Fat Choi Spirit

Johnnie To's 2002 film belongs to Hong Kong's Lunar New Year comedy tradition while carrying his own preoccupations. A compulsive mahjong player, played by Andy Lau, is caught among his ageing mother, an estranged brother, a loyal ex-girlfriend and a local gang. Mahjong here is not a game but a language: seated at the table, the characters say everything they cannot say to each other with the tiles. This was a quickly made commercial job for To, but the cutting of the table scenes and the use of space are his action-film sense of choreography adapted to comedy. Lau Ching-Wan and Louis Koo strengthen the cast. For viewers without the cultural context, not understanding the rules of mahjong is not a problem, because the film conveys the feeling independently of them. Who it's for: viewers curious about Hong Kong comedy, To's work outside genre, and the New Year film tradition. Who it's not for: anyone expecting action and crime cinema from To, or who will struggle with the density of local jokes.