Tai Fong Lo Chin
2006 / 87m - Hong Kong
Crime, Mystery
3.0*/5.0*
Wise Guys Never Die poster

Watches

January 16, 2009

3.0*/5.0*

Wong loves himself a conman and some gambling to build a film around. I think at least a quarter of his films deal with these themes, and that's a conservative estimation. Wise Guys Never Die is one of those many films, not really a stand-out within his oeuvre, but a fun flick if you like this kind of thing.

After a failed attempt to embezzle money, Nick is sent to jail. There he meets Teddy, a professional conman. The two concoct a plan to mess with Dragon, the manage of an illegal casino. Once they're out they set their plan in motion, but Nick starts to suspect there's more going on than he's aware of.

Nick Cheung's a decent lead, Jing Wong fares better in smaller part (or even cameos). He's just not talented enough an actor to play a true supporting role. The film starts better than it ends, but there are some fun gambling scenes here and the pacing is near perfect. Somewhat inconspicuous, but nice enough.