Reviewed by: wyeeso Date: 03/31/2012 Summary: The real shiver behind "Shiver" [Plot: 2/5] I'm not too sure when did the phenomenon actually start, but I realize a lot of HK films (especially those from the past decade) are becoming "Hollywoodized". Oh, allow me to be a little more clear on the term "Hollywoodized". The exact words to describe most HK films from the past decade or so are glitzy and superficial. To be even more clear, what I'm trying to say is that films like "Shiver" only care to deliver their audience the shivers while the plot is full of potholes! You see, the storyline for "Shiver" is not that bad, and that is, if you judge it from the surface. But once you dig deeper into the story and pay attention to the details, which you should when you're looking for clues in this mystery thriller, you'll be tempted to pick up the flaws along the way. From the surface, it sounds appealing as soon as the audiences learn that while Sammi Mok (played by Athena Chu) is recovering from a head injury that she has received during a shootout from the opening scene, she begins to have experiences with an apparition and receives visions of serial homicide. Meanwhile, her indifferent husband, Chan Kwok-Ming (played by Francis Ng), is investigating the very same serial homicide that she has been visualizing. Right after we learn what the protagonists have to deal with, the story starts to build up the suspense and give away clues that may have caused the events. However, none of them really have to do with anything in the story. For example, we are led to assume that Sammi is having paranormal experiences because of her decreasing eyesight, and that she has been told by Dr. Ko Chun (played by Nick Cheung) to wear reading glasses. Yet, we never see her wearing reading glasses throughout the whole movie. In fact, her eyesight seems perfectly normal! Then, for the serial homicide, we see the victims are being dismantled after their death, and we are, again, led to assume that the common point between the victims is their sin. Again, that's not the story. They are merely killed and dismantled because they are "the cures" who could have saved Sammi from bleeding to death at the end! Finally, we are also led to believe that Sammi will bleed to death since all her "cures" are dead, but despite of his revenge for his deceased fiancee Kitty Chow (played by Tiffany), Ko Chun suddenly gives out hint that he's the "last cure" and saves Sammi. And yet, it makes us wonder why he even bother hypnotizing Sammi to make her go nuts, killing off her "cures" and putting her in jeopardy in the first place when he decides to give out the hint to save her. A lot of things are also left untold in the story. For instance, just when we are ready to find out why Kwok-Ming is being so cold to his wife and what really happened during those 3 years of marriage, the film just ends with the couple being merry again. Same goes to the love between Ko Chun and Kitty, their story is a bit too empty, which makes it harder for the audiences to agree with Ko Chun's motive for the serial murder. The flaws from this story are endless. The characters are not assigned with logical reasons to justify their actions and behaviors. Perhaps, the only logical reason that can justify the killer's action and behavior is the mystery thriller just needs an aberrant killer to thrill the audiences. And the fact gives me a shiver. [Actors: 4/5] Two thumbs up for Athena Chu's outstanding performance, even though her character seems to be a little too average. And it isn't the sturdy wife she played in the beginning that makes her performance outstanding, it's the helpless, frightening, and lonely wife she played that confirms her to be a great actress. At one scene, her character becomes extremely frightened when she sees the photo of Kitty, and as she trembles, her body totally freezes with the frightening look on her face. At that time, her eyes, her body language, and her emotions just speak it all out for her character's mental state. Also, Athena has made an attempt to get rid of her sex-appealing profile and appeared before the audiences without make-up, which further convinces the audience of her frightened character. Francis Ng has also made a great performance as a husband who acts so indifferently towards his wife and always expresses his tiredness and frustration when she needs him. He could also express his anger well towards his subordinates and the killer. However, no doubt his performance, along with Nick's and Tiffany's, could be easily overlooked when comparing to Athena's. I want to make a final note on Benz Hui and Patrick Tang, with the former played Kwok-Ming's superior and latter played his subordinate. Both of them are given the roles to be comic relief by producing humors in their acts and dialogues, but only the former was successful with his experienced acting skill while the latter acted unnaturally for being inexperienced. [The Production Crew:] I appreciate how Billy Chung was doing a good job in delivering shivers in this film, but Paul Chung really needed to work on the script a lot more than just having a killer in a mystery thriller. Other than that, great job on the ghost scenes and the props for the dismantled corpses (or are they real person with special make-up?). [Memorable scene(s):] Most ghost scenes promise to give the audiences shivers, and they did to some extent. One that sure freaks me out is Sammi's drawing of the ghost on the wall. The scene where Sammi becomes extremely frightened and freezes is also priceless. [Worth Watching A Second Time?] You can watch it over and over again if you wanna find more flaws in this film, or if you feel like getting a shiver. Otherwise, don't waste your time and move on to something else. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 09/17/2005 Like in the '80's with gangster movies, the ghost genre seems to be one of the most popular types of Hong Kong films nowadays. Most of them, like a lot of the A Better Tomorrow wannabes cranked out during the "golden age" of HK movies, are pretty generic. But Shiver is one of the better products of the new batch of pictures inspired by films like The Sixth Sense and The Eye. Over the past few years, Billy Chung has quietly made a name for himself as one of Hong Kong's more solid directors. His films are frankly never anything great, but they always seem to provide a good ninety minutes of entertainment, and his latest, Shiver, is no exception. It's not an outstanding movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it provides a few chills and some outstanding performances from the lead actors. The plot has Athena Chu and Francis Ng as a married couple in crisis. Athena is tired of Francis' workaholic ways, and wants to divorce him. On the way to finalize the proceedings, a robbery breaks out, and Francis steps into the fray. He succeeds in stopping the felons, but Athena is shot in the process. Awaking after being in a coma, Athena starts to see strange premonitions (involving a ghost played by Tiffany Lee) that seem to tie into a serial killer investigation Francis is pursuing. Even though Athena's doctor (Nick Cheung) wants Francis to quit, he continues with the investigation, which leads to a revelation which shocks them both. There aren't any major loads of gore or extreme shocks contained in here, though the plot twist at the end -- if a bit obvious -- is handled well. But Shiver is still a well-made and well-acted suspense/horror movie. Francis Ng does his usual good work, and Athena Chu is especially outstanding here. Along with Billy Chung's tight direction which always keeps things moving along at a tight clip, Shiver goes from what could have been just another Hong Kong ghost movie into something a little bit special and worth your time. [review from www.hkfilm.net]

Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 04/24/2004 Summary: Excellent ghost thriller [un thriller de fantasmas excelente] Shiver is an excellent ghost thriller with great performances, especially from Nick Cheung in an off-beat bad guy role. The screenplay offers lots of intrigue and mystery for a top notch director. Athena Chu and Francis Ng play a troubled married couple caught up in an accidental police shooting. Chu is haunted by a mysterious ghost who reveals clues to her detective husband's investigations into various murders. Very stylish film with a lot of scary scenes keeps viewer on edge. Highly recommended. [En español]Shiver es un thriller de fantasmas excelente, con grandes actuaciones, especialmente de Nick Cheung en un papel chico fuera de bad beat. El guión ofrece un montón de intriga y misterio para un director de primera clase. Athena Chu y Ng Francisco interpretan a una pareja casada con problemas atrapados en un tiroteo con la policía accidental. Chu es perseguido por un fantasma misterioso que revela pistas sobre las investigaciones de su marido detective en varios asesinatos. Película muy elegante con un montón de escenas de terror mantiene espectador en el borde. Altamente recomendado. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: magic-8 Date: 11/20/2003 Summary: Impressive Horror Flick Coming on the heels of the recent horror movies craze, Billy Chung’s "Shiver" is another film full of eerie atmosphere and chilling paranormal situations akin to Ann Hui’s "Visible Secret," The Pang Brother’s "The Eye" and Ringo Lam’s "The Victim." Chung doesn’t just offer another disposable trifle, but a fully realized work that is solidly engrossing from beginning to end. Francis Ng and Athena Chu play a married couple having relationship problems of intimacy and difficulties in communicating with each other. During a traffic jam, Ng, an off duty cop, intercedes to stop a crime in progress. Chu is accidentally shot during the incident. After recovering from the shooting, Chu gains the ability to see the brutal murders of a serial killer in her mind. Athena has a dilemma in coming to grips with her visions: Is she going mad or can she actually see murders taking place in her visions? Since Ng is a cop working on a serial killer case, he doesn’t have time to comfort Chu and leaves the treatment to her doctor, played by Nick Cheung. The movie works to reconcile Chu’s visions with Ng’s duties as a cop. Is there a connection between Ng's investigation into the serial killings and his wife's visions? Seemingly disparate factors conspire to reveal more than meets the eye. "Shiver" has a lot of good things going for it, from the direction to the acting to the score. "Shiver" is a smart, well-written piece by Paul Chung Shing Yuen. The writing is intelligent and fluid. It develops quickly and keeps on track right to the end. Billy Chung does a fantastic job in making the work feel urgent and provocative. The cast is uniformly excellent with Francis Ng up to his usual fine standards, while Nick Cheung does a good understated turn as Dr. Ko Chuen. But it is Athena Chu who really shines as she sinks her teeth into a character that descends into madness. The original music by Geki Matsuzaki, Naoki Yoshida and Taku Tajima is excellent and helps to establish the creepy mood for the flick. The score is one of the best that I have had the pleasure to hear in some time. Billy Chung does an exemplary job with the direction. His deft command of the material leads to a tremendously entertaining and gripping movie to demonstrate that the horror genre still has room to showcase creativity. The amount of maturity in "Shiver" is impressive and may be Chung's most accomplished work to date. He displays a sure hand in mixing elements and shifting gears throughout the film with ease, from delving into relationship problems to using psychological terror to further the story. "Shiver" may get lost in the overcrowded horror genre but it stands firmly head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.