Thirty two years old Lau Kin Ping (Derek Tsang Kwok Cheung, son of actor Eric Tsang) is a “Fei Qing”, a term describing a youth with no job, no money and a total loser with no future. Still can't afford to rent, he lives with his brother and parents who fight all the time over money, in a cramped apartment among the poor district of Hong Kong. One day on his way to work, a couple jumps off his building and splatter blood all over him. But his only concern is about his best clothes being ruined. Apart from that, he also gets himself fired from his job. However, he manages to get a job in a local 24-hour convenience shop that very night but with very little pay.
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The store manager (Lam Suet) turns out to be a bastard who abuses and plays on his workers all the time. Nonetheless, Lau Kin Ping hits it off with Meitu (J. Arie) the female clerk there, and as a payback, they pierce holes in condoms, packaged goods and licking the insides of sandwiches. As the night goes on, an old customer, Grandpa (Stanley Fung) walks in to get a sandwich. Needless to say he's dissatisfied with the service and unfairly gets abused by the rude manager. In a rage, he attacks him in the neck with a pair of scissors and decides to rob all customers who come into the store and holds them hostage.
“Robbery” starts out as a black comedy, a satire about the current situations the population of Hong Kong, young, old, rich and poor are facing. By the end, it turns into a blood-soaked violent tale with a high body count. The convenience store setup in director Fire Lee's movie is uncommonly massive compared to any real one; it looks more like a warehouse, brightly lit and full of primary colors. Consequently, his use of screaming electric guitar soundtrack also makes the atmosphere come alive.
The supporting characters that populate this movie are colorful but they all have dark secrets. There's a dirty cop (Philip Keung Ho Man) who comes in the store to use the toilet. A buxom doctor (Anita Tsui) who dresses in cheerleader outfits comes in to buy condoms and ends up performing a sexy dance on a table. Her well-dressed gangster boyfriend is portrayed by Eric Kwok who somehow resembles a lite Robert Downey Jr. Stuntman Ken Lo has a small role as a desperate man with a bomb, however we don't get to see him fight anyone.
Nonetheless, it's Lam Suet who stands out as the charismatic store owner. Always a good value actor, he excels here as the mean, unpleasant boss who enjoys putting people down. Furthermore, we get to see him doing a little dance which is both fun and hilarious to watch. Overall, every actor is given a chance to shine and each of them performs adequately during the comic timing. On top of that, they all look like they're all having fun doing it.
Likewise, “Robbery” is a movie that keeps viewers in the dark and wondering what will happen next. However, the easy pacing gets interrupted occasionally by unexpected bursts of violent in between. That's why it earns a Category III rating. At the outset, it can be confusing and doesn't make much sense until the surprise twist at the end which sums up the movie perfectly.
Adore or loath it, this offbeat, high energy Hong Kong movie with its outlandish but interesting characters is a rewarding watch. At times, it's like watching a bunch of psychopaths in a room but don't let that put you off.
