A Witness Out of the Blue 犯罪現場 (2019) - Hong Kong
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
Louis Koo continues to be the most stable and bankable Hong Kong actor this year with yet another convincing turn as the complicated robber with a diverting heart. “A Witness Out of the Blue” is a crime thriller romantic drama produced by veteran Derek Yee and directed by Fung Chih-chiang (in one of his best directorial efforts to date). Taking a leaf out of Hollywood crime thrillers, Fung inject a sense of energy in the numerous characters and supporting act all adding to the notion and layer of unexpected fun. The film crosses so many genres that it feels at times messy, but with credible performances all round, the film ends up a highly capable genre crime thriller.
Louis Koo headlines the film with plenty of his usual flair, it is not his best works, but his internal turmoil is best depicted when ants crawl out of his imagination. Louis Cheung steals the show with his comic antics to create a light hearted tone to an otherwise bleak outlook of the story. Philip Keung continues his run of fine form and supporting turns as a revengeful cop. Cherry Ngan always impresses with her natural performance and Jessica Hsuan pairs up with Louis Koo for the first time in two decades to romantic effect. Other supporting acts by Patrick Tam, Fiona Sit and Andy On are all excellent in their respective small roles.
All in all, “A Witness Out of the Blue” is an effective crime thriller that lacks a sharpening cutting edge. With a messy plot line and at times diverting message, the film is put together with a string of terrific performances. Fung have previously directed very different genre films with the last one being the good hearted “Concerto of the Bully” and this effort ranks right up there. The film shows that bad people can also have a different side and like real humans, we are all complicated in our making.
I rated it 7.5/10