Online Review: Is the Value of Hong Kong Vanishing? - "Life Without Principle" by Johnnie To

“Life Without Principle” 《奪命金》is filmed by Jonnie To Ki-Fung. The movie is named after his very first production which called “The Enigmatic Case”《碧水寒山奪命金》since he wanted to have a review over his filming, directing live in the past 30 years and because the story of the movies are sharing same content that, although its plot is in different time – ancient and modern society, greedy is an inborn nature of human.In the movie, Jonnie used four main characters, which acted by Lau Ching-Wan, Denise Ho, Richie Ren and Myolie Wu, to link up the whole story. It seems that an ordinary bank teller (Denise Ho), a small-time thug (Lau Ching-Wan) and a straight-arrow Police inspector (Richie Ren) with his wife do not have any relationships, but somehow they are linked by a financial company owner but also a loan shark- Chung Yuen (Lo Hoi Pang).

In these years, all people are obsessed with bonds and shares. People can gain more money from the stock market with a small amount of capital; however, money comes and goes in the bubble economy easily. Due to the inflation, the price index keeps rising, mainlanders flows into Hong Kong etc, how Hong Kong people deal with this situation?

A mainland businessman (Terence Yin) who Lung (Philip Keung) worked for suddenly pop-up in the middle of the movie, the director tried to indicate Hong Kong is changing at a fast speed which we cannot aware of.  This scene is talking about the mainland businessman slapped at Panther (Lau Ching Wan) and shouted at him that buying bonds and shares is how people forecast the future, if you guess right, you are winner when you guess wrong you are not. It is because there is a rapid growth of economy in China; people tend to have a bet in the uprisingmarket but the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers leads a great fall in the stock market. During that period, Hong Kong people suddenly lose all their money and kind of relying on  the Chinese government to help.

In this circumstance, the gap between rich and poor are widening and getting more extreme. When some people participating in the stock market and getting rich through no matter “invest or venture”; what other local people can do is to gamble their life in the game or like the old man in the picture. What he was trying commit suicide and tell Richie in the film that he has been changing his job from plastic factory to garment factory and when those factory have all moved to mainland, he has been a security and doesn’t mind what he has to do, he accept it but what he want is just a place to stay. However, truths beyond his want.

The two scenes have made a strong statement about the identity of Hong Kong people have been influencing by mainlanders. On the one hand, our identities may seem to be grounded in the past which is individual and collective memory, on the other hand, identities are also about becoming who we want to be or being who we think we should be in particular contexts.

In the stock market, Hong Kong people are kind of rely on the mainland because U.S is in an economic downturn and China is an uprising market, it seems Hong Kong cannot live without the PRC. On the other hand, the old man has shown how desperate the local, grass root people are when the price index is keep rising. They cannot afford a flat since they are getting older and older. Moreover, Myolie Wu is a wife of a police inspector and having middle class life; however, the prices of flats are terribly high and make them worry about their living standard after her husband retired. Nevertheless, the man said he has been moved to Hong Kong for around thirty years. This also echoing to why Johnnie To would like to named this new movie following his first product- The Enigmatic Case- that he wants to review his past thirty years and what Johnnie can observe and witness the change of Hong Kong.

It is undeniable that there are lots of chances in mainland but who can guarantee anything? Last but not least, the translated name of the movie is “Life Without Principle” strongly show that how worry Johnnie To is when thinking about the value of Hong Kong. Director and producer Johnnie To said about the film: “This is a turbulent world. In order to survive, people have no choice but play the game. No matter how hard you try to follow the rules, sooner or later, a part of you will be lost.”  But we, Hong Kong people, should have found our own value and try to preserve it in this hard game, not just let ourselves fall into this black hole.

Reference:

 INDIEWIRE STAFF. Johnnie To's "Life Without Principle" Added to Venice Film Festival Slate. Indiewire,  9 Aug. 2011. Web 18 Apr. 2012 <http://www.indiewire.com/article/johnnie_tos_life_without_principle_added_to_venice_film_festival_slate#>

Man Ka Po Bobo (10486464)