GOOD QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT. AND "VENGEANCE".

One doesn’t have to watch “deep and meaningful” movies the whole time. Sometimes one just needs to watch something predictable and soppy.You need a strong hero, overcoming baddies, with some nice adventures in the middle. I definitely do. But my point is, while you are at it, you might as well watch “soppy” films by a good director with good actors in it. Try Vengeance. One of the latest examples of this kind of film is “Vengeance” by the famous Hong Kong born director Johnnie To starring acting legend Johnny Hallyday. This film is most definitely top quality Saturday night entertainment. (Incidentally, kill the prejudices! French newspapers are almost unanimous in proclaiming Johnny Hallyday’s performance in Vengeance the best come-back they have seen for a long time)

François Costello is an ex hired assassin turned restauranteur. He has a nice restaurant on the Chaps Elysées in Paris, his daughter is married and settled in Macau with two adorable children, in short he is getting ready for an eventless retirement. These plans are dashed when he receives the news that unknown gunmen have broken into his daughter’s house, seriously injured her and murdered the rest of her family. He flies over to Macau and visits his daughter in hospital. She begs him to avenge her, and he vows to do it. So, using 20 years of experience and a couple of “new friends” he makes in the Triade mafia clan, he sets to work… There is a catch to these proceedings however… A catch that seriously risks derailing the whole process and costing many lives…

Now, once you have read the subject I can promise you that the story goes exactly the way you think it will. I mean when isn’t there a “catch” that risks derailing things, honestly… However, this “catch” is a lot more elegant than your average “catch”. There are clues about it right from the beginning although they make very little sense. Then it suddenly surfaces and the film almost becomes something totally different. But then it doesn’t at the last minute. Anyway, this elegance is a basic characteristic of the film. Johnnie To is evidently very much at home on his “home turf” (a lot of the second half of the story takes place in Hong Kong). So even though the film is a gangster film it is most definitely A “Triade” film if you see what I mean. And not many of those exist over here in the West! But I’m not only talking about the subject matter but also the direction the story takes (will make more sense if you watch it) and the technical side of it : certain shots, the lighting, the esthetics of the film in general. But don’t worry – it’s not overbearing if you see what I mean. No wonder Johnnie To was nominated for a Golden Palm at Cannes this year for it.

In short, it is a very nice change without pushing the system too much…