Movie Review: From Vegas To Macau/賭城風雲

I admit I was really looking forward to From Vegas To Macau/賭城風雲.

The trailer tends, except for its very end, to portray the film as much more serious than in fact it actually is.

It is serious. But it also isn’t.

During Chinese New Year, I give films a big amount of leeway in the silliness department.

It seems to be an expected part of the film, just like the shot at the end when most or all of the cast say “Kung Hey Fat Choi!”

From Vegas To Macau/賭城風雲 is definitely a New Year movie and definitely a Wong Jing movie.

Like the cities of Las Vegas and Macau, the film’s strong point isn’t subtlety.

The film is assaultive.

Thanks in no small part to Chapman To’s scene-chewing, much of From Vegas To Macau/賭城風雲 literally hits you.

More than once I found myself recoiling from the volume, the colors, and the dialog.

But again, it’s Chinese New Year, and that means movies are going to be more over the top than the British at the Battle of Verdun.

From Vegas To Macau/賭城風雲 isn’t designed or intended to win a Golden Horse award.

It’s designed to make Wong Jing money. On that level, it will no doubt succeed.

I enjoyed this movie more implicitly than explicitly; if I ever watch it again, it will be during Chinese New Year, because that really is the best time to see it.

I loved it for the way it upholds so many traditions; the Chinese New Year movie, Wong Jing’s commercial instincts, lowbrow humor, exploitation of the female figure, whiplash-inducing shifts between melodrama and nearly childish humor…

and Michael Wong.

Any film with Michael Wong in it is better than the film would be if he weren’t in it.

And speaking of traditions, he plays a cop.

Again.

Nicolas Tse plays a quiet young gambler who wants to become Chow Yun Fat’s protege.

But not his son-in-law.

Kimmy Tong plays the daughter in question, who does want him to be the son in law.

Can you blame her?

Chapman To play’s Nic’s cousin Karl, a loud-mouthed but good-hearted sidekick.

He wants to become the son-in-law. Kimmy doesn’t.

Can you blame her?

Philip Ng plays Chan, Nicolas’ half brother, in a role that I wish was longer, if only because he gets to do quite a lot of non-martial arts action, and he’s so good at it that it’s just fun to watch.

Gao Hu plays Ko, an egomaniacal criminal who naturally loves to gamble.

Jing Tian plays Luo Xin, a Mainland cop who is out to get Ko.

And someone else.

Chow Yun Fat has aged, but he has aged well.

That million-dollar smile can still light up a scene, and even the wildly incongruous romantic subplot seems unusually plausible, simply because he’s Chow Yun Fat.

And she’s a young woman with a fake chin.

It was fun to watch him roller-coaster his way through the film, one minute showing his considerable dramatic muscle and the next descending into insane, abrasive comic farce.

He’s surrounded by familiar faces; plentiful cameos are another Chinese New Year tradition.

I was (as always) glad to see Natalie Meng Yao.

She’s doing women’s health education in a new PSA.

Benz Hui, Michelle Hu Ran, Winnie Leung, Sammy Sum and Tony Ho all appear in roles of varying size.

Winnie Leung checks the size of Tony’s role.

From Vegas To Macau/賭城風雲  isn’t a great film, but it was a very enjoyable cinematic experience for me.

It’s an entertaining movie, which is, I am pretty sure, the goal. It certainly seemed to hit all the marks for the audience I saw it with.

If you have a chance to see this movie in the cinema, go do it.

Play my new Hong Kong movie game “Where in the Movie is Jane Wong?”

She’s in there, and she’s definitely noticeable.

I know quite a number of people who had small parts in this movie, and they all said Chow Yun Fat was incredibly gracious, generous, affable and polite to virtually everyone on set. It’s nice to know someone of his stature is so down-to-earth.

I doubt Robert DeNiro would ever be that generous.

Unless you’re a black woman…

Speaking of generosity,  I was given tickets to the Hong Kong premiere of this film by a person who is so kind, generous (and pretty) that I often wonder why on earth she even speaks to someone like me, much less does such nice things for me.  

I’m not being funny. I really don’t understand.

But I am profoundly grateful. So thank you.