Sha chu ge huang hun

Top notch performances by each of the 3 main characters. I remember watching Lam Suet from his gangster films with Johnnie To at the helm. He was a supporting character in those movies but really expanded his range as a main character in this movie. The other 2 actors I did not follow as much, as their movies were before my time. But that makes this 3 past their prime actors perfect for this kind of movie.

The characters in this movie go through trials and tribulations that make it easy to root for them. The plot twist ending was most appropriate and not too surprising given the camaraderie and bond setup throughout the whole between the 3 main characters - it was all leading up to the final and satisfying conclusion.

Great quality movie, quality acting and worth a re-watch for sure.

For long time viewers of HK cinema, this film has special poignancy. Patrick Tse was a charismatic leading man from the hey days of HK cinema. Patrina Fung was a prodigy child actress often compared to Shirley Temple. Like both of them, Lam Suet is a veteran actor who has given his life to cinema. This backward look into their unique styles echoes the journey of the characters. Various social problems were touched upon. Through comedic and touching flow of events, the film ends on a hopeful note of finding a way to build a new life in the very foreign world of today.

Very well put together, this off beat comedy drama manages to amuse, entertain, surprise and generate real emotion and empathy on a variety of both individual and family centric themes. Directing and filming are top rate and the acting is excellent with the all main and supporting characters very believable and convincing.

I was quickly drawn into the film and particularly enjoyed the variety of 'cameos' involving the each of the three 'elderly' on their own, such as Fung's cabaret singing, so authentic, which transported me back to some of the different bars and haunts in HK I have known, Lam Suet and Yan Zi Fei just perfect with client / working girl relationship and of course Patrick Tse and Suet Ying Chung also bringing out the elderly vs youth relationship theme in a more complex and developed story line.

Set and background locations are well chosen and evocative, matching the mood and twists and turns in the plot. I came away surprised by how touched I was by the depth of this film which works really well on several levels.

Using an entertaining way to look at a serious social issue which narrowly views the aging population as "problem"; this movie is like the "Departure" movie in Japan, but with realistic modern city context eg Hong Kong.

The film is fun to watch and has some depth. But Suet-Ying Chung is terrible- she is 26 and playing a 16 year old - totally overplays the role. With better acting it would be 8 points.