St. Louis International Film Festival ( November 13-23) - Films from China and Hong Kong

PTU

Friday, Nov. 14, 9:30 p.m., Hi-Pointe Theatre   

Directed by Johnny To, Hong Kong, 2002, 85 min.   

Wicked humor fuels the propulsive energy of this full throttle thriller that takes us to the dark netherworlds of a derelict harbor area of Hong Kong. The title refers to the specially trained Police Tactical Unit, one of several law enforcement groups assigned to control the gang members, criminals and thugs that populate this crime-ridden part of the city. A rough and slightly corrupted detective loses his handgun after being mugged and is desperate to get it back before his superiors find out. This loss is the catalyst for an explosive series of interconnected events involving the regular police, the PTU and the white-collar Criminal Investigation department. Ethical codes of honor come into question for the crooks and cops alike as they race towards the virtuoso final act. A refined mixture of playfulness and much darker themes pervade the noirish labyrinth of the plot of this high octane drama.

Director To will attend.

This film is sponsored by the Visiting East Asian Professionals program of Washington University. 

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Chinese Odyssey 2002 (Tian xia wu shuang) 

Directed by Jeffrey Lau, Hong Kong, 2002, 105 min. 

In Ming Dynasty China, two pairs of siblings are destined for each other. But fate throws countless obstacles in the path of their happiness. One pair is high-born, the young Emperor and his sister, confined to the Imperial Palace and very much under the thumb of their mother, the Empress. The other pair is decidedly lowborn, a wanderer and his sister who runs a restaurant. After they meet numerous complications and misunderstandings ensue: genders and roles are reversed, class differences prove hard to negotiate, and identities and egos block the promptings of desire. 

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m., HiPointe

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 9:30 p.m., HiPointe