Goddess of Mercy

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Year of release: 2003

Genre: drama/romance

Directors: Ann Hui, Dao Ming

Action director: Kang Jing-Qi

Producers: Zhao Hai-Cheng, Wu Hong-Liang, Yeung Kin

Writer: Ivy Ho

Cinematography: Kwan Pun-Leung

Editing: Zhou Ling

Music: Chiu Lun

Stars: Vicky Zhao, Nicholas Tse, Liu Yun-Long, Sun Hai-Ying, Chen Jian-Bin, Niu Li

Rated IIB for violence and language

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Goddess of Mercy  Goddess of Mercy

Goddess of Mercy  Goddess of Mercy

One of the few female directors working in Hong Kong, Ann Hui has long been recognized as one of the region's best film-makers. Her movies have always had a uniquely Hong Kong flavor, not so much in her methods -- which refrain from the schizophrenic blitzkrieg many Hong Kong directors are known for -- but in the way she focuses on stories and characters that are from the region. So it was a bit surprising when she teamed up with Dao Ming for 2003's Goddess of Mercy, a Hong Kong/Mainland co-production.

Vicky Zhao plays the main character here, a Mainland cop named Xin. She is married to Rui (Liu Yun-Long) but their distance due to his work as a journalist has made the relationship grow cold. So when the dashing Jie (Nicholas Tse) shows up in her small town, a romance flares up. Besides the obvious issue of adultery, things get even more complicated when Xin is sent in to do an undercover buy from a smuggler, and it turns out to be Jie. Not only that, but Xin finds out after she sends Jie to prison that she is carrying his baby.

So this isn't exactly happy subject matter, but Hong Kong and Chinese cinema has come to be known for its' (at least sometimes) thoughtful exploration of the darker side of humanity. This is something well suited to Hui's talents. She never allows the matters to falls into melodrama, as they very well easily might have in the hands of a different director. The film never comes off as a soap opera, and since the characters and their actions ring true, it is much easier for the audience to become invested in the story.

The film still does falter a bit; it is a bit slow-moving and the end is a smidge too ambiguous. And, like many Hong Kong/Mainland co-productions, there feels like there was some acquiesce to the Chinese government. Mainly, there are a couple of violent shootouts that feel out of place. They're done well and aren't gratuitous, but it came off like they were placed in the film to make the villains artificially more mean and nasty. Overall, though, Goddess of Mercy is a fine film to check out if you want a good example of the artier side of Chinese cinema.

RATING: 6