"Awakening" Chinese DVD Cover
Director: Cha Chuen Yee
Writer: Chung Oi-Fan, Rico Chung Kai-Cheong, Lam Kee-To
Producer: Cha Chuen-Yee, Rico Chung Kai-Cheong
Cast: Anita Lee Yuen Wah, Carman Lee Yeuk Tung, Tam Suk Mui, Anthony Wong Chau Sang, Simon Yam Tat Wah
Running Time: 92 min.
By Gwailo
Simon Yam is a man tormented by the past. He blames con man/feng shui master/sorcerer Anthony Wong for “dragging his wife and kid to death.” In turn, yam elicits some of his own hocus pocus to get revenge and sets out to debunk bunko artist Wong whose gaining fame and fortune exploiting societies theological consciousness
Hardcore category III stalwarts Wong and Yam, in their first teaming since 1992’s Full Contact, drift into this Cat II off the wall offering and pull off a stunt. Awakening is a wholly enjoyable and entertaining, if largely muddled and confusing, horror flick that’s actually hard to believe it received the rating it did. The film has numerous Cat III sensibilities leaning toward sex, violence, and ill humor, including but not limited to, AIDS jokes.
Director Cha Chun Yee’s (Once Upon in Triad Society I, II) film is nothing short of insane. It runs around like a 7 year old with AD-HD- it’s all over the place. As Wong su ffers a reversal of fortune and Yam gains notoriety, camp and mayhem ensue. Wong’s wife gives birth to a baby doll with a beard, Wong’s mistress turns out to be a man, his daughter has a Randy “Macho Man” Savage doll she calls uncle, and i’m unsure if this was intentional or just a flubtitle, but at one point in the movie Wong picks up a PR chick who calls him “pock man”- of course referring to the actors Edward James Olmosian-like face. Intended or not I almost pissed myself.
Awakening is an erratic, anarchic, outlandish flick fueled by camp and hammy acting by scenery chewing stars Wong and Yam. I’m uncertain at what the film proposes, if anything, in the way of social comment, possibly on the excesses of organized religion and society being easily duped by the unknown, but at films end the two mystics shake hands and vow to rid the world of false prophets. While Awakening may not be for all pallets, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. That’s a good thing.
Gwailo’s Rating: 8/10
