NICC1980

美国《电影评论》影评：《玉观音》
　　　　
　　　　RATING (3.5 of 5)
　　　　
　　　　--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
　　　　
　　　　Director: Ann Hui
　　　　
　　　　Producer: Bolun Li, Buting Yan
　　　　
　　　　Screenwriter: Ivy Ho, Hai Yan
　　　　
　　　　Stars: Vicky Zhao, Nicholas Tse, Yulong Liu, Jianbin Chen
　　　　
　　　　MPAA Rating: NR
　　　　--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
　　　　
　　　　Year of Release: 2004
　　　　
　　　　Released on Video: 08/17/2004
　　　　
　　　　Filmcritic
　　　　"an operatic eyeful!"
　　　　
　　　　Goddess of Mercy
　　　　A film review by Don Willmott
　　　　
　　　　
　　　　Like America 150 years ago, today’s China has sophisticated modern cities in the east and an untamed wild west where everyone seems to have a gun. Goddess of Mercy bounces between these two worlds, taking its indefatigable heroine An Xin (Vicky Zhao) on a journey with enough action, drama, and leading men to fill three movies. It’s an operatic eyeful that has won much acclaim in Asia but appears on these shores without a theatrical release. DVD may have to suffice.
　　　　
　　　　We first meet An Xin mopping up in the Beijing tae kwan do school where she works. Described as a “bumpkin” by the city slickers who practice there, she catches the eye of man-about-town Yang Rui (Yulong Liu), a young playboy who has a brand new Jeep, a Vuitton-obsessed girlfriend, and lots of cologne in his bathroom. It’s love at first sight for Yang Rui, but An Xin brushes him aside saying she’s not interested and hinting that she has many dark secrets. When he persists she even kicks him in the face, but she can’t shake him, and soon she’s succumbing to his charms as he swears off his gallivanting lifestyle.
　　　　
　　　　The jealous girlfriend, however, has hired a detective to track Yang Rui, and when his relationship with An Xin is revealed, she trumps up a corporate extortion charge against him, and he’s off to jail in an instant.
　　　　
　　　　To find out about An Xin’s secret past, a flashback transports us out west to a provincial town where we discover that she’s actually a cop involved in a Colombian jungle-style war again ultraviolent drug traffickers who challenge the police in frequent shootouts. She’s also engaged to newspaper reporter Tienjun (Jianbin Chen), who hates her career choice but can’t wait to marry her anyway.
　　　　
　　　　But then comes leading man number three, Mao Jie (Nicholas Tse), who also falls in love with An Xin and sweeps her off her feet while Tienjun is out of town. He doesn’t know she’s a cop, and she doesn’t know his family is in charge of the local drug trade, but it all becomes clear when the two meet each other on a ferryboat during an undercover sting. Oops. He’s arrested, his family is killed, and revenge is on the agenda. But she’s pregnant. With his baby. Oops again.
　　　　
　　　　From this point the film rushes back toward the present with enough death, destruction, and tears to fill the stage of the Metropolitan Opera for days. No one is spared, and it becomes kind of funny that An Xin’s boyfriends have told her she looks like the goddess of mercy figure she wears on a necklace. She’s more like the goddess of incredibly bad luck, at least for the men who fall in love with her.
　　　　
　　　　At the center of this wild storm is Vicky Zhao, who American audiences have seen in Shaolin Soccer and 2003’s high-tech girl-on-girl chopsocky fest So Close. She appears in virtually every scene and holds the film together. She’s one part Michelle Rodriguez (the girl can kick!) and one part Julianne Moore. In fact, it would be hard to pick any one American actress who could play the part were the film ever remade here.
　　　　
　　　　Overplotted though it may be, Goddess of Mercy pulls you in and sweeps you along, especially when An Xin’s impossibly cute toddler son is put in danger (and by his own father, no less). The film ends with images of Buddhist pilgrims chanting as they hike up the side of a Tibetan mountain. You kind of want to go along.
　　　　
　　　　Aka Yu guanyin, Jade Goddess of Mercy.
　　　　
　　
　　　　美国电影网站The Illminated Lantern评论：《玉观音》
　　　　
　　　　The Illuminated Lantern
　　　　Goddess of Mercy
　　　　Hong Kong , 2004
　　　　Directed by Ann Hui.
　　　　
　　　　
　　　　Yang Rui (Liu Yunlong) is a Beijing businessman and womanizing pig who tries to nail the plain-looking but attractive An Xin (Vicki Zhao) on a bet from a friend. Instead, he falls in love with her. She keeps her distance, due to a tragic past involving two lovers (Chen Jianbin and Nicholas Tse) and a son, whom she is raising by herself, much to Yang Rui's surprise. They try and make a life together before their pasts catch up with them.
　　　　
　　　　An Xin is given a jade necklace of Kwanyin, and is told she looks like the goddess in some way. In a way, she becomes the goddess to Yang Rui, who finds peace in his soul through her presence ("An Xin," we are told, also means "peace"). He makes a transformative journey in the film, while many of the others remain unable to break the bonds of their past mistakes.
　　　　
　　　　Director Ann Hui obviously has left her past behind her, GODDESS OF MERCY is the best film she has made in many years. As usual, she pulls excellent performances out of all her principle players; but beyond that, the cinematography is focused, the music adds depth without distracting, the script is clean, clear, and polished. Every aspect of the production is exceptional.
　　　　
　　　　GODDESS OF MERCY is a mostly dark and depressing film, though, which no doubt detracts from any popularity it might otherwise have had. The first line is, "This is the most depressing day of my life," and it doesn't get much better from there. The conclusion is as violent and bleak as they come. But An Xin has moments of happiness, we treasure those moments as they pass. And as her friend and former boss says at the end, "I don't understand Love. But I can understand hope." Sometimes, it is all we have.
　　　　
　　　　Rating: (Highly Recommended)
　　　　Posted by Peter Nepstad on January 03, 2005.
　　　　美国《非常电影指南》影评：《玉观音》
　　　　
　　　　Extraordinary Movie & Video Guide
　　　　Goddess of Mercy. Hong Kong 2004. Directed by Ann Hui
　　　　A beautiful female cop An Xin is fighting against drug war in China. An Xin has also an affair with man called Tienjun, but one day she falls in love with interesting fellow, Mao. Unfortunately Mao hasn't told everything about his past and present to her, and An Xin has to face the fatal consequences on duty.
　　　　
　　　　This summary above does not tell the whole truth about the plot in Goddess of Mercy. And there's a reason: otherwise sympathetic characters suffer of too complicated storyline, which makes them crucially uninteresting in the very end. Goddess of Mercy (aka Yu Guanyin) simply tells us a story of woman with (very) bad luck with choices she makes. In fact, most of the twists and turns are original and believable, but when all of it is crushed into less than two hours, comes an unfortunate effect that is fatal to overall feel and affection. And everything was fine for the first hour.
　　　　
　　　　Vicki Zhao (of Shaolin Soccer) is appealing actress to watch; she portrays the character of An Xin with professional touch. Also worth of mentioning is pop idol Nicholas Tse as Mao. Visually Goddess of Mercy looks very nice - especially the editing is top-notch. In other words : Goddess of Mercy will remain in my point of view as one of those "could've-beens" - otherwise really fine films, that have some importantly fatal elements that drop their value radically.
　　　　
　　　　Director Ann Hui (who was co-responsible of Chow Yun-Fat breakthrough in 1981 film God Killers aka "Woo yuet dik goo si", among other respectable things ) is at her best in character direction; she is able to find the right expressions and moods of actors and actresses. Too bad that Goddess of Mercy either lasts too long or it's plot should have been simplified. Or then it's my brains that aren't capable to follow to story.