This Taiwanese murder mystery, adapted from the novel “The Soul Transplanting Skill” written by Jiang Bo is set in the near future 2032 Taipei. One night, the police arrive at the mansion of Wang Shih Tsung, the Chairman of the huge Wang Corporation and discover that he's brutally murdered and his unconscious young wife Li Yan (Sun An Ke) is crouching next to him, holding a blunt and bloody object. Conversely, after returning home, his mentally unstable son Wang Tien Yu (Eric Lin) has fled the scene after leaving some strange occult ritualistic symbols around.
Enter Taipei's cancer stricken but devoted prosecutor Liang Wen Chao (Chang Chen) who somehow manages to convince his boss that he should investigate the high-profile case instead of just wasting away. Assigned to assist him is his pregnant criminal investigator wife Ah Pao (Ning Chang) and as they dig further into the case, they start to discover more suspects and the dark secrets behind Wang's high-tech corporation which deals with RNA restoration and cancer treatment experiments.
Consequently, their investigation gets more and more complicated with every clue they discover. For a start, why would anyone kill Chairman Wang, since he himself is ridden with brain cancer? His present and much younger wife is the inheritor of his fortune, but she has no reason for his early death. So, what's the purpose of those hidden cameras in her room? Most importantly, has the Wang Company finally discovered the cure for cancer? There're so many questions to answer indeed.
In this 130 minute movie, Cheng has given the viewers a lot to chew on, besides being a sci-fi thriller which emphasizes heavily on human relationship; he also throws some horror element into the mix. This is hardly surprising; after all he did direct “The Tag-Along” which broke the local horror box office record in 2015. However, this element works well in creating the movie's grim atmosphere but there're no jump scares here. Nonetheless, “The Soul” is a character-driven slow-burn mystery with a solid plot which is full of complicated twists and turns till the very last frame. In Cheng's vision, Taipei of the future is a high tech city flooded with projected video images, but has an eerie and bleak look and it is totally lacking in warmth.
In order to portray the cancer ridden prosecutor realistically, Chang Chen was reported to have lost over 20kg and besides he also shaves off his hair for the occasion. As a result, his frail appearance and sublime performance fit the overall grim look of the movie while he brings his character to life in the most impressive fashion. Together with Ning Chang who plays his pregnant wife, they both provide the much needed emotional centerl as coworkers and tender lovers going through life's struggles.
The rest of the cast handles their parts equally well, especially Sun An Ke who's memorable as Wang's current wife Li Yan, a multi layered and mysterious character with hidden dark secrets who also has a habit of parading in her room stark-naked and bursting into extraordinary convulsions in her sleep. Conversely, Christopher Lee puts in a good afford as the intriguing Dr. Wan, the CEO and scientist of the corporation whose action will have viewers guesting till the end.
Summing up, this is basically a bleak murder mystery but a well-paced one that requires the viewer's utmost attention. The future might harbor a heartless and cold society but there's still humanity as seen in the behavior of the protagonists.
