You Shoot, I Shoot (2001)
Reviewed by: White Dragon on 2005-11-16
Summary: Brilliant debut feature from Edmnd Pang
After four years, I finally managed to catch up with Edmond Pang’s debut directorial effort and, only ever having read about it prior, found it hugely entertaining! Suffering through the Asian financial crisis, assassin Bart (Eric Kot) finds himself on hard times and struggling to support his wife (Audrey Fang). By chance he’s asked by a high society woman (Miao Feilin) to off a former lover (who sold off one of their trysts into the black market VCD arena), and film the murder so she can gloat over his death – but Bart’s DV skills aren’t the best and the results are a bit lacklustre. Offering him a second chance, she gives him a second target…and he hires his own director, Chuen (Cheung Tat Ming); and pretty soon the two are more in demand than they could imagine.

Very, very funny black comedy that does some great things with the assassin-for-hire genre – with Kot and Cheung (two actors who normally tend to annoy me) in fine form. Lots of in-jokes and an awesome look and sound (the editing may give a few viewers headaches) for first time director Pang. There are riotous setpieces galore (perhaps too many to mention), however akin to many comedies it does tend to run out of steam by the final act (a hit on mob-boss Jim Chim that slows the previously breakneack pace of the film down to a sluggish trot). Overall though, the film remains hilariously great fun for fans of black comedy and a great vehicle for both Kot and Cheung. Aside from follow-up film MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK, it's been a sharp decline in quality for Pang post his seminal mark on HK cinema.
Reviewer Score: 8