Sentenced to Hang

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Year of release: 1989

Genre: drama

Director: Taylor Wong

Producer: Stephen Shiu

Writers: Johnny Mak, Stephen Shiu

Cinematography: Herman Yau

Editors: Ma Chung-Yu, A Chik

Music: Joseph Chan

Stars: Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Elvis Tsui, Kent Cheng, Stuart Ong, Tien Feng, Carrie Ng, Yu Gwok-Lok

Rated III for violence, language, and nudity

DVD available for purchase at www.hkflix.com

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Sentenced to Hang  Sentenced to Hang

Sentenced to Hang  Sentenced to Hang

Taylor Wong's 1989 film Sentenced to Hang has a notable place in Hong Kong movie history, as it was among the first pictures to receive a Category III (roughly equal to the US' NC-17) rating. It also helped pave the way for the "true crime" genre, which would become popular in the early 1990's. Unfortunately, the movie falls prey to melodrama in parts, and thus can't be considered a "great" film, but it is still a very solid dramatic work.

Loosely based off of a 1960's crime that became known as "The Strange Case of the Three Wolves" and would be the last to carry out the death penalty in Hong Kong, Sentenced to Hang tells the story of three life-long friends: Wai (Tony Leung Ka-Fai), Charn (Kent Cheng), and King (Elvis Tsui). Like many residents of Hong Kong, they all have menial jobs, but dream of making it big.

After Wai is fired by his penny-pinching boss, Mr. Huang (Tien Feng), the trio decide to kidnap Huang's son, Bobby (Stuart Ong). Things go awry from the start after a local con man named Snake (Yu Gwok-Lok) overhears their plan and decides to get in on the action. Matters only become worse when the men attempt the kidnapping, which ends up resulting in Bobby's death.

Wai and his crew get the idea to try and fool Huang into paying a ransom, but after he refuses, they decide to kidnap Huang himself. They succeed in getting a large sum of money, but the word of their crime quickly spreads, and after Snake rats the rest of the conspirators, the friends soon find themselves on a quick trip to death row.

Besides the concrete facts of the case, such as the actual kidnapping and killing, it's hard to tell what is fact and fiction in Johnny Mak and Stephen Shiu's script. Supposedly, much of it was based on first-hand accounts from those that knew the trio, but seeing as how this case was a tabloid sensation in Hong Kong, and it was some twenty-five years after the fact when this movie was filmed, it's hard to believe that what is presented here is an accurate portrayal of the events.

However, this doesn't mean that Taylor Wong sensationalizes things in any way. The trio of leads are well-rounded; they're neither good nor bad, and even though some of their actions are repugnant, the audience still manages to find sympathy for them. Also, this is not the gore-fest fans of Category III films might expect. The rating probably came more for some brief glimpses of female frontal nudity and the portrayal of the police as violent buffoons (an element which would become a staple in true crime films).

Cinematographer Herman Yau, who would go on to direct what many consider to be the best Category III film, The Untold Story, creates a very stark visual style. Ala Hitchcock, the viewer interprets what is (sometime barely) shown on-screen and makes their own conclusions as to what's going on and how much blood is being spilled. The exception to this are the climatic hanging scenes, which aren't graphic per se, but they're definitely disturbing.

As good as the overall construction of the movie is, it is let down a bit by the direction and action, which seems hammy and heavy-handed at times. The leads do turn in solid performances for the most part, but there's segments where Wong is obviously trying to get a point across and resorts to having the actors scream out their lines. It's a hollow dramatic device, and made some scenes feel cheap, instead of resonating emotionally with the viewer.

RATING: 7