Review: SPARROW

SPARROW (Man Jeuk)

Reviewer: Harry Davenport
Rated: 15 (UK)
Release Date: 9th May 2011
Director: Johnny To
Cast: Simon Yam, Kelly Lin, Hoi-Pang Lo

Sparrow tells the very simple tale of four pickpockets who get involved with a mysterious woman that complicates their lives.

Sparrow (the Cantonese translation is also slang for good pickpockets) is a very odd little film, it tells a very simple story in under an hour and a half, it isn’t particularly gripping but the film looks wonderful and has a great sense of humour. Director Johnnie To gives the film the feeling of a 60s Hollywood crime caper. The score and the acting are light-hearted and make the film quite charming.

The whole cast give nice, quite subtle performances. Simon Yam stars as the head of the pickpockets, and manages to balance the humour and seriousness of his character well. Kelly Lin is equally good as sweet yet calculating Chung Chun Lei. The scenes in which she seduces the pickpockets are particularly funny, the most memorable involves turning a man on using a balloon in a lift.

Cinematographer Siu-keung Cheng does a great job making Hong Kong look its best. The shots are stylish and well judged. The film takes place predominantly during the day and saves the neon lit night-time streets for a rain soaked climax that is beautiful.

The problem is that the film doesn’t have much plot and the plot that is there is neither original nor intriguing. The film has little to say about pick pocketing, and we are meant to care when our group is ousted in public, but it is hard to care when you see them pickpocket tourists and women and go home to their nice apartments.

Sparrow is a great looking film, with a few funny moments but unfortunately suffers from a rather weak plot.

Movie Rating: 3/5

image sourceMUBI