Confession of Pain (2006)

People are voting emotionally.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Unresolved pain, harboured grudge and hatred leading to bloody revenge is most destructively tragic. Hei even takes harming/killing his wife as a last resort to fulfil his eye-for-eye, tooth-for-tooth dark plan on his father-in-law who exterminated his family twenty-five years ago.A "well-taken-care-of" work with who did it is known, how it was did is also known, and viewers chase and chase the line to know why he did that. Every area is fine but something missed... it lacks "power", some more energy and intensity is desired. The film is too "quiet", we need at least one exploding/imploding point to exhibit the tension. In addition, Fiona Sit should take the role of that that Shu-qi occupies here as the girl here is a dotty one. Shu-qi has long passed that playful age. Her talent is not developed her. Wrong choice of actress. And, Kaneshiro is not quite himself, I find no clue why.When the flame of hatred and pain keeps burning, the fire of vengeance grows stronger and hotter that even the entire furnace falls apart.

This film has one of the best scripts I've watched in mystery/thriller films. Some people might say that by revealing the murderer from the start is a mistake in scriptwriting, but I think this is handled very well by Confession of Pain because it is not the murderer that matters, it's more of the reasons and motives, and the feelings and emotions of the murderer that intrigues the audience. Besides, without the revelation of the murderer's identity, it is difficult to continue with this script.The main draw of this film is the inclusion of two protagonists, each with a background story of their own. Had this film been one which only reveals the murderer at the end of the film, this would have become a film with only one protagonist and Hei would become an antagonist rather than a protagonist.In terms of acting, I must say that Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro are at their very best. Not just their individual acting skills, but their rapport as a whole, doubled their individual acting. Kudos to Takeshi Kaneshiro whom I think stole much of the limelight from multiple award winning actor Tony Leung. In Confession of Pain, Tony Leung's character was one which most hid his emotions and feelings inside him and enforced a disguised image which although was convincing, was too convincing compared to the emotionally complex Takeshi Kaneshiro's character.Also of notable mention are the cinematography and editing of the film. I like the contrasts of the close ups of the characters and the long shots of the characters in contrast to the backgrounds. The editing was also very interesting, especially the part which Bong was on the trail of the murderer while Hei was on the trail of the stalker. That parallel editing doubled the suspense factor. In all the film was paced quite nicely without the feeling of any part being draggy nor too quick. The weaving in of black and white sequences also contrasts well with the general flow of story.I'd think this film is considerable the best Hong Kong film of 2006. At least it is better than the pompous period films like The Banquet and The Curse of the Golden Flower, and the likes of those.

This time of the relationship between Hong Kong and China. Andy Lau's "Internal Affairs" examined the roles with far greater interest. This time, though, Lau has sunk to the level of soap, which is sad to see, especially considering how sophisticated his previous work is. Shu Qi is criminally misused to boot. "Confession of Pain" in no way compares to "The Banquet," "Curse of the Golden Flower," "Mo Gong," "Three Times," all of which function on more than one level without sinking into the error of this film, which is not so much paranoia as mawkish self-absorption.As for camera work, set design, sound, and editing, this movie feels more like a commercial than a feature film. The effect is to cheapen what otherwise might have been great and deep. The same goes for the acting, which seems to have been texted in.

Seung sing, or directly translate as City of Wounds in English, is Andre Lau and Alan Mak's latest tale of men and women living with wounds that scars their heart in modern Hong Kong.The duo, who has created Infernal Affairs trilogy, pairs Tony Leung Chiu Wai (who was the leading actor from Infernal Affairs trilogy) and Takeshi Kaneshiro, as 2 detectives working on a case where Tony's father-in-law was brutally murdered. Takeshi, who was still living in the agony of his late girlfriend's suicidal death 3 years ago, helps his best friend in investigation. The fact is, Tony murdered his father-in-law, and uses his authority and wits to cover up on what he did. Along with the 2 strong actors are Shu Qi and Xu Jinglei, a Chinese actress from China.Somehow, Confessions of Pain does not seems to be as strong as Infernal Affairs. In terms of plot and flow of storyline, it seems similar like any crime thriller. In terms of ending, it is expected.However, Confessions have its strength that makes this movie watchable. Andrew and Alan pairs Tony and Takeshi as two leading actors, where both were reunited again after Wong Kar Wai's cult classic Chungking Express (1994). Tony and Takeshi did not have any crossover in Chungking Express, thus Confessions gives the duo a chance to see if there is any chemistry reaction.The experiment works. One commits the murder for vendetta, while another believes that the law should not be taken on his own hands. The two men who has their own beliefs displays a clash of ideas, which makes them question what do they really want to achieve at the end of the day. Confessions, some how, seems to be living in the shadow of Infernal Affairs. Nevertheless, it still goes strong.Shu Qi and Xu Jinglei plays the woman whom Takeshi loves and the wife of Tony respectively. Shu Qi might be the leading actress, but it was Xu Jinglei who steals the limelight. She has given the recent films from Hong Kong a fresh look, as her filmography features her works from China, with barely little productions from Hong Kong in her resume. Fans of Shu Qi might be disappointed, as her role does not seems to be vital, though necessary in the story.Confessions of Pain might be just better than average, but at least it is better than other B-productions made in the previous years.