Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? No.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 103 minutes (~1.75 minutes)
“Keeper of Darkness (痞子驱魔人)” is a Hong Kong supernatural thriller. It revolves around an unorthodox exorcist uncovering the mystery behind his origins, even as an angry spirit haunts the city. It stars Nick Cheung (Fatt), Sisley Choi (Ling), Louis Cheung (Chung), and Amber Kuo (Shuet).
Don’t be fooled by the ghosts of “Keeper of Darkness (痞子驱魔人)” – it’s more of an adventure film than a horror movie. The spirits aren’t so much frightful as they are wondrous, resulting in a fantastical feel. It’s a decidedly different take on the genre from other Hong Kong films. By giving each haunting a reason, rather than just treating them as monsters to be slayed, it shows that it’s uniqueness is more than just surface-level.
Highlights
The mystery of Fatt
Our protagonist has you constantly guessing about his back story. Just when you think you have his background all figured out, the film springs a new piece of information about him, changing your previous assumptions about Fatt. The constant and well-paced reveals make him an intriguing character to learn about, with his journey of self-discovery being as much about conflict as it is about acceptance.
The hidden world
“Keeper of Darkness (痞子驱魔人)” does a good job of depicting the second, otherworldly version of Hong Kong through its integration of special effects into regular scenes. It’s not just the digital effects that contribute to this though, as the practical effects and make-up are quite convincing as well. This adds to the atmosphere and shows us why our hero is the only person who can deal with these threats, since virtually nobody else can detect these hidden horrors. Without the protagonist, the real world would be a much more terrible place, and this establishes why he’s special and important to the narrative.
Stylised look
While the hidden world has its own unique look, the film also takes the effort to stylise the regular world, including Fatt’s distinctive white-haired appearance and the Ling’s millennial attire. It makes for a slick, modern-looking movie that holds its own against the Hollywood blockbusters of today. This gives “Keeper of Darkness (痞子驱魔人)” its own flavour, rather than making it a follower of existing trends.
Letdowns
No sense of rising action
There’s very little lead up to what Fatt has to face at the climax of the film. While the villain does make sporadic appearances thought the movie, there’s not much escalation of the danger he poses. His appearances feel like a shoehorned reminder that there’s a overarching threat that Fatt has to dispatch. Beyond that, there’s no indication that he’s formidable or even the he would pose a problem for Fatt. This results in the movie feeling like a normal day in Fatt’s life.
Feels like an episode in a television series
Unfortunately, because of the magnitude (or lack of it thereof) of the threat, the movie lacks the gravitas to be an important enough story for the silver screen. The main antagonist feels like the monster-of-the-week in a regular television show, and doesn’t leave enough of an impact on the characters to have made them grow or change in any way. Status quo is achieved far too quickly after the climax, which makes you question the significance of the story.
“Keeper of Darkness (痞子驱魔人)” has a distinct visual style that makes it an interesting journey for the viewer. Sadly, it is marred by a lackadaisical villain that really doesn’t do anything for the film.
“Keeper of Darkness (痞子驱魔人)” opens in cinemas 26 November, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was first published on Yahoo.
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