Reviewed by: j.crawford Date: 03/09/2006 Summary: sophisticated adult comedy Screenwriter and director Edmond Pang Ho-Cheung crafts a sophisticated adult comedy for his second film. Eric Tsang Chi-Wai produces and stars in a story about a group of four married men who want to cheat on their wives. The four couples are at different stages of their marriages, from newlywed to seasoned veteran. Director and cast do a fine job skewering the complex dualities of the sexes towards adultery and its consequences. Wildly funny and deeply poignant, I loved this movie. Tsang along with Jordan Chan Siu-Chun and Chapman To Man-Chat do great jobs with their characters, but it is the 4 actresses playing the wives who steal the show and make this movie as great as it is. Teresa Mo Sun-Kwan shines as Tsang's attorney wife. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: dandan Date: 03/08/2006 Summary: you said that already... tin (eric tsang), cheung (jordan chan), tsui (chapman to) and paul (gu zong-chao) meet up in the back room of a snooker club; wearing black suits they recently changed in to, they distribute cash and begin their planning. an hour ago, they wished their wives as partners farewell and watched them set off to the airport: their destination - shopping in bangkok. now, the men have fourteen hours of freedom and they're going to do everything they can to screw around behind the backs of their unsuspecting partners. however, as they're about to leave, carrie (teresa mo), anna (candy lo), ching (marsha yuen) and luk (tiffany lee) get an inkling that something is not right and they set out to catch their men red handed. and so begins a game of cat and mouse... this was the film which introduced me to pang ho-cheung, who has blossomed into one of hong kong's most interesting film-makers. 'men suddenly in black' is a comedic romp, which pang directs with all the stylisation of a triad thriller, to great effect. there's some very nicely done pastiches of hong kong action movie staples; in terms of themes of honour and righteousness, along with the melodramatic execution, nicely twisted to fit with story pang is telling. there's even a particularly funny send up of "two gun" action... the three main men, paul is kinda tacked on, do a fine job and the four women quietly raise the standard of the film; then there's a couple of nice cameos, from nat chan and (big) tony leung. cracking stuff.

Reviewed by: mehaul Date: 09/07/2005 Average comedy about 4 men trying to have an affair while their wives are out of town. The premise was good, the acting was excellent, but the whole in this case doesn't add up to the sum of it's parts. 6/10 Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: JohnR Date: 07/27/2005 Summary: Refreshingly Hilarious I've finally seen Men Suddenly In Black and boy was it ever worth the wait! I probably haven't laughed so hard since I saw You Shoot I Shoot. Since his debut, Edmund Pang has charged up my list of favorite directors (I've also seen Beyond Our Ken and can't wait to see AV). This movie is flat out funny. Edmund Pang likes to hold mirrors up to society and allow us to laugh uproariously at ourselves. And what an eye he has; he gets it all right. This movie couldn't have been made anywhere but Hong Kong, but don't let that fool you, it has universal application and should appeal to audiences everywhere (well maybe not the Taliban). Bill Gates, if you're reading this please please please make out a blank check and send it to Edmund Pang and ask him to make another movie!

Reviewed by: magic-8 Date: 12/29/2003 Summary: Sharp and Funny Comedy Edmond Pang's "Men Suddenly in Black" is this year's surprise comedy hit. The movie takes a mundane story of four guys out to play while the wives are away and transforms it into blisteringly funny material by telling the tale as if it were a potboiler/thriller. The script by Edmond Pang, Ye Nianchen and Erica Lee Man is sharp and well-crafted. Many laughs are generated through overly dramatic moments that play on the cliches of righteousness and male bonding usually associated with triad melodramas. "Men Suddenly in Black" features a tremendous ensemble cast with a who's who list of cameos that further elevates the pleasure of the film. Tony Leung shines as Uncle Nine in a standout performance that is reminiscent of his role in "Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone." The scene of Tony leading his cronies on a "boys night out" during the '80s is worth the admission price alone and will have you rolling with gut busting laughs. Eric Tsang even parodies his own turn in "Infernal Affairs" and will be remembered as the guy sitting around eating from take-out containers. Director Edmond Pang reigns in his manic energy and redirects it by setting up individual scenes that build to a crescendo of laughs. Although Pang is unable to sustain the fevered pitch throughout the film, he succeeds overall. The film takes its title from a line by Teresa Mo, where she describes men cheating and suddenly changing their clothes to black, as she leads the female contingent on the trail to uncover their significant others' dealings. "Men Suddenly in Black" is a delightfully funny film that will alter some of your perceptions of what makes a Hong Kong comedy. No longer will you have to think of the broad comedy with cheesy synthesizer melodies and trite characterizations. As "Infernal Affairs" raised the bar for crime dramas, "Men Suddenly in Black" adds a new level of sophistication for comedies. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 09/30/2003 I arrived in Hong Kong on September 11th having heard absolutely nothing about the film MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK before, but the posters for the film were all around and I was drawn to it, though not especially eager to see it. However, when my girlfriend and I turned up at the cinema in the evening it happened to be playing soonest, so we went in to see it, and were glad we did. Edmond Pang’s previous film YOU SHOOT I SHOOT has drawn quite a bit of positive word of mouth amongst Western fans, but apparently didn’t do well at home as it never got a DVD release, and the VCD quickly went OOP – I have still not seen the film myself as a result. Perhaps the apparent box-office success of MSIB will prompt a DVD release from somebody after all – I hope so, as I’m keen to watch it now. I’ve no idea what significance the “suddenly in black” of the title has, but I presume it’s a cultural reference with which I’m not familiar. I spent much of the film expecting the 4 lead actors to find themselves suddenly bereaved, but this is not the case. The film is directed in the style of a crime caper movie, though in this case the crime is not a legal one, but perhaps a moral one. Essentially, the wives of 4 men take a trip to Thailand, and whilst they are away the men decide to take the rare opportunity to seek out some extramarital sex. Eric Tsang is the veteran leading the mission, and the film follows their various exploits in the pursuit of adultery. Clearly this concept is in rather bad taste, but it’s executed in a very stylish and witty manner that kept the audience laughing without thinking too much about the implications… until the film shifts focus to the wives at one point, where the men’s actions suddenly started to seem less comical and more like a real crime. For me this section was a little uncomfortable, but it seemed that most of the audience were able to continue laughing. Perhaps I would have thought less of it if I hadn’t been there with my girlfriend J. MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK reminded me quite a bit of another surprise hit from the past year, GOLDEN CHICKEN (also starring Eric Tsang, but there’s hardly been a film made in Hong Kong in the past 12 months that he hasn’t cropped up in). Firstly, the film has a very local flavor – it’s clearly aimed at Hong Kong audiences, which is refreshing at a time when so many HK films seem to be compromised by a desire to appear to international audiences. The locations, the cultural references and the many cameo appearances throughout the film all make it a very much a “Hong Kong Film”, which is possibly one reason it has done good business in theatres. This is also likely to make it popular with HK Cinema fans tired of seeing the very things that drew them to Hong Kong Cinema in the first place sacrificed, in an attempt to appeal to Western audiences that has thus far failed drastically. It’s the kind of film that the fans want to see coming out of Hong Kong more often, but obviously it’s never likely to see a wide scale release in the US. Simply including lots of cultural references would not be enough to make a great film, of course, but thankfully MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK also benefits from a good script, predominantly good acting, and an intelligent and slick directorial style with excellent cinematography. It’s clearly not a high budget production, but it shows a high level of proficiency in the making that marks Edmond Pang as a very promising new director in Hong Kong cinema. Eric Tsang seems to have come into his own as an actor as he’s matured, and is no longer just the comic relief. It’s his assured performance that is the backbone of the film, though Tony Leung Ka-Fai upstages him in a fairly large side-role, giving one of his best performances since JIANG HU – THE TRIAD ZONE. It seems like only yesterday that Jordan Chan was a hot newcomer, but now he seems to be a veritable veteran, if not quite in the same league as Eric or Tony yet. He has such a unique face and demeanor that any character he plays will undoubtedly come across as being mostly Jordan Chan, but he gives his role plenty of nuance and depth in the film. Chapman To is another actor that seems to be in practically every Hong Kong film released recently, though this is the first time I’ve really noticed him (I’m a bit behind on this year’s releases but I’m sure I’ll either get to love or hate him before too long). I thought he played his character well, and wasn’t annoying as some people seem to find him, but I’d guess he is limited to playing characters that are pretty close to his own. The other male lead was somebody I’ve never heard of before, Gu Zong Chao. I’m not sure what the motive was behind casting him, as he seemed much too young and inexperienced next to the rest of the cast – this appears to be his first movie, and quite possibly the first time he’s ever tried to act as he showed absolutely no skill in the art. He was a veritable charisma void, and also suffered from a thick mainland accent and a dreadful haircut… I can only think that he is a popstar or somebody designed to pull in the teenagers, as I can’t think of any other good reason for him being allowed to appear in the film. He’s definitely a weak link, but not disastrously so. The female cast members don’t get all that much screen time, but Theresa Mo makes a very strong impression as Eric Tsang’s wife. I don’t know how long it is since I saw her in a film, but I couldn’t believe how old she has gotten in between. Like Eric, she seems to have matured with age though, and gives a very strong performance. Candy Lo is fairly charismatic, though not a strong actress, but the other two wives are pretty disappointing. Tiffany Lee’s performance is fairly bland and adds little to the film, and Marsha Yuen seems far too weak and limp, and I keep struggling to remember that it was her in the film at all. Cheng Pei Pei’s daughter still has a long way to go if she’s ever to have the success of her mother! In conclusion, MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK is a fresh and unique film that is sure to entertain fans of Hong Kong cinema, though unlikely to convert anybody that is not already familiar with the territory’s cinematic history. 2003 has not been a good year for HK film at all, and it is refreshing to see that there is still a pool of talent out there that can make a great film given the chance – and that characters such as Edmond Pang are still being added to that pool. Whilst it may not be a classic that will stand in the pantheon of great Hong Kong movies, it’s sure to be one of the strongest films from this particular year. I look forward to a DVD release, and will be anticipating Edmond Pang’s next film eagerly. Reviewer Score: 10