OK, hands up all those who have seen Tricky Master 2000.
Right, keep your hands up if you LIKED Tricky Master 2000.
Mm hmm. Well, those of you with your hands still up probably going to love this film.
As for everyone else, well…
OK. I admit it. I laughed at this movie. I sat there, in the cinema, and did not have a horrible time watching it. It takes a certain sense of humour to appreciate this and no matter how low I may hang my head in shame, I will openly admit to possessing such a trait.
Yes it is true. I am the poster boy for euthanasia.
But at the very least, I didn’t leave the cinema clawing my eyes out like I did with Tricky Master – the over the top bits weren’t so far in orbit it left you stunned at the enormity of infinity and the jokes were paced and consistent enough to not tempt you to physically burn the memory of the last scene from your mind with a blow torch. Yes I am being overly melodramatic but memories of Tricky Master 2000 just does that to me. In comparison, Conman 2002 was not that bad. It was watchable enough that there’s that little voice in your head telling you that maybe you should enjoy the movie more than you reasonably should.
But is it enough to excuse this bad piece of cinema? Well that’s a personal decision that everyone has to make for themselves. Yes this is passing the buck but admit it – everyone has an absolute atrocious example of celluloid sitting in their heart of hearts despite what any sane person may say otherwise. I could pursue this argument but I just know I would end up resurrecting bits of my past, while I’m not proud of, do bring a smile to my face.
And that is the kind of film this is. It is bad. It is really bad. But it is so bad, to quote a friend of mine, it transcends badness and becomes `solid gold` (yes I have some pretty sick friends and I do count myself amongst that number). It is the kind of thing you can laugh at mindlessly because your brain has brought up it’s auto defence systems and put itself into a fugue state.
But enough of my ranting and back to the film. It is a Hong Kong comedy and those of you familiar with the genre know subtlety is not a word often associated with it. And Conman 2002 breaks no new ground in that area. Sometimes it can be hilarious and sometimes it can be gut wrenchingly painful. Fortunately Conman 2002 delivers enough of the first to dampen the impact of the latter.
The film very much plays on the fascination Chinese culture has on the manipulation of luck and fortune (though Feng Shui does have a certain focus) and the love of gambling first brought to light by God of Gamblers and other such films and pokes fun of them until they resemble a piece of Swiss cheese (sorry just couldn’t come up with a more Chinese reference).
The plot follows the exploits of Lee Pak Shing (Nick Cheung) – a man so cursed with bad luck so bad, it tends to rub off onto his friends and acquaintances with a regularity you could set a watch to (comedic opportunity). He falls in love with a girl, Autumn, who’s elder brother, Spring, is a master gambler and hence relies on good fortune (joke there). Spring sees the opportunities of using Shing’s bad luck and takes him under his wing (hilarity ensues). However brother Spring is having his gambling empire taken apart by a rival (hohoho) so Shing must change his luck to save the day and get the girl (b’doom ching).
So you can see, hardly a complex plot. If anything it is simple enough to provide ample opportunities for the jokes to just write themselves. And boy do they. Sure, some of them get telegraphed so far ahead, it’s hard not to have the drum kit brought in and ready just for the moment so it is fortuitous that the punch lines get delivered as fated. It is especially fortuitous that they are thrown at us at such a rapid rate that what quality doesn’t get delivered, the quantity surely makes up for it.
So in all honesty, there is little more you can say about Conman 2002. It’s a pretty simple film with pretty simple goals. Sure it manages to reach those goals but I don’t believe anyone’s expectations were that high to begin with. Which is the trick with watching this movie – low expectations and your brain at the door. Otherwise I’m not responsible for the consequences.