If you gore hounds are looking for a straight out action packed, bloody slasher treat, you could be disappointed. Eventually, Xu Bing disappears, Ke Fan searches for her desperately, and the concept of plastic surgery comes to the fore. The only one who seems to stay by her side is Ke Fan, a man who has feelings for her, although unrequited. She takes odd jobs, from a cow farm, to a dry cleaners, to a restaurant, where always something happens and she gets fired. The rather abstract story shows Xu Bing leaving the monastery she inhabited to experience the “actual” world. The correctional officers are portrayed as true villains, who repeatedly state that they consider the inmates scum with no chance of rehabilitation, thus justifying their despicable behaviour, at least to themselves. In that fashion, the circumstances are truly hellish, which leads many of the convicts to despair and even suicide, despite the relatively small time of incarceration (a few months).

With Prisoners (Andrew Wong Kwok-huen, Hong Kong)Īndrew Wong Kwok-huen in his debut directs a film that functions as a very harsh critique of the correctional facilities in the country, particularly the ones for juvenile offenders, which are considered (as stated in the movie) much worse than those for the adults are. On the whole, this emerges as recommended viewing for any fan of the original or those who enjoy these over-the-top action set pieces, although fans who find fault here would be wise to heed caution with this one. Granted, this does feel more of the same of what came before it, but the film’s sense of fun overall makes it a more than worthy effort overall.

Some of the films premiered in 2016, but since they circulated mostly in 2017, I took the liberty of including them.

Here are ten of the best samples of the aforementioned, with a focus in diversity. The collaborations between China and Hong Kong have resulted in a number of blockbusters, Chinese filmmakers continue to produce unique (original if you prefer) films, Hong Kong is trying to reinstate its former status with the help of governmental initiatives, while Taiwan keeps producing masterpieces of all genres. 2017 has been a very interesting year for the Chinese-speaking world (allow me not to dwell on the politics of the matter).

Asianmoviepulse best movies 2017