Hey folks, Harry here... I've been getting quite a few negative and disappointed reviews of Michelle Yeoh's latest THE TOUCH, which apparently Miramax has the rights to, and liked so much I heard were going to finance a sequel... Hopefully this is better than I'm hearing, because I love Yeoh's work and don't want to see a bad one, or her talents wasted on something unworthy. Here ya go...
Harry,
I managed to take in Michelle Yeoh's "Touch" last night and thought I'd share the "experience".
I believe there has already been a review of sorts so let me just add my 2 cents (HK cents!) to it. The trailers for this film looked pretty enticing. Michelle Yeoh, chop-socky, great shots of exotic Asian terrain, Michelle Yeoh, ancient relics and did I mention Michelle Yeoh ?
The film starts quite brightly. The audience is introduced to a Chinese circus on a storm-ridden night in Tsing Tao, China (where they make great beer by the way). Michelle Yeoh's character is called Yim and she's the star attraction of this carnival. The lights dim and she has an acrobatic, mock battle with a younger boy, where she expertly wields the staff whilst the young man (who is her brother) attacks with rings of steel.
The film then cuts to introduce the archetypal western baddies. Richard Roxborough and team of supporting minion's are given the backdrop of a room, wherein a myriad of Asian artefacts are housed on sleek, glass display shelves. You immediately get that he is a rich, powerful, merciless man and Roxborough nails it first time. Enter Ben Chaplin as the borderline anti-hero.
Turns out that Ben Chaplin is a gifted thief who steals for RR.
Furthermore, as luck would have it, he was trained by Yim's father when found as a street urchin stealing food. It transpires that he and Yim were once "involved".
The film revolves around the search for a Shahira (not a Colombian pop singer) which is the crystallised essence of a respected monk. To possess this Shahira means power for good or evil.
To cut a long story short, Ben Chaplin has stolen "The Heart of Dong Huan" which will lead them to this Shahira. Michelle Yeaoh's family have been trained for thousands of years to protect it....cue adventurous search in sparse and untamed Chinese locations in a race to get there first. I won't spoil the ending, but suffice to say, that although there are some unexpected "Hollywood" twists, the film suffers from typical Chinese execution of lines and pacing.
The issues lie with the fact that any type of Oriental based project made in the wake of "CTHD" labors, fairly or otherwise, under the weight of expectation. The touch has some genuine laugh-out-loud comedic moments, courtesy of a "cousin" of Roxborough's character, great fight scenes and spectacular panning shots of Chinese vistas, but this is not enough to make up for bad mis-casting for supporting actors and shocking delivery of lines.
It is ironic that the very thing that could have been the Touch's strength is diluted and "simplified" to suit the western palette. I mean a Chinese guy in the middle of some tiny village in a remote section of China, communicates with all the local townsfolk in American English !! A wizened old Yoda-like monk stumbling over the legend of the Shahira !! It's insulting and lacks any kind of empathy or gravitas. I wish directors would not patronise the public to this extent....30 seconds of sub-titles would not be excessive!
Yeoh, Chaplin and Roxborough make the best of a bad script. The supporting actors are of the worst kind, wooden, stunted and without a modicum of screen charisma. You actually go through the film hoping something unspeakable befalls them.
It is unfortunate that they couldn't quite get the full cast needed to make this half-decent, or better still make the film Asian without having 1 eye on the Western market.
Overall, it was akin to a Chinese take-away...a feeling of brief satisfaction followed by a disappointing sensation of wanting more.
Thanx,
Beige Babapapa
