Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic

A fun mix of gritty horror with a police procedural. Hong Kong is the ideal place to produce such a film, Herman Yau the perfect man for the job. It's no surprise then that this film turned out to be an amusing little genre effort. Not quite refined enough to be a true classic, but certainly good enough for hungry genre fans.

A serial killer is on the loose, and he's going after cops. He doesn't just kill them either, instead, he uses ancient Oriental voodoo rituals to get rid of the policemen. Rockman, a hardened cop, is put on the case. He suspects that Lam Chiu is behind the killings, a criminal Rockman once shot through the head and left without feeling.

No ghosts here, which is somewhat of a relief. Yau is perfect for a bit of nasty voodoo horror, and Lam Suet is always a joy to watch. Gong Tau is perfect B-filler, but the extra drama feels a bit unnecessary, and this was made when Yau's work wasn't quite as polished as it is today. I had a lot of fun with it, but great cinema this is not.