One Last Dance （茶舞） - Review

(images courtesy of movieXclusive)

I finally did watch One Last Dance today and I must say that I was pleasantly surprise that the film was more than just decent. You might wonder why I would say something like that but if you know the history of films make by Mediacorp Raintree Pictures you'll know why. This is without a doubt the best film, or at least the best that I can remember, that has been produced by Raintree.

The film is slickly made and has artistic pretensions which mostly work. Although, on occasion, sadly, these pretensions have a tendency to feel a little too deliberate. Stylistically, I think the film looks pretty darn good. It follows film noir tradition and a huge portion of the film takes place at night or in-doors in low light. The film is also deliberately treated and has a gritty, grainy look and sometimes a rather interesting choice in hues. I wonder who did the post work on this film because doesn't look bad to me at all.

Like the film's poster suggests, the plot is like a jigsaw puzzle. And it begins with a series of scenes that seem inter-connected yet don't quite made sense and you quickly figure out that it isn't linear. And so you'll spend the rest of the film trying to make sense of it.

And it works because the director Max Makowski fills the middle with a whole section where things are told linearly and so this whole non-linear way of storytelling doesn't get obnoxious. He also uses the envelope motif quite well and it keeps the audience guessing. It also works because there are several rather amusing exchanges between some of the characters, most notably the exchange between T (Francis Ng) and a young girl named Gu (played by Salina Chung, I think).

But the most important reason why the middle section keeps the viewer interested is a fantastic performance from Francis Ng. He practically carried this entire film on this slim shoulders. His smoldering and intense glare is mesmerizing and yet when needed, he is able to smoothly and subtly introduce the variety of emotions that only a great actor is capable of.

The ending, when all is revealed is also smoothly done. It is both well paced and, clearly and stylistically told and is quite satisfying indeed. If you've not seen the movie, please do not make the mistake I did. Stay till the end of the credit roll because there is apparently a gem of a scene a the end and at this point in time, I have no idea what it is about. I might just have to see this film again and if I don't have the time or opportunity, then I'll just have to wait for the DVD release.

Unfortunately, there are several flaws that prevent this film from becoming a great film. Earlier I mentioned the sometimes borderline pretentious and deliberate artistic flourishes in this film. But that didn't trouble me quite as much, what did trouble me was that it sometimes just feels too much like a hybrid of a Quentin Tarantino - Johnnie To film. The quirky, amusing dialogue which have nothing to do with the plot at all and the multitude of strange, quirky characters who only appear for a brief moment bear all the trademarks of a Tarantino film. The overall look of the film, the pacing, the storytelling, the wardrobe and even the score remind me of either a Johnnie To film or a Milkyway Image production and Hong Kong films in general. And perhaps my familiarity with these genres and styles made it difficult for me to feel that they meshed well together at all.

It was also a pity that the main female character Mae was played by Vivian Hsu whom I've never liked as an actress. Yes, she is hampered by a limited character but I don't think she did enough to give this character any kind of depth even when she had the opportunity to. And I do think it is possible to make the audience really connect with this character. After all, if Carina Lau and Ada Choi can do it in films like Infernal Affairs 2 and Once Upon a Time in Triad Society 2, I certainly don't see it as a valid excuse. Hsu was simply the wrong actress to use. In fact, I even dare to suggest the use of one of our local Mediacorp actresses. Yes, I do believe that there is some quality in the local MCS actresses unlike what one review of One Last Dance implied, I don't believe that MCS actresses are necessarily mediocre. I feel that someone like Cynthia Koh, for example, would probably made this character come to life. And why do I go on and on about it? It is simply because, this character, though small and limited, is important because she means a great deal to T and the audience has to feel that she is worth his attention and Hsu just didn't bring any of that across.

I also wasn't 100% in love with Joseph Quek's (Ko) performance. He is actually good if one considers how inexperience he is but unfortunately, he's no Sam Lee or Chapman To. Picky old me just wishes a little bit that he was.

On the whole though, I think this is a pretty good film. It has high production values that are maintained throughout and it does hold one's attention. It has a relatively smart script and it is mostly well directed. While it has its hiccups, they do not detract from the overall quality of the film. Local audiences might find some additional amusement from picking out local celebrities like Chen Tianwen, Zzen, Zhou Chongqing and Hossan Leung or even Paerin Choa who might be familiar to those who have seen the short clip "Dao Gay" Not Enough. Local audiences might also find how Singapore was shot in the film interesting as they kept it so nondescript most of the time, you wouldn't know it was Singapore at all except for a few recognisable landmarks like the bridge who's name I can't recall and road signs that say Tiong Poh Road.