Movie Review: Once a Gangster/飛砂風中轉

Apologies: I went to the premiere of this film,then went and saw it again in the theatre the same week with the Gang of Film ( 電影人幫 ).

Then, like a jackass, I failed to review it.

But we all know that when I don’t review a movie, chances are it’s either very good or I didn’t see it. And I just told you I saw it.

I saw this film twice.

Because it’s just that good.

It would be hard not to like this movie for a lot of reasons.

It evokes the Young and Dangerous/ 古惑仔之人在江湖 films both implicitly and explicitly.

Ekin Cheng is in it.

So is his Hair.

Yes, it deserves a capital H. Look at it.

Once a Gangster/飛砂風中轉*****is smart, funny, occasionally juvenile, and entertaining in the most shamelessly populist manner.  It succeeds at being both obvious and referential. It has no intellectually redeeming value and scoffs at the suggestion.*

As well it should.

Last and certainly not least, I know a lot of the people in it. And it is fun to watch people I know in real life ham it up, or do some serious acting, or both, onscreen.

Once a Gangster/ 飛砂風中轉

is perhaps best viewed well within its context. The story is certainly comprehensible even if you don’t know the Y&D films, or are unfamiliar with the characters and actors. But if you are, the film becomes much richer, funnier, and entertaining.

The story revolves around a struggle for leadership of a triad gang. Ahhh, the well-trodden path to cinematic bliss.

But in this case, the struggle is to avoidbecoming the boss.

Machinations and hilarity ensue.

A strong supporting cast makes this film an ensemble piece with characters so vivid (and who often chew up more scenery than a tornado) that it’s hard to say who is actually the star of the film.

Not so much for the screen time, but because so many characters literally mug your attention that it can get a little hard to keep up.

My favorite in the film has to be Conroy Chan, who plays an aspiring boss so virulently stupid that it  defies logic as it induces side-splitting laughs. Although he will (and did)  say that acting dumb comes easily to him, I will disagree. It’s not easy to do well, and Conroy reallydoes well in this role.

Because he’s not thatdumb. Nobodycould be as dumb as his character.

It’s also not easy to carry off some of the more obvious jokes he tells. You see them coming more clearly than a KCR train, but he delivers them well enough that they are consistently funny and often hilarious.

Just for this film, he’s a Chinese Will Ferrell, able to bring stupid to new comic heights.

Go see Once a Gangster/ 飛砂風中轉 . It’s a completely Hong Kong film. It deserves our support, and we need more movies like this. It was nice to leave the theater still laughing and happy.

Twice.

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