One of the few contemporary action filmmakers whose canon often manages to transcend the purely escapist, sensory stimulating expectation of the genre which he often inhabits, Johnnie To's latest film, Three, continues this tradition, delivering another layered, intriguing thriller that doesn't adhere to traditional genre classification. Taking place exclusively in the confines of a hospital, Johnnie To's Three details the arrival of Shun, a master criminal, whose intentionally shot himself in the head to avoid being immediately interrogated and thrown in jail. Claiming his personal human rights over his body after regaining consciousness at the hospital, Shun refuses to have surgery to remove the bullet lodged inside his skull, intentionally biding time until his underlings can rescue him. On the other side of the law, Chief Inspector Ken is deeply unsettled by his inability to interrogate Shun and get to the bottom of his criminal organization, growing impatient and concerned about what Shun's ultimate plan to evade the law may be. Stuck in the middle of this game between cop and criminal lies Dr. Tong, a idealist surgeon, whose perfectionist mentality and caring outlook has been tested by the tough reality of being a neurosurgeon, a career in which the difference between life and death lies in precision and uncertainty, featuring elements that are not always in a doctor's control What unfolds in Three, is a taut and tense battle of wills, as the optimistic Dr. Tong wrestles with the hardened Chief Inspector Ken who has a very different outlooks on life, being sculpted by the harsh reality in which he inhabits, while Dr. Tong remains driven by her ideological desire to help people. Those expecting an action extravaganza from Three are bound to be disappointed, as Johnnie To's film relies heavily on the impending nature of said action, delivering a brooding experience in which it isn't a question of if just when things are going to escalate into violence. The juxtaposition of Dr. Tong's profession, one driven by saving lives, and Inspector Ken's profession, one which lives more with the perpetrators of such violence than the victims of it, becomes one of the most interesting aspects of Johnnie To's Three and its emotional core, with the film managing to deliver a resonant assertion about true morality being unbiased in all instances, with Inspector Ken realizing that he can't bring himself to the level of those he is sworn to bring to justice. As much as a mystery film as an action film, Three slowly builds towards its relatively inevitable conclusion, an intricate, surgical ballet of carnage, which finds Johnnie To live up to his promise of delivering more one-of-a-kind action. To's direction, his use of lighting, and mise-en-scene aid in creating the film's overall atmosphere of tension, exhibiting this grandiose battle for morality through its two main protagonists who grapple with Shun's malevolent character. Johnnie To's latest film, Three, is another film which defies traditional action conventions, focusing as much on character and ideas as it does action, an intriguing morality tale which pays homage to the intensive care/surgical profession, one which works tirelessly operating in the thin line between life and death.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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