Jack Neo is one of the more well-known Singaporean directors as his films are usually colloquial and close to the heart. That is probably one of the reasons why his films are usually released in Singapore and only enjoy good box office results locally.
I have watched a couple of his films, and this film is very much like his style, with slapstick humour and subtle mocking of people like MM Lee and Singapore’s education system. Mixing dialects with Chinese, his films are very understandable to the older generation of Singaporeans, who are not as fluent in Chinese or English.
One thing I noticed about the film is its usage of animation to portray certain scenes like, the opening titles of the street showing the credits and foreshadowing a little of the plot that is about to unfold. Also, there are fight scenes where potentially graphic parts are substituted with animation instead of showing real life actors being fatally injured. Personally, this makes me more aware that I’m watching a film as it often takes out the most exciting part. Perhaps it has to do with censorship.
There are many songs written specially for the film, like the “Ah Long” song and a sad song to depict the misery and misunderstandings people have of these loansharks. I personally like the song written to urge people to return their money. The combination of music with debt collecting is an interesting mix that brings joy and laughter.
Mark Lee’s character, Mr Fang, is an extremist character who makes us doubt his sexuality with his interest in dancing, designing and rather feminine actions. His character also functions as the narrative voice in the omniscient VO that fills in the audience with details like Li Hua’s gang’s background. This use of a narrator helps to shorten time frames and aids in going a long way to plant expositions and reveal deeper issues during the film itself.
Since the film is very much directed at the general audience of Singapore, it is not aimed to be complicated with many plot lines. The main plot will be the struggle between the two gangs. The sub plot will be the love story between Mr Fang and Li Hua. Another sub plot which suddenly intersects with the main plot is the group of teenagers who bring the loansharks to justice eventually.
It’s just my take but I think that perhaps Neo’s earlier portrayal of the loansharks’ difficulties in his film, might prove too sympathetic for many, hence the need for a serious ending that does not approve of loansharks and their behaviour in hurting the innocent in a bid to collect their money back. Even though most of the film is comedic and humorous, ending on this note helps to educate and inform the public.
The dangling cause of the photographer who continually appears at almost every scene and the little girl who later proved to be an important cause of the loansharks being brought to justice keeps the audience curious as they do not understand why these people are given screen time when they seem like minor characters in the film.
The character of Mr Fang is quite fleshed out as in an argument, he reveals that his father was killed by loansharks and it resulted in his hormonal imbalance and inability to cope with the feminine side of himself. Even though he behaves in an exaggerated way, the audience find themselves laughing at him and he often provides relief from the seriousness inherent in a film about gangs. Establishing his background as a creative person also helps to create believability as he teaches the loansharks how to write better I Owe You posters and spray paint like a work of art.
The build up towards the climax is very interesting. A major turning point came when Qing Long Gang betrayed them and actually used durians to attack them. Another is when it is revealed that Li Hua’s boss betrayed her and worked with Qing Long Gang in order to get back the position he first chose to give to Li Hua. As with most films, that is not all, because the last turning point is the little girl and other youths who want justice done because their family members have been harmed. This constantly keeps the audience engaged and interested in the film.
References:
http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/02/ah-long-pte-ltd.html
http://www.thebestmoviereview.com/movie/asian-movies/2008/30432/ah-long-pte-ltd
http://www.moviexclusive.com/cd/ahlongpteltd%20dvd.htm
http://moviesreviewblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/ah-long-pte-ltd.html
http://twitchfilm.com/reviews/2008/02/review-of-ah-long-pte-ltd.php
No comments:
Post a Comment