Film Review: The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon (周處處三害) - Taiwan 🇹🇼
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺)
Hong Kong Director Wong Ching-Po’s first film in almost a decade comes in the form of the Taiwanese stylishly filmed crime redemption gangster thriller revenger “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon”. The film is clearly inspired by the fifth-century Chinese fable Zhou Chu Eradicates the Three Scourges. What makes this film unique to the usual gangster genre, is the focus on leaving a mark and legacy and as we follow the bad guy protagonist on his own redemption journey to eliminate even worst human beings on the wanted list. The film is stylishly filmed by Wong, whose previously over used of slow motions disappears to good effect as we are enthralled from start to finish.
The charismatic Taiwanese actor Ethan Juan continues his string of many gangsters related roles as Chen Gui-Lin, a wanted murderer who is third on the list. In the process of discovering his last stage cancer, he goes on a rampage to leave a legacy behind by going after the other two higher wanted criminal played by Hong Kong’s Ben Yuen (first time playing a heterosexual abusive partner) as the ultra violent gang leader and Chen Yi-wen as the enlightenment scammer. In the side story, we also have Gingle Wang as the one being sexually abused by Yuen and Lee Lee zen as the overly eager cop chasing after Yuan.
All in all, this is easily director Wong Ching Po’s most matured and inspired film as it is gritty, fun, brutal and exciting at the same time. If the first part plays like those tight Korean thrillers, the second half of the film is a joy to watch, in the manner of a Japanese - Sion Sono’s flick. Some scenes are difficult to watch, but if you open your senses to the matter on hand, and simply embrace all the absurdity on display, this can be an exhilarating ride.
I rated it 8.5/10