Cinema for Brunch I DID IT MY WAY Review

Strong performances and palpable character development slightly elevates the generic, clunky cybercrime thriller “I Did It My Way”.

Synopsis

As the secretive, complex world of online drug trafficking increasingly targets Hong Kong, the police launch a risky, top-secret sting operation to bring down one of the most notorious drug lords in Asia.

Review
At this point in time, most cop thrillers are derivative of the ones that came before them. We’ve seen quite a few copycats of the originals – “Heat”, “Infernal Affairs” – and its American remake “The Departed”, “Se7en” and – if we close one eye and tilt our head to the side – Gareth Evans’ “The Raid 2”. Even though it may live in the shadow of greater action films before its time, director Jason Kwan’s Chinese thriller “I Did It My Way” still manages to be an entertaining cybercrime thriller. Cracking down on cyber drug trafficking, ambitious Superintendent “Eddie, Fong Hing” (played by Eddie, Peng Yuyan) leads a team of officers against an international drug trafficking operation, closely monitored and headed by barrister George (played by Andy Lau). In the midst of this battle, we have Sau Ho (played by Lam Ka Tung), a close friend and ally of George that is struggling to keep his allegiance.

With its over-the-top transitions and slow-motion shots, “I Did It My Way” still manages to present a palpable story with solid character development. The characters of George and Eddie are great foils to each other – George’s smooth arrogance as the big baddie of the film (due to a twist of fate earlier in the film) matches well with Eddie’s flawed ambition as the determined cop. Andy Lau (who takes on the role as actor and producer) gives a super cool, confident performance as George, never letting the cops see him sweat even though his character gets thrown through the ringer in key emotional moments. Eddie, Peng Yuyan makes flawed ambition look good as Superintendent Eddie. Every moment of making three steps forward while being dragged four steps back is a moment for his performance to shine as the whatever-it-takes man of the law. However, the film’s secret weapon of good characterization lies within Lam Ka Tung’s performance as Sau. Digging deep into his friendship with George and his home life as devoted husband and father, there is solid stakes within this man’s story and which side he will align with. Lam Ka Tung has a great understated role here – every tense moment of covers being nearly blown and loyalty being tested are reflected by his character’s balance between desperation and strategic planning. His choices and identity (revealed in a shrewd twist) also levels the playing field of which side is more powerful in the battle of police vs. drug traffickers. For a film about cyber attacks, the film doesn’t shy away from keeping the audience’s attention with self-aware, excessive transitions (close up of a lighter being flicked, a gun being fired, etc). Kwan, also taking on a dual role as the film’s cinematographer, doesn’t miss a chance to throw all of his big budget, video game sensibilities at the wall – for better or worse.

For all of its palpable character developments and solid emotional moments, “I Did It My Way” all too often finds itself running into the easy trap of being too melodramatic. One melodramatic revelation is switched for another and a sappy flashback is soon replaced by another. The film constantly finds itself in a tonal identity crisis – moments of emotion are forced where moments of tension and engaging thrills feel organic. As far as sound mixing, the effect can be a bit lacking – voiceover dialogue sounds sloppy, the sounds of bullets mixed with dialogue and the music score also comes off more clunky than harmonic. As far as action, the stunts are solid – nothing really to note except for a solid hand-to-hand fight sequence that takes place within a wine cellar. There’s a lot to like about “I Did It My Way” – and some things not to like – but overall, it doesn’t fail itself on being an entertaining ride.

Closing Thoughts
“I Did It My Way” passes the litmus test on being an entertaining “cop vs. gangster” thriller. Strong performances elevate it slightly past being a generic thriller. Jason Kwan’s flashy, video game sensibilities prove to be both the film’s best friend and worst enemy. A mix of tonal shifts mixed with clunky sound mixing essentially prevents the film from being great. For what it does well, “I Did It My Way” is passable as a good thriller and for what it does wrong, its sins are somewhat forgiven by the time the audience reaches its final, climactic showdown.

Trailer