Summary
This slightly derivative thriller ignores its own title, choosing both A and B options for a pair of tonally different acts. It’s a good thing Xu Zheng’s performance rises above the ‘B-ness’ of it all.
Viewers are given a simple choice in A OR B (幕后玩家), the latest thriller from director Ren Pengyuan. If they choose A, they’ll ignore the familiar plotting and just go with the moment-to-moment set-pieces. It’s kind of fun, and nobody gets hurt. Then there’s B, where you get to watch some fine performances but you’re cursed with the knowledge that this is Saw meets The Game. Go on, choose.
Elite business dude Zhong Xiaonian (Xu Zheng) has made his fortune on crooked dealings. While he leaves an opulent life with vast riches, his wife Wei Simeng (Wang Likun) is less than satisfied with the man he has become. One day he awakens to find himself trapped in his house, with an unidentified voice giving him an A or B option: announce his divorce or reveal his tax evasions. Faced with escalating choices every day at 9:30 AM, Zhong’s only option for survival is to escape.
There is a certain sense of satisfaction one gets from seeing titans of industry brought down by their own devices. Indeed, there’s an off-handed reference to the US President that could almost be interpreted as political commentary. At it’s core, A OR B frames Zhong Xiaonian as a kind of misguided Scrooge, and his on-screen torture (of sorts) is meant to lead to a path of redemption.
Xu Zheng is perhaps best known for his comedic roles, particularly as TV’s Sunny Piggy or his multi-award winning role as writer/director/star of the massive Lost in Thailand. While this isn’t this first time he’s stretched his drama muscle, he hits the ground running. Maybe a little too fast though, as this is a narrative that never really gives us a reason to get too close to the character. He’s introduced as a bit of an arsehole, and we mostly care about him because he’s the one on screen, and he’s pretty charismatic while he’s there.
Ren’s rapid-fire script offers a handful of sub-plots and red herrings to distract us, making a half-hearted effort at developing a supporting cast. There’s business rival Tang Wanyuan (Wang Yuanhui), random ally and finance reporter Tian Yu (Duan Bowen), and a sexy jewellery heiress Zhang Yi (Zhu Zhu) populating the credits, as Ren alternatively teases or eliminates their involvement in Zhong’s woes.
Building up to an ‘A or B’ choice in the finale that’s effectively a wire dilemma trope, it’s a shame that the whole thing kind of sputters out at the end, with much of the denouement hurriedly placed over the credits. It’s a confusing end to what should have been a straightforward thriller, perhaps desperately trying to avoid comparisons with David Fincher’s The Game.
2018 | China | DIRECTOR: Ren Pengyuan | WRITERS: Ren Pengyuan | CAST: Xu Zheng, Wang Likun, Wang Yanhui, Duan Bowen, Zhu Zhu, Simon Yam | DISTRIBUTOR: Tangren Cultural Film Group (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 111 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 3 May 2018 (AUS)
