Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 04/14/2002 I've taken quite a liking to Kathy Chow just recently. I think it's because she's pretty. As a young girl, Kathy's character in Nude Fear is waiting for her mother to pick her up from school one day, but she doesn't turn up. Kathy makes her own way home, and discovers that it's because she's been brutally murdered. Undeterred by this news, Kathy finishes her homework then grows up to be a hard-assed female criminal detective. When another murder occurs with the same modus operandi, Kathy is quickly on the case to track down her mother's killer. Now I never really liked Silence Of The Lambs - specifically because I didn't like Jody Foster's character or performance (never clear to me which, which I guess is a compliment). But I have to admit that Jody/Clarice did a much better job than any of her imitators since. Kathy Chow is OK here though, suitably cold-hearted and driven and all that. There's some nice direction here from Alan Mak, mixing up the Silence Of The Lambs vibe with some Se7en atmosphere, some good cinematography, some moderately disturbing moments... but all struggling in vain against a weak script that fails to generate any real tension or believability. Worth seeing, but not a must-see.

Reviewed by: danton Date: 03/07/2002 Very tense and at times quite disturbing thriller that is driven by an exceptional performance from main star Kathy Chow. I never appreciated her that much, in fact I thought she was the weakest link in some very good movies such as Beast Cops. In this film, however, she shines! Despite the cheap-sounding title, this is an intelligent drama that focuses on a driven, smart and very lonely police officer (Kathy Chow) who has repressed a traumatic childhood experience until the investigation of a serial killer opens these old wounds and starts to tear her carefully constructed persona to pieces. I don't want to give any plot points away, but be warned - the movie starts out with a scene that is quite disturbing, not because of its graphic nature but by the way it juxtaposes a very violent setting with a child's reaction to this. Harrowing. The theme and tense atmosphere established here is carried through, creating a bit of a David Fincher feel and only losing some intensity towards the final resolution, which feels like a let down into familiar territory. All in all, a gripping, well-constructed movie with some terrific performances from the cast, including Cheung Tat-Ming and Sam Lee in a cameo. Highly recommended.