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黑社會.com (2000)
MAFIA.COM


Reviewed by: ryanatpoker
Date: 04/03/2001
Summary: Synopsis

Brought up in a small walled village of Hong Kong, Dynasty and his two chums are street fighters thirsty for great fame in the triad society. When they reach out for the exciting crime world, they stumble across a path of cheating, unfaithfulness, and betrayal. A chain of accidents gets them into deep trouble. When Sung, a top man of another gang, saves them from trouble, he invites them into the gang, and offers Dynasty a helmsman position. However, all is not what it seems in this new partnership.


Reviewed by: magic-8
Date: 02/06/2001
Summary: Comedic Take on Triad Wannabes

"Mafia.com" is written, produced and directed by Law Shun Chuen, but the title doesn't describe or do justice to this light-hearted farce on triad life. The story is told through the eyes of Jackie Lui, who narrates his take on things throughout the movie. The film centers on three triad wannabes, Jackie Lui and his two friends, one of whom likes kickboxing. The three are small-time local slackers who dream of a bigger and better life in the big city. Eventually they make their way to Kowloon and encounter situations that were reminiscent of the comedy "Days of Being Dumb," but told in an understated way.

Thankfully, the film never takes itself too seriously, as we see Jackie and friends get caught up in the middle of a turf battle bewteen fueding triad leaders. Grace Yip plays Jackie's home town girlfirend, who follows him to the big city. She seems more relaxed here than in some of her other on-screen roles. The appeal of this film lies in the many character actors in supporting roles, like Danny Lee as Jackie's half-brother and Roy Chueng as one of the triad leaders. These supporting roles lend weight to the film. The comfort of this work is that it doesn't pretend to be more than what it is, probably due to a lack of a budget.

The story is familiar, but credit must go to Law Shun Chuen for keeping the levity intact, and not falling into the common pitfalls of idiotic or lowbrow humour that can suffocate a small film like "Mafia.com," a light-hearted entertainment that was a small treat.