| Director: | Ann Hui |
|---|---|
| Production: | Pearl City Films |
| Running Time: | 92’ |
| Language: | Cantonese |
| Country: | Hong Kong |
| Year: | 1981 |
| Main Cast: | Yun-fat Chow, Cherie Chung, Lieh Lo, Cora Miao, Richard Kim, Kam-tong Tong, Ying-fat Lam |
| Screenplay: | Alfred Cheung, Kang-Chien Chiu |
| Cinematographer: | Bill Wong |
| Editor: | Yee-shun Wong |
| Production Designer: | Tony Au |
| Costume Designer: | Shui-lin Lo |
| Music: | Violet Lam |
| Sound: | Kwok-wah Ng |
| Restoration: | M Plus Museum Limited |
| Laboratory: | Cineric Portugal |
|---|
Depicting the plight of Vietnamese refugees in the form of an action thriller and as the second work in Ann Hui’s Vietnam Trilogy, Woo Yuet dik goo si follows Woo Viet, a Vietnamese veteran who reunites with his long-time pen pal Li Lap-Quan in a refugee camp in Hong Kong. There, he meets and develops a relationship with fellow refugee Shum Ching. The pair attempts to flee to the United States but ends up stranded in Manila’s Chinatown, where local triads force Shum into prostitution and make Woo work as a hired assassin.
By setting its two main characters adrift, the film foreshadows the themes of displacement and wandering that preoccupy Hui’s later works. Hui successfully infuses the assassin genre with a serious social message, distinguishing herself as the New Wave director most adept at navigating the balance between commercial viability and artistic expression.
I had discussed this idea with other directors at Radio Television Hong Kong when I was filming Si Ji San Ha: Loi Hak. I felt the topic “visitors from outside Hong Kong” could reflect Hong Kong as a place. I still wanted to tackle the same subject matter but in a different way. Si Ji San Ha: Loi Hak should have a documentary-like feel, while Woo Yuet dik goo si should be more like a paperback novel. I didn’t want Woo Viet to be portrayed as too fatalistic; he should have hope, like an ordinary person – striving for the most basic things, repeatedly facing setbacks, and hence becoming more fully human.
I don’t have much confidence in this film, except for the actors and how they are stylised – as well as the locations, colour tones, and overall atmosphere. I have a lot of confidence in the lead actors, and I appreciate their sincerity.
Excerpt from Tsui Hark interviews Ann Hui, in “Film Biweekly”, Issue 58, 1981.
PRODUCTION:
M Plus Museum Limited
West Kowloon Cultural District, 38 Museum Drive
000 Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 22000000
E-mail: cinema@mplus.org.hk
Web: http://mplus.org.hk
Social Media: @mplusmuseum – Instagram, mplusmuseum - Facebook, MPLUSMUSEUM - YouTube
ORIGINAL PRODUCTION:
Pearl City Films Limited
LABORATORY:
Cineric Portugal LDA
WORLD SALES:
Star Alliance Movies (HK) Co., Limited - Jing Rong
Room 301-304, Building 4, No. 27 Yard, Qingnian Road, Chaoyang District
100123 Beijing, China
Tel: +86 10566610061
E-mail: jingrong@staralliancemovie.com
PRESS OFFICE:
Jane Quinn - Bolton Quinn
Tel: +44 (0)20 7221 5000
E-mail: jq@boltonquinn.com
