Bishonen... (1998)Bishonen... tells of a love tangle between two gigolos, a pop star and a young cop named Sam (Wu). Gigolo Jet (Fung) spots Sam in a gallery and falls for his looks. Though Jet's helpful gigolo partner places a personals ad seeking out the then-unknown cop, the two fall for each other anyway. The pairing's not so easy though ‚ Sam's past with Jet's mate, Ching, and a future client lead to tragedy. The film, which is frequently narrated in Putongua, also touches on the earlier relationship between Sam and Ching, told from Ching's point of view and reminiscence. Shu Qi takes a somewhat pedestrian role as Kana, a lesbian friend/confidante of Sam's. Though not spellbinding, the film gels quite well as a Hong Kong drama with a few lashings of sentimentality thrown in for good measure. The performances are quite risque for the young male Hong Kong actors, which is refreshing to watch on screen. DVD information: The region-free DVD has several extras for the English-language viewer: a theatrical trailer, production stills and two posters (also included as a printed liftout) are provided. A Yonfan biography is available plus English-language director's notes. A 26-minute English-language documentary on the director contains excerpts from Lost Romance, Last Romance, Double Fixation and Bishonen..., The Story of Rose and Bugis Street and is interspersed with an interview (also in English). There are 18 chapters and five sets of subtitles. The letterboxed picture good and the sound is apparently remastered in Dolby 5.1. A Cantonese audio commentary runs the length of the film, with Yonfan and critic, director, distributor and bookshop owner Shu Kei discussing the film. |
Credits: Directed by Yonfan |
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