I have been a fan of Feng Xiaogang for quite some time, and of Ge You also - he is easily my favourite contemporary Chinese actor. However, this movie seems to miss the mark, in spite of the best efforts of talented actors Ge You, Rene Liu and Baoqiang Wang (from Blind Shaft). Whether Andy Lau acquitted himself well I could not judge, distracted as I was by the ridiculous wig he was wearing for most of the film.
The script sounds like a good idea, and on the whole believable, though the character of 'Dumbo' seems a bit too naive, even for a country bumpkin. The story was, at least, in the right spirit, and sufficiently melodramatic for such a 'holiday film'. The action sequences were well done, often highlighting the dexterous talent of the pickpockets.
What bothered me most, however, was the amount of shameless product placement - an assortment of brand names repeated in the credits. Feng Xiaogang has always tended towards commercialism, but oversteps the mark here. Perhaps the director should consider directing TV commercials as an outlet for this tendency.
In sum, this is a good-looking and mildly entertaining holiday film, with pretensions to depth, but too much commercialism to make it ring true.
The script sounds like a good idea, and on the whole believable, though the character of 'Dumbo' seems a bit too naive, even for a country bumpkin. The story was, at least, in the right spirit, and sufficiently melodramatic for such a 'holiday film'. The action sequences were well done, often highlighting the dexterous talent of the pickpockets.
What bothered me most, however, was the amount of shameless product placement - an assortment of brand names repeated in the credits. Feng Xiaogang has always tended towards commercialism, but oversteps the mark here. Perhaps the director should consider directing TV commercials as an outlet for this tendency.
In sum, this is a good-looking and mildly entertaining holiday film, with pretensions to depth, but too much commercialism to make it ring true.