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兩個只能活一個 (1997)
The Odd One Dies


Reviewed by: Masterofoneinchpunch
Date: 12/29/2010
Summary: I know, I know

Analogous to Expect The Unexpected (1998) and The Longest Nite (1998) Patrick Yau is the nominal director in The Odd One Dies but did not do the majority of directing (though Yau has stated of those three films he had the most input with this one). The uncredited director is Johnnie To, whose production company is Milkyway Image with Wai Ka-Fai who wrote the screenplay, that was the force behind the film. Aside from those three films (which I have seen) Patrick was credited to one more film The Loser's Club (2001; which I have not seen) and apparently his film career has been over since then. However, when watching the movie it is easy to see many familiar elements of To including genre (shashou pian: professional killer genre), incorporation of black humor and Lam Suet.

Takeshi Kaneshiro is a laconic street thug called Mo who is either on a death wish or just does not care. I see a bit of this character in Louis Koo's performance in Throw Down (2004), but when you watch this it is hard not to think of Takeshi's two previous Wong Kar-wai* roles (Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995)) as well. Takashi after losing much money in gambling decides to take on a hired killer role for 88,000 HK dollars cash. First he gets himself an old large mobile phone, sunglasses, chain, watch, used car with a capricious bumper and a jacket. How he gets those items is quite hilarious. Since he is hell-bent, or just does not care, he gambles a good portion of that money away as well. He loses thousands after thousands, doubling his bet every time with a local card shark named George (Lee Diy-yue), without as much as a wince when he loses. But then the strangest thing happens, he starts to win and he wins big. Then he decides to hire someone else to do the killing.

The newly hired killer is, much to his surprise, a female (Carman Lee Yeuk-tung) who is just out of jail from a previous man-slaughter case (she killed her cousin for her boyfriend/Uncle Simon (singer Ken Choi Fung-Wa); though I am not sure if I am correct -- I believe she killed the infant she had with him when she was 14) and she is just as laconic and nuts as he is. They both smoke quite a lot and almost appear to be Doppelganger's of each other.** However, she is malodorous and unkempt. They, of course, become attached to each other. Now what is he going to do about the hit?

I had a lot of fun watching this movie. I had so much merriment that I did the rare thing and watched it twice within a week which I had not done with another film in years. There is a peculiar comedic style to this that is dark, but still quite bloody good (literally). This includes a recurring fingers dismemberment joke when the Triad character Tony (Korean actor Byun Woo-min) catches a knife from both Takeshi and later Carman is brutally hilarious but also leads to a strong scene of redemption at the end. The direction is also quite quirky. You get a great look of Hong Kong in this film which is another trademark of many of Johnnie To's work. There is an excellent scene of Takeshi running around a busy area crossing one street after another. He is almost hit several times and it is great to see the passerby expression (many of these movies will be filmed with many people not knowing they are being filmed). All filmed with no or very few cuts. In fact it is quite reminiscent to a similar scene in Police Story 2 (1988) with Jackie Chan but with better results for Takeshi.

I really wish these early Milkyway films like this one, The Longest Nite (1998) and The Mission (1999) would get more recognition especially amongst more mainstream critics who tend to eschew anything Hong Kong that is not Wong Kar-wai. This has been slowly changing over the years with Stephen Teo's book on Johnnie To as well as David Bordwell adding a section on To in his updated Planet Hong Kong (online only). But as a fan of these movies such as this one it still is not enough. I know fans of Johnnie To and Hong Kong crime films will enjoy this, but this is a good film for people who are not familiar with those to start with.

This DVD is not the easiest film to get a hold of as there is no R1 edition out there or any non-OOP version anywhere. Luckily there have been a decent amount of used copies available from a Mei Ah R0 1997(?) release though it is now OOP. It looks exactly like a LD port and I have read that some copies do not necessarily work on all DVD players. Thank goodness mine did. There are no extras unfortunately. There are Chinese and English subtitles (surprisingly decent subtitles) and Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks. This film is desperately in need of an update and rerelease.

* Johnnie To has stated that in an interview with Stephen Teo: "we didn't deliberately set out to copy Wong Kar-wai. I don't copy other people's stuff. The film is about loneliness and it's possible that it shows a tendency to Wong Kar-wai." Interestingly enough Stephen Teo does make note of several similarities between Wong's films and this movie in his book Director in Action (2007). My own personal opinion is that the biggest similarity is Takeshi Kaneshiro's performance. While some have stated the cinematography resembles Wong's work, I feel it is just because of the use of hand-held and overuse of canted angles (possibly more of them then in The Third Man (1949)). The issue of expiring time is familiar (Chungking Express) but I feel that is prevalent of Hong Kong cinema as a whole since the handover was to happen a little over a month after the release of this film. Plus one of the strongest thematic elements for Wong's oeuvre the ever-present "unrequited love" is missing from this film.

** The Doppelganger is another recurrent theme in To's films as well as the use of motifs. When watching this movie look for a massive amount of scenarios repeated for a second time or third time. The last time the scenario happens it signals a change. For example, when Takeshi meets Simon for the second time he beats him up. When Carmen sees him she fantasizes about killing him, but leaves him without doing anything. When Takeshi tries to stab the Triad member for the third time (Carmen did it the second time), he does not go through with the motion to remove his fingers and ultimately receives the forgiveness of him. Takeshi apologizes to George the third time they meet. There are many more throughout the film sometimes with the Doppelganger taking the place of the protagonist.

Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: Beat TG
Date: 09/07/2008
Summary: Quirky & artsy in a great way

A bit slow-paced and very thin in storyline, basically about an underworld rookie (played by Kaneshiro) who takes on a hit job but pulls off at the last minute giving the task to a woman who in turn wants the rookie's help to finish off her own little objective, but the style is very appreciative and pleasing as well as visually stunning. Cinematography, direction, and acting all give the storytelling itself life in one or many ways which I'd say would be classified more as a stylistic effort. But the emphasis lies rather on the style (Wong Kar Wai-esqued at times, dark comedy that occur from nowhere, repentance of certain scenes, a catchy music score; all quirky and showy to look at) and not on the story so for people who want their movies substantiated (or whatever you want to call it) will be advised to stay away from the movie. Takeshi Kaneshiro does a good acting job (I started taking note of him after this movie actually) but the highlight is Carman Lee as the revenge-seeking hit woman and gives it her best, it's perhaps her best performance she's done in her whole career in my opinion and might not have other movies that are as great and deep.

Reviewer Score: 10

Reviewed by: mrblue
Date: 11/01/2005

Kaneshiro plays a somewhat dim-witted Triad wannabe who takes a low-paying hit job to make a name for himself. However, after winning a lot of money at a casino, he wants to get out of the job, so he hires a Mainlander (Lee) to finish it. While planning the job (which seems like suicide), they of course fall in love and must decide who is going to complete the kamikazi hit.

The Odd One Dies, like most Milkyway productions, has a group of dedicated fans who swear by this movie. While I agree there are some good things about the film, it's ultimately more than a bit too quirky and indulgent for its own sake. There is a certain feeling of coolness running through the movie, brought on by the inventive cinematography, eclectic soundtrack, dramatic lighting and withdrawn performances of the actors. There's a nice look and feel to the film; it's certainly a pretty one to watch. I also enjoyed the circular nature of the story, which seems to be a common thread in Milkyway productions. At first, at least. Eventually, this leads to what I feel is The Odd One Dies' biggest fault. It feels like it goes nowhere.

To a certain extent I can understand that this might be the point of the movie (whatever we might do in life ultimately doesn't matter much), as hammered home in a scene where Kaneshiro attempts to flush the money from the job down the toilet. There's also the theme of loneliness and isolation in crowded Hong Kong. Again, this is hammered home in a scene where Kaneshiro and Lee miss each other from a few feet away while being engulfed by a New Year's crowd. But there have been other films (most notably Chungking Express) which have dealt with these themes and presented them better -- or at least not as annoyingly.

I may not agree with HK film critic Paul Foronoff much, but I will side with him in that I am so sick of cigarette smoking denoting cool in HK cinema. Enough with the five-minute long shots of a character looking forlornly into space while being encircled by a ring of smoke already. It makes for an interesting visual diversion once in a while, but when you try to build your film around them (and similar shots or gimmicky plot devices or scenes), you're going to run into trouble, and that's what happens here. The Odd One Dies is an interesting -- but ultimately pretty boring -- look into the underworld of Hong Kong that's worth a look if you're really into the "new" New Wave movies, but holds little interest for those who are in the market for a hardcore action movie or riveting Triad drama.

[review from www.hkfilm.net]


Reviewed by: mehaul
Date: 11/19/2002

Odd definitely describes this romantic-crime flick. Enjoyable at times, but uneven pacing and forced stylism take away from the finished product. There's a nice sprinle of black humor, but the leads mutism and incessant smoking became tedious at times.
7/10


Reviewed by: Inner Strength
Date: 05/06/2002
Summary: Average

Apart from its overall look, and some good acting by Takeshi Kaneshiro, this film is a complete waste of time. I agree with ‘STSH’ on this one. Carmen Lee can’t act, never has been able to, and I think her looks why others here liked this film, but that’s no excuse for giving it high marks, because it is simply very boring. I still go by what I have said before, that Johnnie To lost his producing & directing skills years ago. However, I’m sure the fans of the producer, and the main leads will like this, but if you look beyond them at the film, then you will realise what a waste it is.

Rating: [2/5]


Reviewed by: Sydneyguy
Date: 06/19/2001
Summary: WARNING!!!

I BOUGHT THIS VCD AND GUESS WHAT??
THE 2ND DISC IS ANOTHER MOVIE!!!
I WAS SO SUPRISED AND THIS MOVIE WAS BRAND NEW, IN IT'S ORIGINAL PLASTIC!!

SO IF YOUR THINKING OF BUYING THIS MOVIE, YOU MIGHT END UP LIKE ME!! THE COMPANY, MEI AH
HAS STILL NOT REPLIED TO ME ABOUT THIS PROBLEM OR MAYBE THEY JUST DON'T CARE!!


Reviewed by: bgshelton
Date: 02/08/2001
Summary: Fun and Flawed

Shot with an amazing kinetic energy and filled with great acting and humor, The Odd One Dies ultimately fails as a post-WKW, Godard-inspired genre romp. Takeshi Kaneshiro shines in his performance as a fringe player on the streets, a gambler who just doesn't give a damn. Nothing he does seems to make sense, to him or anyone else. He just does what he feels like, whenever and wherever. Luckily, he is not an evil man and so when he meets a kindred spirit, Carmen Lee, he softens and finds purpose. However, their burgeoning romance is complicated by money, murder, and a lack of trust. The film is a lot of fun at moments and has some truly brilliant scenes and running gags (the aforemoentioned finger-slicing) but it fails to come together. The would-be lover/killers are too damn cute and innocent to be convincing as part of the triad world and Carmen Lee's character suffers from an over-written and over-wrought back story. Definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of either of the two leads.


Reviewed by: grimes
Date: 04/08/2000

Batman and Robin see the film. After the film, Robin says to Batman, "Holy camera work, Batman!" This was my impression
of the film as well. It certainly sports some very impressive camera work, which is good because the plot is basically
incomprehensible for the first half of the movie and it gives you something to pay attention to while you try to figure out just
what is going on..

This confusion is largely due to the lack of dialogue in the film. Conversations are rare and the action is confusing for much
of the film, so it demands a lot of focus to get into the film.

Despite these facts, this film is well worth watching for several reasons. Takeshi Kaneshiro is consistently excellent in every
film I've seen him in, and this one is no exception. Carman Lee is also quite good, in a role that could have easily been
overplayed for sympathy. Takeshi plays a wannabe hitman, who when he finally gets a contract, ends up subcontracting the
hit to Carman Lee, who just got out of prison. Of course, they fall in love. While it would be easy to write this off as
something that exists just to drive the plot, the script actually gives an interesting motivation to this, which also serves to
deepen the characters.

Another facet of the film that eases the confusion is the inclusion of some absolutely hilarious scenes. This is generally quite
a serious film since the two main characters are two career losers who seem headed for a violent death. However, there are a
number of humorous scenes (often perverse humor) throughout the film.

Finally, the final sequence of the film is one of the most amazing arty action scenes I've ever seen. Considering that this is
something that Hong Kong films are known for, this is quite a compliment. I actually found myself having a physical reaction
to the suspense.

And to be fair, the film does eventually explain itself. By the end of the film, we understand all the relationships between
the various characters (more or less) and the meaning of earlier scenes that originally seemed completely out of context.
This doesn't necessarily justify the extreme measures taken to obscure the meaning earlier in the film. On reflection, this
seemed somewhat self indulgent, simply because the longer the period of confusion, the greater the payoff should be when
that confusion is resolved. The payoff in this film doesn't quite match up to its confusion.

However, for those who don't mind a bit of confusion (and most Hong Kong film fans probably don't!) this is an excellent
film, both for the fantastic camera work and the excellent acting.


Reviewed by: STSH
Date: 01/02/2000
Summary: Awful and depressing

Stylishly filmed and acted, but bloody awful and depressing. A sort-of grungy version of Prizzi's Honour, about two young self-destructive assassins and their weird love affair. Even more depressing and unredeeming than Once Upon A Time In Triad Society.

Reviewer Score: 1

Reviewed by: shelly
Date: 12/09/1999

Part of a pair, with TOO MANY WAYS TO BE NO. 1. The two films sharemuch of the same crew, style, and attitude. THE ODD ONE DIES is superb. A similar visual scheme (dazzling distortions of colour and point of view) supports a more conventional story: Takeshi Kaneshiro and Carman Lee (again) are ultra-scrungy hit-people (one imagines that their respective record company image consultants must have been a bit alarmed) who in the course of several comical and terrifying adventures, in and out of HK hotel rooms, gambling dens, and seedy bars, move towards something like romance. Think of FALLEN ANGELS, leavened with LOST AND FOUND, with a dash of Haruki Murakami. But these are just starting points: Wai Ka-fai and Patrick Yau have concocted a completely original entertainment/work of art that has my vote for best film of '97 (so far...I haven't seen Happy Together). Over-the-top humour (there are at least three finger-slicing episodes!!!), urban action (see TK do his own stunt-leaping through HK traffic), explosions of violence, some relatively grown-up sex (for a HK film)... Takeshi Kaneshiro and Carman Lee are exceptional, in roles that should have been really tough to bring off. Their characters are given very few actual lines; but they manage to communicate a world of feelings mostly through their gestures, postures, and expressions. Wong Ying-wah's score is another star: action scenes set to ironic cha-cha's; a nod to Leslie Cheung's tropical music from DAYS OF BEING WILD; the sweet lyricism of the 'paradise' theme. OOD plays with dreams, how one survives by taking wild chances, escaping from (memory) traps; finding one's own paradise.