Tuesday, 4 September 2012

Tie saam gok (Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark & Johnnie To, 2007)

Triangle is a comic-tinged crime pic in which three friends attempt to run off with buried antique treasure while being pursued by various other interested parties including a corrupt cop, a cheating wife and a bunch of gangsters. It's directed in half-hour chunks by a triumvirate of Hong Kong's biggest action directors, one handing over to the next. The last, Johnnie To, perhaps best known internationally for his punchy 2005 Triad thriller Election, has a lot to wrap up in the last part, which he manages with considerable panache, including a series of bizarre multiple Mexican stand-offs.
As interesting an experiment as it is, the film's shortcomings are pretty much a direct result of the multiple helmsmanship. Hark sets down far too many sub-plots in the first part and thereby lumbers the other two with the unwelcome task of having to resolve them while moving the story on, which doesn't leave much room for build-up of substance or tension. It does look rather stunning, though, having prudently kept the same cinematographer throughout.

5/10

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