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Film Review: All About Ah Long (1989) by Johnnie To

The film that proved that Johnnie To could also shoot masterful drama

“All About Ah Long” is a very significant film for Hong Kong, for a number of reasons. First, it proved that could also shoot masterful dramas, apart from action and comedies. Secondly, it is considered one of the milestones in 's career, who co-wrote the story the film is based on along with Chow Yun-fat, who (thirdly) cemented his popularity and versatility, while earning his third Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. Lastly, the movie was also a box office hit.

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Ah Long is a single father trying to raise his son, Porky, on the meager pay he receives as a truck driver at a construction site. The two of them are pretty poor, but in general, happy, to the point that Porky wants to be exactly like his dad when he grows up. However, when Ah-long receives an offer for his son to be cast for a commercial everything changes, particularly because the director of the commercial is Por-por, his ex-girlfriend. Soon, a rather tragic story about Ah-long's past comes to the fore, with him being revealed as a womanizer, alcoholic, violent man who abused Por-por even when she was pregnant, to the point that her mother lied to her about her child being dead, in order to force her to get away from him. Now, however, the woman is back and wants her son back.

Based on a very intriguing story that unfolds on a number of levels and time frames, Johnnie To presents a rather rich narrative that combines a number of different elements in the most elaborate fashion. The relationship between father and son, and the way the appearance of Por-por affects it is the most central one, with To also using it to show how capitalism and materialism can affect even people's feelings. The differences in the ways Ah Long and Por-por show their love to Porky highlights the aforementioned fact, although the finale of that part of the story also shows To's comment about the aforementioned elements. The inevitable clash is one of the most impactful scenes in the movie, highlighting the excellent acting by both Chow Yun-fat as Ah Long and as Porky.

A second axis, which unfolds both in the past, through flashbacks, and in the present, focuses on the relationship between Ah Long and Por-por, and the ways violence and abuse can shape and occasionally change people. The metastrophe Ah Long experiences after an awful accident and his time in prison highlights the comment as much as the way Por-por has changed after the abuse he suffered in his hands. At the same time, To also shows that despite the level of change, trauma remains, a comment presented in a number of scenes in the most impactful way. Again, the scene in the stairs, another violent one, is the most memorable in this arc, particularly through a number of repetitions. Furthermore, the way Ah Long tries to seduce Por-por once more, and her reluctant reactions are excellently presented, benefitting the most by both Chow, and Sylvia Chang's acting, along with their evident chemistry.

A third axis, and the most visually impressive one revolves around motorcycle races, with the scenes with the illegal ones, but most of all, the finale in Macao, showcasing the budget of the production and the excellent job done both in the cinematography and the editing departments. Wong Wing-hang, who is in charge for both, presents a number of images of beauty and contextual significance, with the two violent scenes and the panoramic one of the mall being the apogee of his work. His job on the editing is equally good, as he implements a rather fast pace that suits the overall aesthetics, while the flashbacks are well-placed.

Sadness permeates the majority of the film, occasionally even bordering on the melodrama, although there are enough moments of happiness that tone down this aspect. Richard Lo and Lo Ta-yu's music is one of the main mediums of this approach, with them presenting a number of tracks that enhance the sentiment To wanted to give each scene in the most artful fashion.

“All About Ah Long” is a film that stands out in Johnnie To's filmography due to its different style, but the quality is still top notch, in one of his best works.

About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

My name is Panos Kotzathanasis and I am Greek. Being a fan of Asian cinema and especially of Chinese kung fu and Japanese samurai movies since I was a little kid, I cultivated that love during my adolescence, to extend to the whole of SE Asia.

Starting from my own blog in Greek, I then moved on to write for some of the major publications in Greece, and in a number of websites dealing with (Asian) cinema, such as Taste of Cinema, Hancinema, EasternKicks, Chinese Policy Institute, and of course, Asian Movie Pulse. in which I still continue to contribute.

In the beginning of 2017, I launched my own website, Asian Film Vault, which I merged in 2018 with Asian Movie Pulse, creating the most complete website about the Asian movie industry, as it deals with almost every country from East and South Asia, and definitely all genres.

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

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