337. The Bold, The Corrupt and The Beautiful; movie review
THE BOLD, THE CORRUPT AND THE BEAUTIFUL
Cert 15
112 mins
BBFC advice: Contains sexual violence, strong sex
Perhaps I am just enveloped in a bad mood because of the Covid-19 restrictions but I just don't seem to be getting the usual joy out of watching movies.
The Bold, The Corrupt and The Beautiful has been much lauded as a complex thriller which gets under the skin of life in Taiwan.
But I found it demanded such deep concentration that I struggled to keep up with its twists and turns.
Was I just being thick? Apparently, not according to the report in the Tapei Times which states: "With nobody really meaning what they say, this film may be initially confusing for some but the superb acting and chilling plot make it a must-see — even if you have to watch it twice."
On one hand, I was pleased that I wasn't losing too much of my edge in the fog of lockdown lethargy but on the other, I felt a bit peeved that any film would require two views.
When you watch hundreds of pictures a year, you don't have time for cross-examination.
Director Yang Ya-che deliberately leaves much to the imagination in his tale of mystery and murder among Taiwan's elite.
Indeed, one of the key elements is only seen in occasional flashbacks from witnesses.
His film stars teenager Vicky Chen as a shy dreamer who lives in the shadow of her much older and more flamboyant sister (Patty Wu).
They are daughters of the machiavellian antique dealer (Kara Hui) who does whatever it takes to maintain friends in high places.
The movie's question is whether she or the daughters involved in the aforementioned killing and if so, why?
There is no doubt that there are compelling performances and the foundation of a quality thriller here.
But I wish I had known how much concentration it required from the get-go. If I had I wouldn't have required a second screening to give me fuller understanding.
Reasons to watch: A decent twisting thriller
Reasons to avoid: Needs very close attention
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10
Did you know? Taiwan is the 28th least corrupt nation out of 180 countries, according to the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International.
The final word. Kara Hui: "I gave a lot for this film. I even spent HKD 20,000 on singing lessons for the movie, and took only a quarter of my normal pay to do the movie due to the budget limits." Yahoo! Life
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