Deja Vu (1999)
Reviewed by: shelly on 2000-01-19
How sad, to watch a lightly ambitious "concept movie" flounder, stagger, drop the concept not even half way through (they didn't think we'd notice?), and peter out, to a sappy, moralistic end. Director Cho Kin-lam makes a rather loose mess of this film: he seems to have no idea what to do with actors, and abandons them to flounder and do the best they can. Which is nothing much for Peter Ho, dull dull long-haired narcissist; a little bit more for Nicky Wu, who's almost present (though he gets to play against a new, bulked up physique); so-so for Theresa Lee, whose natural effervescence is depressingly squelched (let down, not only by mis-direction, but by a flaccid script); and surprisingly much for mainland TV sensation Vicky Zhao Wei. The lone survivor of this mess, Zhao's lively spirit and irrepressible charisma (though, those eyes, can they be real???) seems impervious to the heavy handed dullness around her. Some nice views of Shanghai don't begin to compensate for some of the least professional cinematography seen this year. Ho, fortunately, sings better than he acts.
Reviewer Score: 6