A return to the big screen by Hong Kong screenwriter and director Lo Chi Leung since directed probably his best films “The Vanished Murderer” (2015) and “The Bullet Vanishes” (2012) starring Lau Ching Wan. Before that, he also directed Leslie Cheung in “Inner Senses” (2002) and “Double Tap” (2000). Unfortunately, “Come Back Home” (2022), a search-and-rescue drama funded by Mainland China and starring Donnie Yen, was a big flop at the box office. Otherwise it would have been a nice return for Lo and Yen in a purely dramatic non-action role.
Where to watch
Set in a snowy ski resort in Chang Bai Shan, northeast China, the story concerns a family of four, father De (Donnie Yen), his wife Min Xuan (Han Xue) and their two young children. They are on their way to Lake Tianchi to see the “lake monster” which according to their son, Lele (Yuen Jin Hui), really existed. However, due to the bad weather which leads to the closure of the main road, they have to take a detour. After De drives into a ditch, Lele, who throws tantrums all the time, starts to misbehave and gets into an argument with his dad.
As their argument gets more heated, the angry Lele storms off. As their daughter is dying to use a toilet, the hotheaded De drives the rest of the family off and leaves his son alone there as a punishment. When they come back to the spot, their son has disappeared. After a quick look around, De reports to the police about his missing son and they quickly conduct a search. As time passes, everyone starts to worry about the welfare of the missing boy and doubts he can survive in the freezing cold. Some 48 hours later, the desperate and crying De begs the rescue team to continue their search.
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Even though the script wastes no time in setting up the story and its characters, the heavy handlining of melodramatic and cliched moments drags it down. It definitely aims too hard in trying to create sympathy for the father and son, the two hot headed characters. Furthermore, as pressure builds up and during the family’s desperate moments, flashbacks of their happy times back home would cut in, aiming to pull the viewers’ heartstrings. However there are moments that reflect De neglecting Lele, which makes us question his credibility as a father.
This guilt is probably the reason that he goes to extremes to find his son, like crossing the freezing river by himself and trying to convince the search party to expand their efforts. If fully developed, this side of his complex character would make De more human. Besides, Lo should have focused heavily on the search itself instead of paying attention to the politics of internet scamming, police work and citizen outcry earlier on. Thus the outcome is a film which is not quite an action thriller or a family drama. On the other hand, thanks to cinematographer Tony Cheung Dong Liang, the overall production looks great due to his stunning visuals and the real beauty of the wintery landscape of northeast China.
In his non-action role, Donnie Yen is remotely believable as the flawed and desperate father. His portrayal of an impulsive and reckless De and a pain to the rescue team in the beginning is fittingly memorable, though it comes across as frustrating too. But basically his character only needs to express anger and remorse and not much else. Yuen Jin Hui is adequate in playing Lele, the spoiled son who shouts and throws tantrums. Cecilia Han Xue cruises along just fine as a mother caught up in that kind of situation.
Because of that, some of the supporting characters have a chance to shine alongside Yen. In particular, Mainland actors Tang Xu and Jia Bing, who plays Xiao Jiang, the experienced head of the search and rescue team and the police captain respectively. Elsewhere, Xu Guang Yu is also memorable as the police deputy chief.
The film actually has two action related sequences to break up the mostly quieter moments. Starting off with an avalanche which as predicted, claims the life of a key character from the rescue team. The sad event quickly triggers off the singing of a nationalistic song by the grieving team members. The second one occurs during the film’s climax, depicting a highly dramatic but extremely far-fetched rescue that takes place on the cracking thin ice of a lake. In general, both the action sequences and the special effects are well edited and solid throughout.
While “Come Back Home” tanked at the local box office, the winner was “Home Coming”, a similarly themed film detailing the rescuing of Chinese citizens in Numia. Maybe the audiences are not ready to accept Yen in a dramatic and non-action roles or the involvement of the Hong Kong film crew in a patriotic local film.
