Lan Kwai Fong

Lan Kwai Fong is so stylish it hurts - after watching this movie I was forced to take a long hard look at both my sartorial sense and my clearly inadequate hair styling regime.  Public sex, prostitution, gold-digging, infidelity: no sexual more is too taboo for this hiply edgy and edgily hip ode to Hong Kong nightlife in all its neon-bright superficial glory.  The subject matter was considered quite daring in its native Hong Kong and director Wilson Chin is at pains to present it as such, but with the soul-destroyingly autocratic regime of the PRC just a stone’s throw away, who wouldn’t want to revel in a bit of liberally bared flesh every now and then? 

Lan Kwai Fong is a popular nightlife destination in Hong Kong, and if the present film is to be believed it’s a veritable treasure trove of well-dressed singletons looking for kicks, the more lascivious the better.  The storyline follows a trio of wealthy playboys as they navigate the romantic minefield that is the dating scene in present-day Hong Kong: eyeliner-wearing cad/bar manager Jacky (Jason Chan), wine salesman Steven (Chen Zhiming) and rich, bumbling Sean Yi (Wang Zongyao). The love and/or lust interests for our three lotharios are Jeana (He Peiyu), Jennifer (Shiga Lin) and Cat (Chen Jing), a trio of equally leggy air hostesses frequently more interested in the size of a man’s bank balance than the dimensions of his heart, or, for that matter, any other appendage. 

Lan Kwai Fong is easy to lose yourself in.  Like the characters themselves this small clubbing locale is presented initially as superficial and somewhat vapid, though ultimately plenty of fun and not entirely without substance.  The handpicked cast of cosmopolitan newcomers both look and act the part, and the characters and themes herein feel satisfying realistic (if slightly cartoonish at times).  The cinematography is vibrant and immersive, the soundtrack pumping, the dresses short and the tresses long: as far as nightclub/hookup movies go, Lan Kwai Fong is a definite winner. 

Bonus Features

None as such, just a theatrical trailer and some Eastern Eye trailers.