Night King review – Hong Kong hostess bar comedy is love letter to old-style Kowloon nightlife
Dayo Wong and pop star Sammi Cheng star in strangely coy comedy which has glitzy charms and jokes but lacks raw chemistryThis lustrous, gauzily shot tribute to old-time Cantonese nightlife...
By Phil Hoad · The Guardian Culture
Dayo Wong and pop star Sammi Cheng star in strangely coy comedy which has glitzy charms and jokes but lacks raw chemistry This lustrous, gauzily shot tribute to old-time Cantonese nightlife looks at times like a Wong Kar-Wai film – but is actually closer to something like Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Hong Kong comedy stalwart Dayo Wong stars as Foon, manager of EJ Entertainment, the last nightclub standing in the fading East Tsim Sha Tsui district. A corporate takeover suddenly means his ex-wife Dame V (Cantopop diva Sammi Cheng) is in charge and intent on replacing the regular hostesses there to schmooze clients with her “fighter jet” upgrades. No sooner do Foon and V start sparring about how the joint should be run, then they discover there’s a takeover within the takeover: playboy Prince Fung (Chun Yip Lo), V’s partner on the original deal, does the dirty on her and pulls out. As the contract’s guarantor, either V stumps up the $80m needed to buy EJ, or she is liable for the cancellation fee – when Fung plans to swoop in for a pittance. So the perennial soft touch Foon agrees to team up with his no-nonsense ex, all for the sake of saving nostalgic razzle-dazzle. Continue reading...