Unrated
I made the
mistake of assuming this was a sequel to the hit comedy of errors, Lost in Thailand, and was excited to see
the return of the same characters in a new situation. This is not the case,
instead actor/director Xu Zheng merely carries over thematic similarities from Lost in Thailand and the 2010 film, Lost on Journey, which he starred in
without directing. Lost in Hong Kong
provides us with new characters and original comedy of errors while on vacation
in an unfamiliar city. While I didn’t find it to be as amusing or engaging as
the last outing, there are many clever moments referencing the tradition of
slapstick comedy being blended with action and large scale stunts, even finding
time to cram in a bit of sentimentality near the end.
This time around Zheng stars as Lai Xu, an art
student whose dreams are dashed by the reality of life. Though he imagined
himself with a pretty art student named Yi Yang (Du Juan), their relationship
is comically interrupted before they ever consummate it with so much as a kiss.
Lai also fancies himself having a successful career as a painter, but instead
ends up working as a brassiere designer married to the daughter of his boss, Bo
Cai (Zhao Wei). Ten years after his optimistic days in college, Lai feels
trapped by his unglamorous life and smothered by his in-laws eager demands for
offspring. When his former college sweetheart sends him an invitation to one of
her art shows in Hong Kong , Lai sees an
opportunity to reunite with his former flame while on a work vacation with his
family.
There is some
difficulty in having a protagonist whose main objective is to sneakily fulfill
an adulterous fantasy behind his wife’s back, but Lost in Hong Kong overcomes this by overwhelming the story with
chaotic obstacles along the way. The first comes in the form of Lai’s teenage
brother-in-law, Lala Cai (Bao Bei-Er), an obviously character stand-in for Wang
Baoqiang’s good-natured goofball in Lost
in Thailand, even sporting a similar haircut. Lala insists on tagging along
with Lai during the time that he hopes to rendezvous with his college
sweetheart, filming his brother-in-law as an unwilling subject for a
documentary. This is only the beginning of Lai’s problems when Lala’s filming
accidentally captures a murder carried out by corrupt police.
The movie
devolves into violent slapstick as the unlikely pair are forced to work
together in an effort to stay alive through the series of mishaps, ending with
an acrobatic showdown over the edge of a skyscraper. The biggest problem with
the crime aspects of the narrative is how long the main characters remain
completely oblivious to their involvement. Most of the time that they are being
hunted down is spent in oblivious debate over the morality of Lai’s urge to
cheat on his wife, when this is easily the least entertaining aspect of the
film.
Many have
criticized this film for imitating the comedic action style of Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer), though just as much credit is owed to Jackie Chan
and the third-act sentimentality that seems to be Zheng’s personal touch to the
sub-genre. These films are not masterpieces, but it is easy to understand why
the mixed bag of spectacle is such a successful crowd pleaser in the Chinese
box office. The Blu-ray special features include a making-of featurette,
blooper reel and the film’s trailer.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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