Trivisa

Director: Frank Hui, Jevons Au, Vicky Wong

  Producer: Johnnie To Kei-Fung, Yau Nai-Hoi
  Writer: Loong Man-Hong, Thomas Ng, Mak Tin-Shu
  Action:
Yick Tin-Hung, Jack Wong Wai-Leung
Cast:

Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Richie Ren, Jordan Chan Siu-Chun, Philip Keung Ho-Man, Lam Suet, Tommy Wong Kwong-Leung, Wan Yeung-Ming, Stephen Au Kam-Tong, Wong Wah-Ho, Xiong Xin-Xin, Yueh Hua, Ben Yuen Foo-Wah, Ng Chi-Hung
The Skinny: Stellar Milkyway Image crime film pushing new talent and its trademark quality and style of filmmaking. Light on action but rich with strong characters and spot-on performances. Producer Johnnie To should be proud.






Review
by Kozo:
Trivisa hits the Hong Kong Cinema sweet spot like few recent films have. Produced by Johnnie To and Yau Nai-Hoi, and helmed by three young directors from the Milkyway Image stable, Trivisa resembles To's Life without Principle with its fusion of Hong Kong socio-political commentary and crime thriller tropes – though straight genre junkies will probably like it more. Taking place in 1997, the film follows three notorious robbers, each based on real Hong Kong criminals, who try to change due to the impending Handover only to meet semi-ironic fates. There's an obvious metaphor present for Hong Kongers who faced the Handover, or those currently feeling unease with the mainland-Hong Kong divide, and there may even be a nifty parallel to Hong Kong filmmaking. After years of unchecked prosperity, Hong Kong Cinema's decline and the shift to the China market have forced local filmmakers to compromise or quit – very similar to the choices faced by Trivisa's protagonists. One could liken certain industry figures to robbers too, given the stuff they've tried to pull. A ninety-minute movie split onto two laserdiscs – who remembers that? But I digress.
e source of the rumor is initially unknown, and while Kwai and Yip seem cool to the idea, Cheuk is convinced that this is the grand score that he's looking for. While Cheuk tries to contact both Yip and Kwai, their respective situations begin to decay. Yip encounters more problems with his smuggling business and begins to long for the power he once felt with an AK-47 in his hands. Kwai's discontent is more subtle, as his exacting plans are stymied and he gradually finds himself in an uncomfortable place with his comrades and profession. As time passes and the men’s patience erodes, Cheuk Tze-Keung's dream criminal team-up looks to become a stronger reality.Still, the combination of all three narratives smooths over the faults of Cheuk’s storyline, and the final work serves as a textbook representation of the Milkyway Image house style. Storytelling is exacting and predominantly visual; the characters are built through acting and action rather than dialogue or exposition. Irony is abundant in the film’s overarching narrative as well in smaller, humorously absurd moments. Also, the story makes effective use of the 1997 Hong Kong Handover. Trivisa opens and closes with overt references to the event, and while the film doesn’t comment remarkably on it (current non-mainland commentary on the Handover is largely predictable in its opinion), it works superbly as a narrative framework for its examination of men facing rapid, uncomfortable change. Action is on the light side, however, and the film lacks a large climax that sees the characters working together – which isn’t a real fault, though it’s reasonable that some audiences might see it as one given the film’s driving storyline. So be forewarned: If you expect Trivisa to be a Milkyway Image film with a big blowout finale, please don’t.

Trivisa also doesn’t offer a very strong message. Given how events play out, it seems the characters are damned if they do and damned if they don’t – a reading that’s reasonable thematically but also well-worn and expected in this era of rising PRC negativity. Those looking for a film to say something new and surprising won’t find it here, but in nearly every other way Trivisa is a stellar Hong Kong film. It’s relatively early and its competition isn’t great, but the film is thus far one of the year’s best and a sterling flag bearer for the future of the Milkyway Image brand. Trivisa carries on the tradition of the Hong Kong crime film and offers hope that producer Yau Nai-Hoi and directors Frank Hui, Jevons Au and Vicky Wong can keep the company’s genre film legacy intact even if Messrs. Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai tire of guys with guns and decide to make romantic comedies exclusively. Whether or not that actually happens, fanboys should fear not – Milkyway Image seems to be in good hands. (Kozo, 8/2016)