Review: ESCAPE FROM HONG KONG ISLAND has a very simple premise at it’s centre as it documents one mans increasingly frustrating attempts to navigate a fairly simple journey due to circumstances apparently out of his control. Director Simon Loui wisely eases back on the ‘message’ of the film which is entirely obvious from the outset (ie be nice to people!) and instead focuses on the fun – which of course involves watching an asshole business man get his comeuppance at the hands of those that he’s treated so badly. While this central concept is hardly original, ESCAPE FROM HONG KONG actually finds a lot of laughs in its energy and performances

Jordan Chan (who played ‘Chicken’ in THE YOUNG AND DANGEROUS films) is the nasty businessman in a performance that manages to ensure that we like him just enough to root for him to be successful - but at the same time making sure that he remain slightly annoying and dislikable enough that it is very funny when his frustrations rise as his plans fail. Raymond comes across an array of colourful characters – ex-girlfriends, business acquaintances and family – but the one character he manages to keep stumbling into the most frequently is the Police Officer played by Chapman To. Again, the performance here is very amusing as the Officer manages to ruin many of Raymond’s ploys, but To manages to make sure that the Police Officer is amusing enough as to only annoy Raymond and not the viewer.

At times the script is reveals some clever writing, but often it is with the simplest ideas – which are also often crude - that the funniest moments are produced. When Raymond and his ex-boss are shouting ‘F*ck You!’ backwards and forwards at each other it’s not exactly clever or sophisticated comedy - but it is very funny. Throughout the film there are some quick cameos as well as references to other Hong Kong filmmakers – one of the most immediately obvious to a western audience may be the fact that the meeting Raymond is struggling to get to is with a man called Bey Logan, but there are other references to people such as the Twins, and Raymond Wong.

ESCAPE FROM HONG KONG ISLAND is obviously a very low-budget comedy but there’s enough fancy camera-work and editing to keep it fresh throughout. Scenes are imaginatively staged and edited – the film utilises quick cuts, flashbacks and moments which are speeded up and slowed down. There are also moments that are played quite symbolically and surreally, such as a shot when Raymond is running down the street and everyone else is walking backwards and another moment when Raymond is chasing what appears to be a giant coin. There’s a fresh energy throughout the film which comes through in the performances, direction, script, editing and the musical soundtrack and it carries the film through very quickly. Some of the urgency is of course due to the fact that the whole time we are reminded that the clock is ticking, that Raymond’s five o’clock deadline is approaching – and to the films credit it never really flags.

As a satire ESCAPE FROM HONG KONG ISLAND works quite well – shopaholic girlfriends, cold and calculated-business men, lack of sympathy with beggars and phoney social compliments are some of the ideas and people that come under fire - but it doesn’t really target any one group too nastily as it always remains good-natured. Director Loui seems aware that to linger for too long on any situation Raymond stumbles into will slow the pace of the film and wisely keeps it moving along.

ESCAPE FROM HONG KONG won’t rank as a ‘great’ comedy, but it’s certainly worthy of more than a handful of laughs and has an infectious upbeat feel to it – all while our hapless ‘hero’ becomes evermore downbeat. The ending of the film is a bit overly ‘sweet’, but this is really to be expected from a film which for the majority of its running time delights in giving its central character a bit of a playful slap.