“Easy Money” Theatrical Poster
Director: Stephen Shin
Cast: George Lam Chi-Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, Kent Cheng Jak-Si, Ku Feng, Dennis Chan Kwok-San, Chan Ging, Blacky Ko Shou-Liang, Lo Hung
Running Time: 92 min.
By Numskull
Easy Money is a lot of things. It’s the 6th film in which Michelle Yeoh appeared, and the 4th in which she had the lead role. It’s the last film she made before marrying producer Dickson Poon (whom she divorced five years later). It’s a big departure from the ass-kicking image she cultivated over the space of just a few previous films. It’s a combination of light-hearted drama, romance, and a little bit of comedy. And, last but certainly not least, it’s also… pretty boring.
After swiping a fortune to complement the one she already has (you can tell she’s rich because this is an ’80s movie and she carries a “portable” phone the size of a cinder block), Ling Young (Yeoh) treats herself to a tour of Europe, visiting London, Switzerland, and France, for starters. Between those locations and the snobby side of Hong Kong, there’s an abundance of lip-flapping gwailos to be found. I’d say “I see white people… all the time” in a scared little boy voice, but there’s some sitcom about black guys living in the suburbs that already did that.
For such a high-profile crime, you’d think they would assign some competent law enforcement officials to the case. Not so. Inspector Cheng has a gambling problem and flies off the handle without apology, and private dick Lam becomes infatuated with the very woman he is supposed to be helping to bring to justice. He knows what she’s done, and once they’ve spent some time together, it’s clear that she knows that he knows, too. He hopes to persuade her to give in to her guilty conscience (she’s far from heartless, as her facial expression indicates when Lam gets beaten up by police as a result of her childish games) and return the money to its rightful owners.
Most of the film isn’t quite so Leave-It-To-Beaver-ish, but it’s still pretty sappy. Whether or not you foolishly associate Hong Kong cinema exclusively with violence is irrelevant; half way through this thing, you’ll be aching for some bloodshed to liven things up. Easy Money is reasonably well-made, but it’s just not much fun to watch. In fact, I won’t even spoil the ending for you… because you shouldn’t care anyway.
Numskull’s Rating: 4/10
