Deception of the Novelist 作家的謊言：筆忠誘罪 (2019) - Hong Kong
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
The third film of the “Due West” trilogy that ranges on sex, love, relationships and social concerns comes “Deception of the Novelist”. The film is a bit part infidelity, bit part about a failed marriage and bit part about a murder that ends up with plenty of twists and turns. Even if not entirely successful in its execution, the script is largely ambitious and creative as the audience is taken on an engaging roller coaster ride with plenty of unforeseen twists including an edge on the torture genre.
Justin Cheung plays the protagonist, the highly successful author of love and romantic with plenty of female fans to boot. Jeana Ho plays the complacent wife whose is constantly suspicious of Cheung’s potential infidelity. The couple impresses with intense situations and out of ordinary behaviours. Linah Matsuoka is the sexy muse that comes between the troubled marriage as the upstairs rental tenant that ends up in bed with Cheung with inordinate number of steamy scenes. 6-Wing and C-Kwan appears in hilarious cameo as Cheung’s bar buddies.
All in all, “Deception of the Novelist” venture into the often seen Japanese genre of sexy and crime torture films, whilst the film is thoroughly entertaining for its duration, there is a sense of emptiness that is felt in the previous two “Due West” films. Creatively scripted by Shum Sek-yin (“Keyboard Warriors”), the film have a modern and fresh feeling to it and combines well with a crime and murder twist and turns finale.
I rated it 7/10