Seven 2 One

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Year of release: 2009

Genre: drama

Director: Danny Pang

Action director: Adam Chan

Producers: Alvin Lam, Danny Pang

Writers: Danny Pang, Pang Pak-Sing

Cinematography: Chan Chi-Ying

Editing: Curran Pang

Music: Ronald Ng, Tse Kwok-Wai

Stars: Elanne Kong, William Chan, Chau Pak-Ho, Chrissie Chau, Stephanie Cheng, Wylie Chiu, Jones Xu, Gary Chiu, Terence Tsui

Rated IIB for violence and language

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Seven 2 One  Seven 2 One

Seven 2 One  Seven 2 One

Before its' release, Seven 2 One generated a fair share of press, as the producers of another film, Split Second Murders, claimed that director Danny Pang and company had ripped off the idea for their movie. The whole argument was rather silly, since Split Second Murders started shooting after Seven 2 One's production had already wrapped. And, in something that is truly apropo to the wild and wooly world of film-making in Hong Kong, both productions owed more than a little debt to the American film Vantage Point, to the extent that Seven 2 One's theatrical poster bears more than a passing resemblance to Vantage Point's poster.

At any rate, putting the tabloid-fueled brouhaha aside, Seven 2 One ends up being a fairly effective little thriller. The story revolves around a group of seven characters and how they are related to a robbery at a convenience store. The robbery is the first thing shown in the movie, and for the rest of the running time, Danny Pang employs a flashback-heavy structure to show how the characters' lives intersect and eventually come together during the botched robbery. This sort of film-making could quickly go off the deep end and lose the audience, but Danny Pang keeps things in check enough so that the viewer isn't spoon-fed everything that's going on, but they're not left feeling bewildered, either.

While Seven 2 One has a solid enough foundation, it is missing that bit of punch and chutzpah that separates the good films from the great, especially when taking into account the over-the-top nature many Hong Kong pictures throw towards the audience. There aren't really any standout scenes or performances. Some of this is due to most of the actors involved being more well-known for their Cantopop output rather than their thespianistic talents and some of it can be traced back to the low-budget nature of the production. Mostly, though, it feels like Danny Pang isn't really attempting to extend himself here. Everything is done well enough, but this production doesn't have the flash or inventiveness that Danny Pang has displayed previously in his directorial output, either solo or with his brother, Oxide.

Also, a scene presented after the credits roll undermines a lot of what Pang laid out over the course of the film. It's not a twist or shocker that one might associate with a movie coming from a Pang brother, but rather an alternate ending that will most likely leave the audience puzzled as to why it was included in the first place. Complaints aside, overall Seven 2 One is a smartly-made, if not particularly flashy, drama that will hold your interest until the end, something which sadly cannot be said for a great many modern films coming out not only from Hong Kong, but all over the world.

RATING: 6