Mad Fate

Story: A fortune teller (Gordon Lam Ka-Tung) wants to help a client trying to cheat death. However, she cuts off the ritual before it's finished, and at home she is then attacked and tied up by a serial killer. Siu-tung (Lokman Yeung) is a food delivery guy and mistakenly rings the doorbell at the wrong apartment, exactly the one in which the killer is about to murder his victim. Siu-tung hears the woman's screams and shortly afterwards the fortune teller arrives too as he was worried about his client. He breaks down the door, but the woman has already been murdered and the serial killer manages to escape. Siu-tung, however, experiences a thrill of ecstasy at the sight of the murdered woman. He has always dreamed of killing and already went to prison for murdering a cat. Back then, he was arrested by the same policeman (Berg Ng) who is now in charge of the murder case too and who keeps an eye on Siu-tung. In the meantime, the fortune teller wants to help Siu-tung not to become a murderer. His future says that he is predestined to kill and go to prison, though. When Siu-tung hears that he will end up in prison, he finally accepts the help of the fortune teller, who uses fengshui to do everything he can to override fate. Nevertheless, heaven still has a few aces up its sleeve.

Review: It's always nice when a "Milkyway Image" production finds its way to the big screen. Johnnie To and his production company have created some very unusual and outstanding thrillers, in which karma plays a big role, so that everything eventually comes together in an almost divine way (just like in "Expect the Unexpected"). This time, though, everything is carried to extremes, because fate and karma are the all-pervasive motif in "Mad Fate", and everything is connected by it right from the start. The mixture of fortune-telling, geomancy and occultism gives the story a framework that almost makes it impossible to guess what awaits us next. In addition, the focus is on two characters who, on the one hand, do not fit together at all, and on the other hand, are anything but lovable personalities. This makes "Mad Fate" extremely fascinating, but it also leads to some serious problems.

The hero of the story is always trying to outsmart fate. But he is fighting against a superior force of cosmic proportions. Again and again, coincidences happen, there are factors that interact in abstruse ways, or we get interventions that can only be called divine. This will inevitably remind you of "Final Destination". Watching the dominoes fall is just a lot of fun. In addition, the fortune teller is anything but powerless, because even though it might seem random at first, his advice including objects that have to be set up in the room, proves to be helpful as one of his clients could actually succeed in averting death. However, the protagonist's focus is on Siu-tung, who is predestined to become a murderer. We can constantly see the madness and the desire to kill flaring up in his eyes, like something taking possession of him, maybe even a demon. What might seem a bit unbelievable in other stories works surprisingly well here, because in the world of "Mad Fate" you can actually imagine that a supernatural being might possess him.

Lokman Yeung ("The Way We Dance") delivers a well-done portrayal of a person who, even in the eyes of his sister, belongs in prison because he is a ticking time bomb. Siu-tung doesn't deserve our sympathy at any point, as he doesn't want to prevent the bloodshed, but only tries to avoid ever going back to prison. The fact that we can still make do with him speaks for director Soi Cheang ("Limbo") and his talent for creating an unusual world and atmosphere. Since everything in this world is intertwined, it often seems surreal too. The sky repeatedly darkens with ominous clouds, the wind gives buildings and people a good shake, and even the moon looks like something from another world. But these images might be the fortune teller's fault, because in many scenes we seem to take on his perspective - and the hero of the story is on the verge of madness. Sometimes even beyond that.

"Mad Fate" probably deserves the biggest praise for the acting performance of Gordon Lam, whose role, interestingly enough, is somewhat similar to the protagonist of the movie "Mad Detective", in which he also had a part (albeit in a completely different role). Lam has the rather difficult task of believably portraying concepts like fortune telling and fengshui, so that we can actually buy the premise of the story, but at the same time, he has to make clear that the fortune teller is predestined to become insane as well - due to his parents, who had mental problems. And his madness is repeatedly bursting out of him in completely obvious ways. Towards the end, you are literally pulled into some kind of vortex, so that you have to question anything and everything. Above all, however, there is the question of whether Siu-tung is able to escape his destiny of becoming a bad person and a murderer. If the fortune teller was successful, this would also mean he could do penance for his wife's death, about which we will find out more later.

But "Mad Fate" is not a movie for everyone. While there are always surprises in this bizarre fight against fate, you never know where you stand, and you can't identify with the characters either. If it weren't for the good performances, especially those of Gordon Lam, the movie could have fallen apart quickly. It might also be difficult for some viewers to get used to the somewhat different black humor in the movie, such as the light-hearted classical music being played with unusual instruments and therefore creating a stark contrast to the events. On other occasions, the thriller can also be very dark and sometimes even bloody. Unfortunately, the CGI, especially the one of a cat, is so bad that it just makes you chuckle. "Mad Fate" also has some rough edges in other places that should have been polished. On the other hand, this unpolished quality, and the unusual mixture as well as the fact that you never know where the story will take you next is what makes the thriller so appealing. In the end, fans of HK movies produced by Milkyway will undoubtedly have fun here.

Buy this movie:

Follow @AsianMovieWeb