An Inspector Calls (2015)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This is one cheezy camp theatre production, taken to film just so they can amp up the kitstch with the stage sets. BUT, and it's uppercase BUT this makes for serious entertainment if viewed along with the deadly serious 1954 version of the play set just before WWI.It's an oldie but easy to download in glorious black and white. Set at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the country the kicked it all off, Britain. When over two thirds of the world was under the royal family's control and masses of rural British folks moving to the cities willingly for 'a better life' (they had it better than the colonies who were kidnapped or indentured into migration across the Atlantic!). Eugenics was the scientific norm, and class/race meant working class people were seen and depicted as subhuman. That setting made the original play very powerful.Here we are in a millenium where a new mainland power is emerging, there are mass migrations of rural people to the cities working in factories (none left in deindustrialised Britain). Well you can see where I'm going... so why choose frivoluse campness for a remake over the opportunity for a deep deadly serious drama which would bring the original right up to date by being in China?Watching both versions sides by sides makes for debate along these lines, in fact we're still talking about it as I write this.

Right, well it would appear that it was now Hong Kong's turn to render their vision of "An Inspector Calls". I had no clue that this movie existed before I happened to stumble upon it by sheer random luck. And being fan of the Asian cinema, then of course I picked it up and gave it a go.I do have a love for the Hong Kong cinema, but I must admit that this 2015 movie was not really one that I fully took to heart. Sure it was entertaining, but it was just a bit too much in sense of it being too ludicrous and out there. But then again, I am not familiar with previous renderings of "An Inspector Calls", so I don't know what this Hong Kong version is measured up against.The story is about Inspector Karl (played by Louis Koo) whom shows up at a rich family's home on the day when they are to host a wedding reception. The inspector bear evidence of foul play and start to single out the family members one by one, placing guilt and association on them with intricate, detailed stories.There is a good amount of comedy thrown into the mixture here, which makes the more somewhat easier to sit through, compared to if it had been a regular detective/crime movie. And the comedy is kept to a fairly moderate level, so that it doesn't take over and turn it all into a comedy.What is impressive is the cast of talents that they had assembled for the various roles. It is always nice to see Louis Koo and Eric Tsang in movies, because they bring a good sense of drama and comedy respectively to their movies. Teresa Mo is also quite work a thumbs up in "An Inspector Calls" (aka "San Taam Ka To"), because she was a pure delight to watch on the screen. However, the one that totally stole the screen, despite having an almost non-important part, was Donnie Yen as not just one, but four singers in the wedding band. That was just priceless, and that alone makes it worthwhile to sit through the movie. And before I forget, then I will also say that to a longtime fan of the Hong Kong cinema, then it was nice to see Kelly Chen make a short appearance in the movie as well.The storyline is actually constructed quite well, because you don't really know what is going on, and it is impossible to figure out just what is going on, which leaves it very unpredictable. And I will also say that the way that the various stories were tied together was quite good.However, with that being said, then my final conclusion of the movie as a whole is that the movie was mediocre. Why? Well, because it wasn't outstanding in the Hong Kong cinema, nor was it a movie that you would really watch more than a single time. As such, then "An Inspector Calls" scores a mediocre five out of ten stars.