A Chinese Ghost Story

Director: Ching
Siu-Tung
Producer (s):
Tsui Hark, Zhong Zheng,
Liu Qianqing
Plot:
Ling Choi San (Leslie Cheung)
is a humble tax collector who arrives in a small village to collect
the tax from some of the local businesses. Unsurprisingly, no one is
willing to give him shelter for the night, so he decides to travel through
the forest to the Lan yeuk temple, which turns out to be abandoned and
haunted.
Whilst
staying there for the night he meets a Taoist Swordsman Yin Chek Hsia
(Wu Ma), who warns him about
the evil sprits. Unable to sleep Ling wonders off into the forest where
he meets the beautiful Nip Siu Sihn (Joey
Wong), with whom he falls in love with.
Unfortunately,
Siu Sihn turns out to be a ghost, bound for all eternity by a hideous
tree spirit (Lau Siu-Ming) with an incredibly long tongue that wraps
itself round its victims and sucks the life right out of there body,
but this wont stop Choi San…
Review:
This is a film for all I say. It is the perfect blend of genres. I’m
not really a fan of romance films, but this film balances it out with
noticeably comedy, action, drama and its memorable theme tune.
Ling Choi San is a turns out to be the poor soul dragged into this mess.
His character is very shy, innocent and Nip Siu-Sihn cant find it in
her heart to devour him, or at least distract him until the tree demon
arrives.
Siu-Sihn is a lonely succubus - a Chinese ghost known to devour men
by loving them to death. Siu-Sihn is watched out by the evil tree demon
who practically controls the woodland area that she ‘works’ in. The
tree demon informs Siu-Sihn that she is due to marry the Lord of the
black mountain, against her own will, Siu Sihn has no choice be agree.
Master Yin is a fun character,
also known as the Daoist Swordsman, he adds the a healthy dosage of
Action/Swordplay. Master Yin acts as the voice of reason to Choi San
as he warns him about the ghosts haunted the woodlands, but did he listen?
I'm not going into anymore
detail on the film, but its fab and I think everyone should at least
watch it once. Leslie Cheung gives an outstanding performance. It shows
him in a different light compared to his past role in the John Woos
'A Better Tomorrow'. The film just doesn't finish here let me mind you,
they go on to a just as good sequel starring Jacky Cheung along with
Leslie, even Joey Wong and Wu Ma come back!
Highlights
- Ling Choi Sans introduction
- Master Yin's introduction
- Ling Choi San and Master Yin getting
covered in goo!
- Master Yin's song
- Choi San accidentally killing the
monsters in Lan Yeuk Temple
- Siu-Sihn hiding Choi San in the
bath
- The look on Choi Sans face as Siu-Sihn
reveals her chest
- The convincing story
- The ending
Letdowns
- The giant tongue is slightly disturbing
Rating:
8.7 out of 10.0