Watches
April 16, 2011
Not a great To. Don't be fooled by some of the jolly-looking promo materials, this is a pretty straightforward drama without laughs and a pretty dark ending. The 80s/90s Hong Kong cinema wasn't too great with drama and that becomes pretty clear while watching this film. Apart from the ending, it lacks any kind of meaningful impact.
Li Chi-Leung is a single dad who raises his two sons on his own. He is short on cash, a problem he tries to solve by going to the race tracks. Time and time again he squanders his money on gambling, which only makes his situation worse. When he can't pay back his creditors, they come for his sons to teach Li a lesson.
The performances are pretty weak, the cinematography is bland and the score is negligible. Though the film isn't too long, the middle part is pretty repetitive and predictable, which makes it dull. The ending is right on the mark though and that almost saved the film for me. To can do so much better, this is mostly for To completists.