Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of He Lives By Night; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25
Direction: 1.50
Pace: 1.25
Acting: 1.50
Enjoyment: 1.50
TOTAL: 7 out of 10.00
He Lives By Night is a superb Dark Thriller with comedic elements. It tells the story of Sissy, a radio DJ and sometimes reporter. She stumbles into the ongoing investigation of strangled females in the city. The only clue the police possess is the victims' white stockings, which asphyxiated them. As the nights in Hong Kong pass, more women expire as they fall foul of the stocking strangler. It doesn't take long before Sissy finds herself on the mysterious throttler's hit list. Will she solve the secret of the crime before the killer chokes the last breath from her body?
Writer Kin Lo adds to this thriller a dark and twisted modus vivendi for the killer - well, back in the early 80s, some people still considered it deviant for a man to dress as a woman, and it's still frowned upon in some cultures and religions. But if you ignore the idea that being a transvestite meant you were likely to be an aberrant psychopath, you'll get along fine with the concept that the transvestite could be your regular type of psycho: And the women's clothes didn't turn them into Los Locos. Lo also scatters in a sprinkling of humour. Though I wouldn't say He Lives By Night is a comedy, it certainly has its funnier moments. Like the concept of the oddball romance of rotund police chief Dragon and the tomboy reporter and radio DJ Sissy. These two are seriously mismatched, and it's Dragon's persistence and actions to woo and win Sissy that possesses the most humour. Many of the comedic scenes are smile producers; there are only a few that may tickle you enough to make you laugh out loud.
What I enjoyed most about this production was Po-Chih Leong's direction. He has an excellent eye for composition, and the first murder displays this thoroughly. A woman walks home alone, and we watch her as she approaches a few lines of pegged-out washing. But this isn't your usual washing line of shirts, trousers, and various smalls. Leong has, in rotation, arranged a profusion of red and yellow sheets on the washing lines. The colours scream a warning of danger and the viewers know something nasty is about to happen. He plays the pace and the camera angles flawlessly to create a sense of tension, dread, and fear. And when the victim's inevitable murder is complete, you will have witnessed a beautifully designed and captured killing. Leong, also knows that less is more. Not every scene is as stylised, and that's a great thing because it stops the audience from becoming complacent with the cinematography. He also possesses the skill to add visual comedic elements. Such as the segment where Sissy initially and actually stumbles across the case. Leong gives the audience some humourous shadows, which are a homage and a parody of Alfred Hitchcock's famous side profile. I particularly liked the scene when Sissy steps out of the shower room. You see her posing sexily in the bathroom doorway. But things aren't as they appear. The sensual image is merely a novelty swinging door. It was easy to imagine Leong seeing the swing door in a shop and thinking - I could use that.
The cast is first-rate, and each gives a more than credible and enjoyable performance. I particularly like Kent Cheng as Dragon. He owns a presence made for the screen. You feel confident that when he's on-screen that all will be well. Add to this the chemistry he has with Sylvia Chang, who plays his reluctant love interest, Sissy, and you have a charming and delightfully bizarre coupling that can't fail to entertain.
I am amazed at how few people have watched He Lives By Night. I would easily recommend it to all movie lovers. It's a dark thriller that is sometimes funny and always expertly filmed, thanks to the writer, director, cast and crew. So if you get the chance to watch the movie, do yourself a favour, and don't miss the opportunity.
Take Off those white fishnets because you're not going out tonight. No, you're going to check out my Killer Thriller Chillers and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where I ranked He Lives By Night.
Take Care & Stay Well.
