THE GREAT MAGICIAN Review
THE GREAT MAGICIAN only qualifies as a good film. It has a great director, great cast and great production values, and it starts off great but in the end it sadly falls short of being a great film.
Director Derek Yee is best known in the West for his crime thrillers such as PROTÉGÉ and ONE NITE IN MONGKOK, but he actually has a large and varied filmography. His 1993 classic C'EST LA VIE, MON CHERI, for example, is a bittersweet romance drama; while his 2005 hit DRINK-DRANK-DRUNK, just like his latest film, is a comedy. With THE GREAT MAGICIAN, Yee again proves that he is pretty good at doing comedies, as most of the jokes work, and some of them are even very funny.
The main cast includes two top actors from Hong Kong, Tony Leung and Lau Ching Wan; and a top actress from mainland China, Zhou Xun. The last time Leung and Lau worked together was in THE LONGEST NITE from Johnnie To's Milkyway Image back in 1998. It has been a long time since their last collaboration, but the pair certainly works well together in this film. In fact, it looks like they had a ball making the film. Like the boys, Zhou Xun also handles her role comfortably and gives a confident performance.
The film boasts big production values, and looks to be Yee's most expensive film to date. The set is elaborately designed to reflect the era in which the story of the film took place. Much of the budget has clearly been spent on creating the magic shows, therefore making them one of the highlights of the film. They should delight and intrigue audiences, even those who have seen a few live magic performances.
The first half of THE GREAT MAGICIAN impresses by presenting a near-perfect mix of drama, comedy, action, romance and magic. The initial set up is absolutely wonderful, but the second half of the film fails to keep up the same high standards, largely due to issues with the script. A few plot holes begin to emerge, and developments in the relationships between the three main characters become less convincing.
In the end, while some flaws have prevented THE GREAT MAGICIAN from becoming a truly great film, it is nevertheless a good film that offers plenty of fun, laughs and entertainment.
THE GREAT MAGICIAN is distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Dream Movie. It is currently showing in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland.
