Victim (1999)

Literally: Cruel Gaze Expressed in the Eyes

Director: Ringo Lam

Producer: Joe Ma, Ringo Lam

Writer: Ringo Lam, Joe Ma, Ho Man-lung

Cast: Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Lau Ching-wan, Amy Kwok, Hui Siu Hung , Emily Kwan Bo Wai , Ma Tak Chung , Joe Ma Wai Ho, Joe Lee Yiu Ming , Wayne Lai Yiu-cheung

Running Time: 100 min.

Plot: A computer engineer is kidnapped and tortured. His girlfriend, Amy, worries a lot but starts to discover that her man has changed a lot in his behaviors. He becomes a totally different person. A smart cop is assigned to investigate what has happened during the man's kidnapping. He refuses to believe that there might be a ghost in the man's body trying to control him. However, he discovers something far more horrible.

BEN POPPEL'S REVIEW: I am not a huge fan of supernatural films that pour out of Hong Kong, so I was a little skeptical about how my experience would be. But luckily I was extremely surprised and enthralled at how good this film was. Thankfully concentrating not so much on the paranormal, but instead enriching us with a gripping thriller with very good performances by Tony Leung Ka Fai and the nearly flawless Lau Ching Wan. And while on the subject of acting you can't ask for better character development than from the victim himself: from feeling sorry for the guy, to wondering if he was mental, to really finding out how much a creep he was. This movie had you thinking and wondering to the very end. From its dark and surprisingly violent images to its phenomenal acting from all the actors, you couldn't ask for too much more from this genre.

BEN POPPEL'S RATING: 8.5/10

TEQUILA'S REVIEW: This review will be a short one. Yeah, I really like The Victim, another great Ringo Lam flick. MPM said enough really, I'd just like to add a couple of points.

1) The VCD (Mei Ah release) is exceptional, it actually has a main menu and trailers, and the transfer is very good too. I don't know how it compares with the DVD but it is the best VCD I own.

2) The ghostly figures that MPM mentioned appear at the end of the film and are basically there to make you think more about what happened after you saw the movie.

TEQUILA'S RATING: 8.5/10

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S REVIEW: Ringo Lam steps into the horror-genre with this wickedly-dark film starring Lau Ching-wan and Tony Leung Ka-Fai. There has been endless debate on the film's plot which leaves the viewer asking themselves: "How much of it is supernatural?", "How much if it is just plain human crime?"...whatever it may be, this film is a great exercise for those who appreciate a good mystery.

Lau Ching-wan plays "Manson Ma" (yeah I know, just what I was thinking...Helter Skelter anyone?), an ordinary guy who was mysteriously kidnapped and then dropped off at an old mansion to be picked up. Tony Leung is the cop who picks him up and finds Manson hanging from the wall - alive but unconscious. Manson is taken into custody for questioning the next day. Here's the angle: The mansion, where Manson was found, is well-known to the public to be haunted, due to a tragic event that happened years ago where a man murdered his wife, child and then himself.

Amy Kwok, who plays Manson's girlfriend (and Lau Ching-wan's real-life wife) realizes that after the strange events, Manson is not only in deep shock, but also, a totally different person. This leads to the conclusion that he may have been possessed by the spirits at the mansion.

Meanwhile, Tony Leung is a bit skeptical. As more and more shocking clues turn up, he realizes that this all may be just in act or cover-up behind what really happened between Manson and the mysterious kidnappers. This is where the movie goes from "Amityville Horror" to "Full Alert"...

"Victim" is an intense, superbly-written crime/drama/horror film, which doesn't surprise me coming from Ringo Lam. Its entire cast, especially Amy Kwok and Lau-Ching-wan, all give powerful performances. There are known to be some VCD versions of this film that feature "ghostly" figures floating around towards the end.

MIGHTY PEKING MAN'S RATING: 8.5/10