mostly soulless thugs. Anyway, it is finally revealed that Foon has a secret vendetta against triad boss that the team has targeted for a heist. As he eventually vies for more control over the group, Rick and Kwan plan a double cross. Even at this point, it pretty hard to care. In other words, Partners is a waste of three talented stars. Watch this one only if you suffer from insomnia. REEFER'S RATING: 4/10

Partners

"Watch this one only if you suffer from insomnia."

- Reefer

Partners (2002)

Director: Bee Chan (Billy Chan)

Producer: Daniel Lam Siu-Ming

Cast: Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Michael Wong, Mary Kwan, Lihan Pang

Running Time: 80 min.

Plot: Internal strife mars the professional relationship of three expert thieves.

Availability: This title is available at HKflix.com

Reviews

REEFER'S REVIEW: It was obvious from the first five minutes of Partners that this movie had problems. It starts out with some nameless, faceless members of a SWAT team descending upon a building. A narrator then proceeds to elaborate on the background information of the three "partners". Exposition that could easily have been related though dialogue. It comes off like they were trying to patch some holes in the narrative.

Kwan (Lam) is a gunman. Rick (Wong) is an ex-cop who plans the capers. Hung is the driver. Foon (Tsang) has gangster ties and can bring in the business. All partners. No one is the chief. This is basically all the background information that the audience is blessed with throughout the film. And it is simply not enough. Furthermore, these are strangely tight-lipped thieves who don't seem to discuss anything besides their missions and money.

Directed by Billy Chan, Partners attempts to be stylish: tracking shots, slo-mo, creative editing, etc. Curiously, the fancy stuff fails to help the characters, because none of it makes you remotely believe that the thieves have any expert capabilities. They just rush into a bank or store or building and start blasting and beating. Most of the action happens with a very shaky hand-held camera. I don't mind violent characters, but the trio is mostly soulless thugs.

Anyway, it is finally revealed that Foon has a secret vendetta against triad boss that the team has targeted for a heist. As he eventually vies for more control over the group, Rick and Kwan plan a double cross. Even at this point, it pretty hard to care.

In other words, Partners is a waste of three talented stars. Watch this one only if you suffer from insomnia.

REEFER'S RATING: 4/10