Watches
February 11, 2024
Interesting film by King Hu and two other compatriots. The setup is pretty identical to Hou's Three Times, the only real difference is that each short is handled by a different director. That makes it a little more varied, while also a little less coherent. Neither the cast nor the directors manage to best Tsai's masterpiece though.
Hu handles the Ming Dynasty entry, a martial arts tale about a rebel trying to outwit the secret police. Hsing follows up with a story about an art troupe struggling to make ends meet, while Pai tells the tale of a shaman trying to secure the wealth and fortune of a fisherman's village.
Hu's entry is by far the most accomplished of the three. The other two are decent too, but they're clearly handled by less talented- directors. I'm not quite sure if the setup made a lot of sense or added something of value, but it's fun to see the three leads returning in very different stories. A solid film.