Bodies at Rest (2019) Review

“Bodies at Rest” Theatrical Poster

Director: Renny Harlin 
Cast: Nick Cheung Ka-Fai, Richie Ren Xian-Qi, Yang Zi, Feng Jia-Yi, Carlos Chan Ka-Lok, Ma Shu-Liang, Ou-Yang Ching, Roger Kwok Chun-On, Ron Ng Cheuk-Hai
Running Time: 94 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Back in the 90’s it seemed like Renny Harlin was destined to become one of the great action movie directors working in Hollywood. Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and The Long Kiss Goodnight all deserve a mention in any conversation around the best Hollywood has to offer from the 90’s action genre, but alas Harlin’s hot streak wasn’t sustainable. Like many a director, diminishing box office returns, combined with one epic flop in the form of the ironically titled Cutthroat Island, soon saw the big budget offers drying up. As the 90’s came to a close, in the post-millennium world Harlin can be found helming WWE Studios flicks like the 2009 John Cena actioner 12 Rounds, or the B-movie version Brett Ratner’s Hercules from 2014, The Legend of Hercules, released the same year (and definitely minus Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson).

Luck was on the Finnish directors side though, as in 2016 he was hired to direct Jackie Chan in Skiptrace. Despite pairing Chan up with one-time Jackass Johnny Knoxville, Skiptrace was primarily a Chinese production, and upon its release it went straight to number 1 in the Chinese box-office. It may not have provided Harlin with a Hollywood come back, but it didn’t need to, as he suddenly found himself inundated with offers from Chinese studios to direct their movies. Not only did Harlin decide to accept several of the offers, in 2017 he packed his bags and re-located to Beijing, ready to embrace the Chinese market where his name could still be used as a selling point.

Straight out of the gates he directed the messy fantasy flick Legend of the Ancient Sword (which bombed almost as hard as Cutthroat Island), and while it was still in post-production, he started filming on the single location thriller Bodies at Rest. The script for Bodies at Rest was floating around in Hollywood for a long time, written by David Lesser it was eventually picked up by the head of China’s Wanda Pictures in 2013, who had it translated to Chinese. When Harlin came onboard, the Chinese script was then re-translated back to English, changed and translated back into Chinese, and eventually landed onscreen in 2019. The final version was based on a mandate Harlin was given to create something that was (in his own words) “like a Hollywood film that happens to be told in Chinese and set in Hong Kong.”

Oddly enough, that’s exactly how I’d describe Bodies at Rest, which initally makes for a somewhat unsettling experience until you gradually tune into its wavelength. Almost like a distant cousin of Die Hard 2, Bodies at Rest takes place on a rain-soaked Christmas Eve in a morgue attended to by Nick Cheung (The Trough, Helios) playing the resident forensic pathologist and an intern from the Mainland, played by Yang Zi (Papa, Insistence). Working the late shift and celebrating Christmas together with a microwave pizza, their night is interrupted by the arrival of three masked men, led by Richie Ren (Trivisa, Seoul Raiders), who demand the pair retrieve an incriminating bullet from the body of a woman who recently arrived. Suspecting the masked men to be more than just criminals (non-spoiler: they’re corrupt cops!), Cheung and Zi end up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse as they try to stay alive and reveal the truth.

This is exactly the kind of movie that Harlin excelled at in the 90’s, and despite the presence of smartphones and hi-tech devices, it feels like it could have been made straight after he wrapped filming Die Hard 2. As an interesting side-note, the promotional posters for the movie proudly proclaim, “From the director of Die Hard 2”, seemingly ignoring the likes of more recent efforts like Skiptrace. But considering the likes of Vanguard can promote itself as being “From the director and star of Police Story 3: Supercop”, I suppose it’s not that much different. Taking place almost entirely within the confines of the morgue, Harlin seems to be having a good time, and even manages to throw in a reference to his A Long Kiss Goodnight co-star Samuel L. Jackson.

Nick Cheung is his usual charismatic self, and although his acting chops are barely stretched, as the everyman forced to fight back against a ruthless enemy, he captures the essence of John McClane more than Bruce Willis was able to muster in the abysmal A Good Day to Die Hard. Likewise for Richie Ren, who remains one of the most underused actors in Hong Kong. His villain maybe little more than that, a villain, but within the context of the narrative that’s all the character calls for, and he makes a convincing transition from cool and calculating to increasingly aggravated and desperate as the plot progresses. 

While the initial setup of good guys versus the bad guys moves along at a brisk pace, it’s also distinctly run-of-the-mill in its execution, mainly consisting of Cheung, Zi, and the security guard played by Ma Shu-Liang (Reign of Assassins) finding various ways to escape from the villainous trio. However Harlin shows he still has a skilled hand when it comes to ramping up the tension and scale, with Bodies at Rest developing into an entertaining if unambitious action flick the more it progresses. For the most part the confines of the morgue keep the action small scale and grounded, which works because it’s kept almost entirely practical, without any horrendous CGI (discounting the finale, where the dreaded CGI fire rears its ugly head in the most unforgivable way). 

Harking back to an era before superheroes and bombastic special effects, Bodies at Rest relies on characters being smashed through glass, whole rooms being trashed as bodies are thrown everywhere, and utilising MacGyver like instincts to turn the environment into an advantage. The action is choreographed by Sam Wong, who was responsible for choreographing 90’s HK staples like Unmatchable Match and Body Weapon. Similarly favouring a Hollywood aesthetic over the distinctive Hong Kong style, the action is scrappy and energetic, more John McClane versus Karl (if you know you know!) than what you’d typically expect from a HK action flick. It works in its favour though, blending well with the overall 90’s Hollywood feel of Bodies at Rest, and once Harlin picks up the pace he doesn’t let it slow down, delivering a steady stream of action beats. 

Where things fall down is in the script department, a likely side effect of going through so many changes. Thanks to its brisk run time Bodies at Rest earns a lot of good will, however anyone who thinks about it for more than a few seconds will be able to pick plenty of holes in the plot. The biggest one is the inclusion of Carlos Chan (Integrity) as one of the trio after the missing bullet, who’s giggling trigger happy psycho (his character even shows an urge to indulge in necrophilia at one point) makes it laughable to believe he could actually be a cop. Don’t get me started on the way Richie Ren holds his gun sideways like he just stepped out of Pulp Fiction. We also learn that Cheung’s wife was murdered, a throwaway detail that only seems to be there to act as a tenuous connection to Richie Ren’s character, and plays a role in the bombastic finale.

Still, these factors aren’t enough to prevent Bodies at Rest from being an entertaining diversion. Refreshingly no characters are assumed safe, with certain members of the cast being killed off unexpectedly, and it should be noted that as Cheung’s assistant Zi more than holds her own. Harlin crafts a finale that’s the most unabashedly Hollywood element of everything that’s been thrown at us so far, cramming in a ridiculous (unfortunately) CGI explosion, an escape that’s as saccharine as it is cheesy, and even a hint at romance between Cheung’s and Zi’s characters. It feels like all that’s missing is Zi punching a reporter in the face.

Overall Harlin’s third Chinese production proves a charm, easily surpassing both Skiptrace and Legend of the Ancient Sword in entertainment value, and its perhaps telling that it’s the smallest production of the three. Successfully blending Hollywood tropes with Hong Kong locales, it may not break any new ground or even be remembered that long after watching, but unlike most characters that appear in Bodies at Rest, Harlin has proved he’s not dead yet.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10