Protégé
A new look at the Hong Kong drug trade
Tags: Dragon Dynasty Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Mar 2nd, 2009
Protégé is coming to DVD in North America through the Dragon Dynasty label, which might give some people the wrong impression. While the label has carved out a niche for delivering top quality martial arts/action films (in many cases the definitive versions of some of the older titles) this is the first real drama the company has offered. It does, however star some of the greats of the Hong Kong action cinema in its cast, but do not be misled by the two guns placed on the cover of the DVD.
While Bey Logan mentioned American Gangster in his audio commentary, I was struck by how much Protégé reminded me of Donnie Brasco with Daniel Wu and Andy Lau taking the roles of Johnny Depp and Al Pacino respectively. I’m not saying that thias is the Hong Kong version of that film, but there are many parallels and the emotional resonance is such that the comparison simply can’t be avoided.
Daniel Wu is Nick, and undercover policeman who has been on assignment for a very long time. He has worked his way up to eventually becoming the right hand man to Quin (the legendary Andy Lau). Quin is a major player in the region’s heroin trade but it just isn’t as simple as taking down a bad man. We get to know Quin and how he justifies his business as well as getting a peek into his family life where he isn’t the monster that we might typically see. This is where Protégé really succeeds, in creating characters that are complex and truly well rounded, not one dimensional.
It is the writing and acting that makes Protégé so good. Written and directed by Derek Yee, a legend in his own right, the film is simply packed from beginning to end with tension and drama. All of the main cast does a great job, but it also helps that the writing is stellar to begin with.
This is easily one of the best showcases for the two leading men. Andy Lau and Daniel Wu play off of each other as if they have known each other for years. In reality this was the first time they have acted against each other in such a manner. Protégé is easily one of the best films to come out of Hong Kong in recent years that I have seen. From the very beginning we know how it will end, but it is the path to the inevitable conclusion that is so interesting. The “cap” at the end of the story is also something so extremely powerful that it could only happen after the two hour journey we are taken on.
As for special features, we get another jam packed audio commentary by Bey Logan. Here he points out all the long-time character actors that have cameo roles and bit parts as well as pointing out the geography of the film and other great facts. As always he packs in his commentary from beginning to end without stopping. Also present are three interviews, starting off with Daniel Wu (in English). It runs about 25 minutes and is very interesting. Also worth checking out is the 20 minute interview with Zhang Jing Chu, who plays the drug addicted neighbor, a very central character in Nick’s character arc. This interview is also in English. Lastly, the producer Peter Chen provides an interesting 15 minute interview, also in English. I think I have to check, but this might be the first time that all of the interviews on a Dragon Dynasty DVD were in English. Lastly we get a “making of” that runs about 15 minutes with plenty of interview snippets and footage. This, however, is subtitled.
Protégé is a great film that many will pass up because they think it is simply an another action film or they will not like it because they may be expecting an action film. Don’t be misled or allow misgivings to get in the way of seeing this well made film.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Well acted + Well written + Good special features + Unflinching and realistic look at the subject |
9.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
| - Dragon Dynasty has built up a reputation for action films, so this is a bit misleading | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Don't let the fact that it's subtitled or not an action film throw you. This is a great film. | |
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Tags: Dragon Dynasty
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Mar 2nd, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
