Hong Kong film Night King delves into what matters most
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Chinese New Year (CNY) symbolises a time for prosperity and gathering among families, something which a nightclub-themed movie would not usually bring to the mix.
Repeatedly criticised as director Jack Ng’s most “contrasting” work, Night King has unexpectedly exceeded viewer expectations with blindsided comedy, bringing to light an unexpected side of those who are involved in the nightlife business.
Movies immerse the audience in a world they create. Here, the director was able to give a strong insight into the lives of club employees, albeit in a lighthearted manner.
More suitable for an audience aged 16 and above, the movie focuses on acts that hostesses usually engage in with their clients – some bordering on illegal and explicit – but most importantly, it focuses on the human aspect of the people working in the nightclub.
It shows that they too, despite having contrasting values from society, are also human. They too have their own hardships and emotions, just like everyone else.
Many might not understand Ng’s intention of creating this film as he wanted to recreate the glory days of East Tsim Sha Tsui. From a more critical perspective, he attempts to show that “everyone deserves happiness” regardless of who they are – in line with the spirit of CNY – and no one should be neglected at this time of year.
While some have questioned the decision to release this nightclub-themed film on CNY, there is no better time for it to resonate with the audience.
Multiple subplots
The story revolves around struggling club manager Brother Foon (Dayo Wong) and his cutthroat ex-wife (Sammi Cheng), who go from being against each other to rekindling old romances and working together to save Club EJ against their former investor-cum-conglomerate Prince Fung (Lo Chun Yip).
Juggling multiple subplots – Mimi’s (Fish Liew) affair with Brother Foon and Coco’s (Louis Wong) entanglement with Prince Fung (Lo Chun Yip) – into the main plot, Ng managed to pull off a closed and tight storyline without compromising on the movie quality and entertainment value.
The acting of the cast and scriptwriters managed to create a smooth-flowing plot in the movie’s 132 minutes, which deserves credit.
Each part of this film tells a separate story of each character – from Brother Foon, who unhesitatingly helps out those closest to him, even if it means sacrificing his interests or dignity, to Madame V, who is uptight and self-centered but eventually understands the value of loyalty and empathy of those closest to her.
Here, Wong and Cheng have held their own as they have driven a story that was deemed to be ill-suited to the spirit of CNY – nonetheless, they managed to pull it off remarkably with great attention to detail and pure acting skills.
As each character had their own part to play in the story, all of it could not have been brought to life without the supporting cast, who adequately filled the gaps in the plot, making it even more passion-driven to ingrain the idea of loyalty among its viewers.
Many had their own strengths in making the film enjoyable – BB (Hazel Lam), who plays a cute, mischievous hostess, Yui (Tang Lai-ying), the eccentric club helper, and Kwai Fong (Li Sumling), a hostess who showed her loyalty at a key moment.
Bringing laughter with the tears
Among the cast who deserve a standing ovation is Tou Dei (Yeung Wai Lun), who thrilled with his comedic acts. While Tou Dei is shown to be a dull-witted assistant club manager, he demonstrates loyalty when needed to his good friend and boss Brother Foon. Yeung has done a marvelous job expressing the character’s defiance of age-appropriate comedy – even with a viewer classification of 16 – which might not be the most family-friendly but delivers a swift and direct punchline nonetheless, with actions and expressions to match it right on point.
Another outstanding mention goes to Liew, who beautifully brought out the character’s pain and unrequited love through her silent tears. As a mama-san who has followed Brother Foon for decades, Mimi has demonstrated loyalty and care to Brother Foon but at the same time, keeps her quiet tears at her love being unrequited.
A character beautifully crafted and played tragically well, Mimi’s silent and unfulfilled affection for Brother Foon would eventually come to an end when she leaves to find her own happiness elsewhere.
Liew’s heartbreaking display at the end showed what it means to “never realise what you have until its gone”. When Brother Foon finally realised what he has lost, he is left with no other choice but to look to the future, knowing very well that what he has lost will never come back.
Living our best and in the now
Some things can never be brought back once lost but life goes on eventually. Just like Coco, who chose between staying loyal or for a pampered, controlled life, or Mimi, who left after having years of unrequited feelings, even after losing things precious to them, they chose to either continue to make the best of their life or find a new start.
Just like during CNY, families reunite but there will be some members who are unable to attend but it is a time of celebration either way.
Ultimately, the film conveys the message that “everyone deserves happiness” but they might never realise it until it is gone. Amid the Year of the Horse that brings a message of independence and embracing change, this film reminds viewers to appreciate what they have and “live their best and in the now”.
Director: Jack Ng
Cast: Dayo Wong, Sammi Cheng, Louise Wong, Fish Liew, Renci Yeung, Mandy Tam, Li Sumling, Miko Wong, Hazel Lam, Tang Lai-ying, Tse Kwan-ho, Yeung Wai Lun, Lo Chun-yip and Dee Ho.
Plot: 7/10
E-Value: 8/10
Acting: 8/10
