Back in 2016, Ho Yuhang shot “Mrs K” about a former robber that has “transformed” into a mother and housewife, starring HK legend Kara Hui. This time, Ricky Ko attempts something similar, by presenting three former killers for hire played by another set of legends, Patrick Tse, Petrina Fung and Lam Suet.
“Time” is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
After a rather impressive introduction that looks like it jumped out of a Shaw Brothers studio in the 70s (plus a comic book twist) that presents the main characters in their youthful glory, the story picks up their story many years later, when their lives are nothing like they used to be. 80+ Chau is working in a noodle shop, but is soon let go since he is rather slow. His former partner in crime, Mrs Fung, is now a grandma running a cabaret with her son (Sam Lee in a small role), a concept that his wife does not appreciate at all, thinking that their child should not be growing up in that environment. The third “colleague”, Chung, spends most of his time in a “massage parlor” trying to convince a prostitute to marry him. At the same time though, their killers-for-hire services have not abandoned them completely since they cooperate as the “Elderly's Angel” squad, with Mrs Fung organizing, Chung driving, and Chau acting as the “guardian angel”(according to his words) to elderly in need of euthanasia, essentially meaning slitting their throats and getting paid for it. However, their work does not always go as expected, and things take a turn for the even worse when Chau finds out that one of his clients is an adolescent girl, Tsz-Ying, who has been abandoned by both her parents and lover. Life soon comes knocking the door for everyone involved.
Ricky Ko directs a film that is filled with nostalgia, which derives both from the introductory scene, but also from the cast, with the three elderly protagonists still filling the screen with their charisma, reminding of a time when Hong Kong cinema was in the top of the world and they among its brightest stars (more or less). Evidently, Ko has based a lot on them and they deliver in excellent fashion, with their chemistry being evident throughout the movie, but also highlighting their different personas on screen. Patrick Tse is “the cool one” as Chau, Petrina Fung “the star” as Mrs Fung, and Lam Suet the “lovable clown” as Chung. The way the three of them perform in the dramatic, comedic and even action scenes is impressive to watch at, and Ko has taken care of presenting as many scenes that include all the aforementioned elements as possible.
At the same time, the story is filled with social commentary. The hardships the elderly have to face in an ever-rushing Hong Kong are mirrored in Chau's situation. Having to face a generation that does not appreciate what they had to do in the past is mirrored in Mrs Fung, and her relationship with his son's family, with her fate being inevitably one of many elderly in Hong Kong nowadays. The hardship of finding love, work, and dealing with the public health system at that age and while being poor are presented through Chung, who is revealed as the saddest case of them all. All of the aforementioned combined also seem to show how tired and marginalized people who have not managed to adapt to the times are, with their clinging to their past being both nostalgic but also sad on occasion, something all of them seem to realize deep down. Lastly, Tsz-Ying's situation seems to state that life is not easy for youths also, with her arc also highlighting another comment, that of the lack of responsibility and caring of a whole generation, the one placed between her's and the three veterans', with Mrs Fung's arc also stressing this approach.
At the same time, Ricky Ko does not let the film become melodramatic, not even dramatic for that fact, since, despite their hardships, their friendship carries on and is the one that allows them to move beyond the obstacles their lives bring them, and even help some people in the way. Their dedication to each other is evident throughout the movie, even extending to scenes they have to fight together, in a series of sequences that are truly entertaining, in action comedy fashion.
David Cheung and Tommy Wai's cinematography captures the aforementioned nostalgia through both framing and lighting, in an approach that occasionally borders on the noir. Yeung Kai-wing's editing implements a pace that differs according to the situation, slower in the story sequences and faster during the action ones. At the same time, some sequences are somewhat too long or even unnecessary, although not to a point to fault the movie significantly, since, at 99 minutes, it definitely does not overextend its welcome.
“Time” is an interesting title that shows the reality of Hong Kong for the poor and the elderly, although the focus here is definitely on entertainment through nostalgia, and in that regard, Ricky Ko definitely succeeds. Truth be told however, I would not mind if the first scene was actually how the whole movie carried on…
