Summary
A breezy remake of a modern Japanese comedy brings much of the style of the original and the same love of cinema.
Mitani Kōki’s 2008 film The Magic Hour is a comedy favourite in its native Japan. Typical of Mitani’s style, the so-called King of Comedy’s screwball approach is as much a love-letter to old cinema as it is a fun cinematic romp in its own right. In Xing Wenxiong’s debut film, he sets out to prove that some comedy really doesn’t get lost in translation.
In TOO COOL TO KILL (这个杀手不太冷静), a remake of Mitani’s original, working actor Wei Chenggong (Wei Xiang) overthinks almost every role, even if he is stuck as a career extra. After actress Milan (Ma Li) and the director are given an ultimatum by a notorious gangster, they agree to introduce the latter to hitman ‘Killer Karl.’
Unfortunately, neither of them knows anything about the legendary assassin. Instead, they hire Wei to pretend to be the hitman under the guise of it being his first lead role. Wei has to give the performance of his life, unaware that the film is fake but the guns and threats are real.
What follows is a daffy and often heartfelt tribute to a bygone era of films, and a kind of heightened storytelling that Hollywood rarely takes chances on anymore. While it doesn’t quite have the same kind of innate charms that Mitani’s films tend to exude, Xing Wenxiong’s film is still every bit the oddball comedy that captures the spirit of Mitani’s films while marching to the beat of its own drum. The setting of Italy looks like it is from a bygone era, with elaborate production design that fuses Wes Anderson, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and a little bit of a throwback to Jackie Chan’s Miracles.
Film-savvy fans will pick up on scores of references to these and other films. Just as Mitani’s film tipped its hat to classics like Kon Ichikawa’s Kuroi Ju-nin no Onna, here we get visual references, posters and other nods to everything from Sergio Leone to Singin’ in the Rain — complete with a dance sequence. Indeed, when Wei first assumes the role of Killer Karl, he looks vaguely like Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction, right down to the ponytail. He later sports the costume made famous by Carlos Gallardo and Antonio Banderas from Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi trilogy.
Which just emphasises how much of the success of this film rests on the shoulders of Wei Xiang. His over-the-top antics belie how much work goes into acting like you can’t perform. Like Satoshi Tsumabuki from the original, Wei gets his chance to play something a bit meatier than a comedic sidekick. Indeed, there’s a heartfelt behind the scenes moment in the closing credits in which he tearfully thanks the production for giving him the opportunity.
If TOO COOL TO KILL is guilty of losing some of the momentum and focus in the back half, it makes up for it by landing on a a fun note. As the veil is pulled back during the end credits scene, we get a brief glimpse of the technical wizardry that brought the facade to life. Which is kind of the point of comedies like these: we know all the component parts and influences, but it doesn’t stop us from rolling with it for a few hours.
2022 | China | DIRECTOR: Xing Wenxiong | WRITERS: Xing Wenxiong | CAST: Wei Xiang, Ma Li, Ai Lun | DISTRIBUTOR: China Lion (AUS/NZ) | RUNNING TIME: 109 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 17 February 2022 (AUS)
