Summary
There may not be any mutant cop-crustacean hybrids, but there is a whole lot of reliably plated comedy action to be devoured.
Let’s be clear about one thing: there are no lobster cops in this movie. Nor is it the tale of a plucky crayfish who worked his way through the police academy to live out his childhood dreams in law enforcement. It’s the most flagrant case of false advertising since The Squid & the Whale and The Neverending Story combined. It is, however, a fun Chinese comedy/cop thriller that will appeal to a broad spectrum of audiences.
The film actually follows cops Yufei (Wang Qianyuan), Hua Jie (Yuan Shanshan), Neng (Liu Hua) and Chen (Zhou Yu) who are on the trail of a drug cartel. With only one month to find the mysterious General behind the operation, they go undercover as a family and open up a seafood resaturant across the road from the gang’s hideout. Of course, the fatherly Neng turns out to be a bit of a cooking savant, and the restaurant proves to be even more successful than their convoluted sting operation.
LOBSTER COP (龙虾刑警) marks the unexpected debut feature from actress Xinyun Li, best known for her roles in Beijing Flickers (2012) and more recently in Sentence Me Guilty (2015). She’s assembled a fun ensemble cast of actors who are skilled at light comedy and even lighter drama. Leading man Wang Qianyuan (Sky Hunter) gets to be a triple threat through verbal sparring, physical comedy, and some action as well. Familiar face Liu Hua (The Monkey King) is a fun presence in the mostly youthful cast, as his character cantankerously takes his ‘father’ role a little too seriously.
Stylishly shot in a wide scope, the red glow of neon and coloured light bulbs fill the frame. There’s not quite as much food porn as one would expect for the setup, although there is at least one (possibly CG assisted) cooking montage (with music!) that makes even this vegetarian crave some crustacean. There’s some fun comedy shots of a bed rising up to meet an exhausted Yufei on his 24 hour stakeout. Later in the film, a trippy chase through a carnival is an explosion of whirring lights, colour, and speed ramping.
LOBSTER COP certainly relies on a formula, and falls back on some familiar plot devices in the final act, kind of abandoning the motif in lieu of chases and showdowns. It all ultimately builds to a final series of fights, the best of which is Liu Hua fighting the General with his kitchen equipment. If Xinyun Li’s film was a dish, then it would be one from your favourite local chain: it’s not haute cuisine, you know exactly how it’s going to taste, and there’s a good chance you may even come back for seconds.
2018 | China | DIRECTOR: Xinyun Li | WRITERS: Xinyun Li | CAST: Wang Qianyuan,Yuan Shanshan, Liu Hua, Zhou Yu | DISTRIBUTOR: China Lion (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 94 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 21 June 2018 (AUS), 22 June 2018 (China/North America)
