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Black & White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault
A prequel to a popular Taiwanese television show, Black & White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault subscribes to the Michael Bay school of film-making: it's loud and brash, full of dumb characters whose main purpose seems to be running from explosions. Like many of Bay's films, Black & White is also far too long, clocking in at almost two and a half hours. But, thankfully, director Tsai Yueh-Hsun manages to stick some actual fun into the proceedings. In the film, Mark Chao stars as Ying-Xiong Wu, your typical hot-headed cop seen so many times in films like this. Wu's tactics get him into hot water with his superiors and suspended from the force, but he's unintentionally drawn into protecting Dafu (Huang Bo), a gangster on the run after a diamond heist. And thus, hilarity and action ensues, at least for the most part.
Black & White's main problem is that it takes itself too seriously at points. This should just be a dumb buddy action/comedy, but Tsai Yueh-Hsun (who also wrote the script) seems to not know when to pull things back, adding far too many characters and plot points into the mix. In the end, there are five sets of enemies after our intrepid duo, which comes off as excessive, even in a already over the top film. It doesn't help that the acting for these supporting characters isn't very good, especially Hong Kong actress/model Angelababy, who once again verifies her "jade vase" status in Asian cinema. Despite its flaws, when Black & White is doing what it does best -- blowing shit up real good -- it's a fun (if totally brainless) ride. There is a polish and slickness present here missing from many Asian releases, when even the bigger budget stuff can pale next to their Hollywood counterparts. For better or worse, Tsai Yueh-Hsun shows that Taiwanese film-makers can do popcorn audience fare as well as anywhere else. RATING: 6 |
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