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舢版92 (1992)
Love in Sampan


Reviewed by: STSH
Date: 01/13/2002
Summary: Plenty of nudity and sex

This movie should be held up as an example of how to make a Cat III sexy movie. I can't count the number of HK films I've watched which boast the Cat III triangle but contain little or no full frontal plus a few uninspired sex scenes.

Not so for Love In Sampan. There is a nude or sex scene starting on average about every five minutes. The nudity includes generous amounts of full frontal, as do the sex scenes. And there's variety as well - indoor and outdoor sex scenes, several shower scenes, straight and lesbian, even several different types of torture. In short, there is sex and/or nudity a bit more than half the screen time, which is far more than most HK Cat III's.

Even better, the story which fills the remainder is not bad either. Granted, it's an overdone melodrama where nearly everyone overacts and in which all the characters are rock-solid cliches. And it's hardly great drama. But the story holds interest and, despite the terrible things which happen to the two women, there is enough hope and lightness to stop the story becoming the depression-fest which so many other HK movies of this type succumb to. Also, there is the impression that much of what happens is believeable and realistic.

Warning - this movies contains some pretty cruel scenes. Not the outright awful gore of some horror movies, and not enough to satisfy a fan of the really nasty stuff, but far from pleasant just the same. Chuen Wong is a real bastard, and he becomes even more so after discovering that he was sexually usurped on their wedding night (and that's a terrific scene). He comes up with ways of being cruel to Kiu, and of course all of them involve her being naked. Tieing her up and tickling her with ice cubes, for instance, then shoving them into her orifices. Ugh.

And one jarring note is the obvious cuts, which occur several times. This means there is somewhere an X-rated version of this film ......

The two lead actresses, who carry all of the nudity, are at least pleasant to look at. And we see plenty of them both.

I'm not saying this is a great movie, but it should certainly be compulsory viewing for any HK Cat III movie director, so they can at least be made aware of how it can be done.

Warmly recommended.

Reviewer Score: 7