Movie picks

GONE GIRL (R21)

Do not think this is a straightforward whodunnit.

Yes, this is David Fincher in the procedural mode of Zodiac and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

But this is so much more.

I thought the film was over, only to realise it was only halfway through.

So yes, it's a long film. But this story teases you to find out more, evolving perfectly.

And on the subject of perfect, there's the cast.

Ben Affleck plays his typical everyman - bumbling, affable and hiding a secret.

The supporting cast is great, with special mention to Neil Patrick Harris' affluent creep.

Then there is Rosamund Pike. What a performance.

Just two words of advice: Do not go with someone who has read the book. And do not go if you are even remotely considering marriage.

RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE LEGEND ENDS (NC16)

See this movie.

I don't know how I can put it any simpler than that.

This concluding chapter in the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy is, in my humble opinion, a perfect genre film.

The story is about this super-pretty swordsman (Takeru Sato) who uses a reverse-bladed sword because he'd rather die than kill.

This is a problem, because his mission is to stop a psycho (Tatsuya Fujiwara) from taking over Japan.

He visits his master (Masaharu Fukuyama) in a bamboo forest to get his head straight, and his master tells him that his own life has value.

Oh, how my tears did flow.

The movie ping-pongs expertly between spectacular fight scenes and touching character moments, each of which builds upon the other.

It's just so powerful.

BLACK AND WHITE: THE DAWN OF JUSTICE (TBA)

It's the sequel to the spin-off of the acclaimed TV police drama.

Award-winning Taiwanese director Tsai Yueh-Hsun is back, as is Taiwanese-Canadian actor Mark Chao who reprises his role as rash and righteous cop Hero.

He's paired with the intelligent but arrogant Chen Zhen (newcomer Lin Gengxin) and together, they save a city from being annihilated by a deadly virus.

Chao and Lin display excellent chemistry on screen, which really helps.

On the surface, the virus plot sounds eerily prescient given current news.

Sadly, this action flick is dragged down by being overly ambitious and utterly unrealistic.

This could have been much better if it was simpler and more straightforward.

This article was first published on Oct 8, 2014.
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