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歸土 (1995)
Back to Roots


Reviewed by: jfierro
Date: 12/21/1999

A young hoodlum from HK ends up trapped in the rural mainland, disrepectful to everyone around him, but you know there's a change of heart ahead. It's a theme that's been explored many times, perhaps too often. But as much as I wanted to dislike this film for its predictability, I truly enjoyed it. The acting was solid, the script was well developed, and very little was overplayed. By the end, you're caught up with the characters, and a little piece of you wants to be there with them. And, after all, isn't that what movies are all about.


Reviewed by: shelly
Date: 12/09/1999

A young HK hoodlum kills a cop, flees to the mainland, lives for awhile in a Shaanxi village, and gets in touch with his roots. This film looks like it's trying to bridge two incommensurables: the world of modern HK urban gangsters, and the ancient rural world of YELLOW EARTH, of the classic 5th generation mainland films. Ambitious, but a little too predictable, and (unrealistically?) optimistic.

Reviewer Score: 7