33. Ping Pong; movie review

 

PING PONG

Cert PG

100 mins

BBFC advice: TBA

Breakthrough movies sometimes fail to pass the test of time, and I'm afraid that is the case with Po-Chih Leong's Ping Pong.

This was the first film to focus on the British-Chinese community and its complexities, but its dialogue is stilted by modern standards and rushes too quickly from scene to scene.

In 1986, when the movie was released, cinema-goers only knew Chinese actors for their roles in action, particularly in martial arts films.

Ping Pong is an entirely different type of movie and focuses on the lifestyle and intra-family wrangles in London's Chinatown.

It stars Lucy Sheen as the clerk of a law firm tasked with executing the will of a restaurateur, Sam Wong (K.C. Leong), who is found dead in a phone box.

Despite her heritage, Sheen's character, Elaine, cannot speak any Chinese languages, so she finds herself at odds with the beneficiaries even before she begins her work.

She also faces the complication of family members refusing to talk to each other because of a longstanding, unresolved argument.

However, she refuses to be intimidated and insists on adhering to her client's wishes.

The backdrop is interesting, and the aim laudable, but the delivery of Ping Ping is well below par.

For example, Elaine delivers her lines in a strange monotone as she toughs it out with influential family members, including an estranged son, played by David Yip.

Yip's character is bizarrely underplayed, even though he is the new head and has a history of playing hardball.

The movie offers a pinch of nostalgia with its 1980s references and shows the clash of cultures within Chinatown.

But I was left unexpectedly unmoved by a film which has been so highly acclaimed.

Reasons to watch: Rare British/Chinese movie

Reasons to avoid: Badly stilted dialogue

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 5.5/10

Did you know? Elaine Choi's visit to the Mandarin Star Chinese takeaway was filmed in a restaurant of the same name in Munster Road, Fulham. It was still open 35 years later but closed permanently recently.

The final word. David Yip: "When I was first given the script to read, I was so excited because there for the first time, it could explain...British/Chinese culture."

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