Ming Ming (2006)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Boring

Blistering performances.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Run Lola Run meets new generation's wuxia… It is always refreshing to witness a Hong Kong movie that isn't following the norm and while Ming Ming is clearly an experimental film, there is enough style and coolness for the audience to sit through an otherwise quite pointless mission. First time director Susie Au is promising and the film is certainly filled with an artistic flair which combines well with its pop culture fashion. There are moments when the film runs like a wuxia, where everything seems over the top and there are scenes after scenes that are worthy of "wowing" the audience. There is no question that director Au is filled with potential and while Ming Ming works on the visual and creative side of things, it ultimately attempts to do too much and resulting in a fun, yet mindless mission for the audience.The story goes like this: Zhou Xun is charismatic enough to deliver her two roles dynamically. She is the cool Ming Ming who is good at martial arts, and also the girlish and sassy Nana. Ming Ming falls in love with D (Daniel Wu) and steals $5 million from mob boss Cat (Jeff Chang) so they can go to Harbin together. She hands off the money to Tu (Tony Yang), who mistakenly grabs the hand of Ming Ming-lookalike Nana. Orange-haired Nana, it turns out, is also in love with D. When D disappears to Shanghai, the three of them follow in search… Ever since Perhaps Love, Neo just cannot stop praising and loving Zhou Xun as her beauty is not without flaws and the layers of naturalness transcends her to almost any acting roles. Her raw and stunningly natural display in Perhaps Love and by being the best thing in The Banquet, Zhou Xun is fast becoming one of the most versatile actresses currently working in Hong Kong. Here, she descends into a duo role and the fact that she is able to cheat or convince the audience that Nana and Ming Ming is two totally different people is utterly amazing to watch.Director Susie Au is certainly a big fan of the over the top style and while many will claim that the film is basically style over substance, to a certain degree Neo cannot disagree. The movie isn't exactly the most accessible work, but Au balances art and commercialism in a relatively watch-able manner. The use of bright colours juxtapose beautifully with plain blackness or perceived darkness within the movie. The colours add layers to the movie and the bright orange that Zhou Xun wears, allow the audience to concentrate on her without being overshadowed by Au's numerous special effects.Tony Yang does well enough as a relentless runner and lover and the much missed Kristy Yang makes a brief drinking cameo to enhance even more sex appeal. Daniel Wu continues to show his already potential filled career by appearing here and there in a role that he is born for the taking. There is one scene in particular where he fights off a hundred men in a manner that alludes to Mr. Andersen in the Matrix. Au seems to love the rain as every moment seems to be artistic as the raindrops ponder through the minds of the characters. The use of pop-culture music enhances the message that Au is trying to portray, despite the fact that the film never actually connects to the audience.All in all, Ming Ming is clearly an artistic movie with a touch of modern pop culture. The movie starts off running and never stop running and there are plenty of techniques that are worthy of noting. Au makes great use of the sound effects as she juxtaposes sudden silence with utterly fast beat music. While Zhou Xun once again excels in her role and ultimately lifts the movie a touch closer to reality, it is really a Susie Au's film. Neo always admire people with their own certain style and is able to imprint in into the audience mind. While Ming Ming is by no means an accomplish piece of work, Au manages to portray a basic story in an extremely stylistic manner and adding a hint of the coolness of the pop culture. Still, despite all the good intention, Ming Ming fails to impact and the feeling is ultimately a beautifully packaged box filled with the emptiness of air. With that being said, for a first time director, Au has done extremely well and Neo is already waiting for whatever she have in mind next…I rate it 7.5/10www.thehkneo.com

As another reviewer noted, this is not really a martial arts film at all. It's a romance and a study of obsession. The plot details are subtle, but by the end of the movie, things become clear in a very satisfying way.Visually, this movie has some very creative cinematography that is quite captivating, and very revealing of character. The acting is very good, especially the roles of Nana and Tu.The "fight" scenes, and the whole handling of Ming Ming's fighting powers, is the weakest part of the movie. If you sit back, though, and view these scenes as being magical realism, you can enjoy the visuals and the characters and the plot.I enjoyed the movie the first time through for the visuals and the characters. It then immediately watched it a second time, and really enjoyed the plot, which made a lot more sense the second time around.

Ming Ming is a very stylized movie, but that's not to say it has more style than substance. Unattainable love and infatuation play central themes in Ming Ming's world, one which contains fantasy martial arts elements, set in today's contemporary era. The titular character played by Zhou Xun cuts a willowy figure, dressed in black with her long dark tresses. One night she casts her eye on D (Daniel Wu), a street fighter whom she falls in love and spends a night with.D, on the other hand, is an elusive lover. With secrets of the past which he seeks to unlock, he's never committed, giving out a promise to whoever can fetch him 5 million dollars, and with whom he'll travel to Harbin with. This sets in motion an entire chain of events, starting with Ming Ming stealing the money and a secret box from Brother Cat (the singer Jeff Chang, who has long been away from the public eye).On the other hand, Ming Ming's friend Ah Tu (Tony Yang) is also infatuated with her, and chances upon Nana (Zhou Xun in her second role), with whom he brings along in their escape from Brother Cat's thugs, and whom too is also in love with D. Confused? Don't be, as Nana is distinctively different from Ming Ming, from hair and outfit (loud and garish) to mannerisms, not forgetting the languages used.In fact, the movie can be renamed Nana, as this character had more screen time than Ming Ming, as we explore the unrequited love by so many characters in the movie. Love and its different incantations are put up on display, even parental ones, as the plot slowly unravels to its surprise ending. There are some zen like dialogue and moments in the movie, such as being able to be with a person even for a moment, is better than not being able to at all. And this is especially true for Ah Tu, even though he's with someone who resembles, and not with the actual person. I thought Nana and Ah Tu had the strongest storyline and the best character development, naturally so because of the screen time devoted to them.Accompanying the superb story are both the music and action. The soundtrack is an eclectic mix and fusion of various influences, from electronica to jazz, and the theme used for chases is particularly catchy. Given that it adopted a fantasy martial arts style, most of the fights, especially Ming Ming's, were given distinct looks. Ming Ming's especially, is one adopted from flicking explosive projectiles at her enemies, while D's style is quick, brutal, and very short ranged. Plot elements from such fantasy movies, like mini quests, and the seeking of treasure, are staples too in the movie.The filming style used is also a mixed bag, with repetitions, quick cuts and flashbacks the norm. It might require a little time to get used to, typically those used in fights. By the time you get through one or two action sequences, you'll be clamouring for more. Savour those moments, as they actually come few and far between. There are many "poser" moments as well, which gives the movie a certain "sexy" look as characters preen and pose when they deliver their dialogues.I guess I'm fortunate to have caught this movie here, in its original language track, as compared to having to watch the dubbed Mandarin version back in Singapore if it gets played. Key languages used - Mandarin, Cantonese and Shanghainese, provide a certain flavour and utilized to distinguish characters. inevitably the effect will be lost in any dubbed version. Zhou Xun, and Tony Yang too, at times sounded a bit off in their Cantonese diction, but that doesn't mar their performances, in particular Zhou Xun's excellent delivery of dual roles.For giving a contemporary fantasy martial arts movie a different and refreshing look, Ming Ming will get my vote.

This is the sort of movie where style is king (or queen, if you like). While as a possible genre, "style" is a rather elusive concept, one can easily bring to mind movies that are, though not entirely comparable, similar in distinguishing themselves with style. Two examples that come immediately to mind are "Miranda" (2002) and "Pisutore opera" (2001).On this premise, Ming Ming is indeed nice to watch, so much so that you almost want to forgive its ridiculously far-fetched "plot twist". But isn't there even a plot to begin with? It's almost as if the director has watched so many movies recently that an urge becomes irresistible, an urge, that is, to throw everything she has seen from these movies into a mixer, and churn out a movie of her own.For melodramatic elements, you have identity confusion of look-alikes, cliché gangster routines, childhood secret, devoted-boy-helping-girl-to-chase-another-guy, girls head-over-heel with the crash for a sexy male, city hopping and many other plot elements you recognize. Unfortunately, they do not add up to an integrated plot in this movie.For more specific borrowed elements, you have a boxing sequence from "Ong-bak" (2003), a voyage from "Invisible waves" (2006), the "Matrix 2" (2003) fighting scene (slight variation in having all the Hugo Weavings as different persons here), just to give a few examples. The camera work is quite dazzling but there's nothing that you have not seen somewhere else. And, as mentioned, there must be suspense and a twist, which in this movie is a motif in the form of a mystifying box and its tantalizing content. This turns out to be so brainless that it's almost comical.On the plus side, style comes not only visually but also with music, from fabulous Anthony Wong Yiu-ming and his fabulous "People mountain people sea" gang. Zhou Xun gets a chance to look both super-cool and super-cute because she is playing two characters*. Daniel Wu is deliciously sexy. It's good to see Kristy Yang Kung-yu in a cameo role. Casting of top Taiwanese pop star Zhang Xin-zhe as the gangster boss is a little weird but there is reason in the madness.* During Q&A in the Hong Kong International Film Festive premier I attended, one individual who might have been sleeping through most of the movie, asked Zhou Xun how she felt about playing three characters. Her response brought about a round of applause from the rest of the audience, "May I suggest that you watch the movie one more time", she said. "I only played two," she added.