Leave Me Alone 六壯士 2004 Starring: Ekin Cheng Yee-Kin Charlene Choi-Cheuk-Yin Dayo Wong Chi-Wah Jan Lam Hoi Fung Kenny Bee Directed: Danny Pang

Synopsis

Yiu Chun Man (Ekin Cheng)is a fashion designer and also gay. His twin brother Yiu Chun Kit (Ekin Cheng) was taken to Thailand with his father when their parents divorced is suave con-artist.

Yiu Chun Kit turns up in Hong Kong to visit his brother. He tries to persuade his brother to take up with girls again, but Chun Man is silent on the issue. Chun Kit's girlfriend calls but Chun Kit is short with her, telling her to do nothing without him and to wait for his return. Taken with his brother's flash sports car, he begs to try it out. Chun Man loans him his driving licence and identity, but unfortunately his brother is involved in a car accident which kills a woman. At his brother's bedside in the hospital, Chun Man realizes that they cannot return to their own identities, he tries to make Chun Kit understand that he has to remain Chun Man despite the fact that he is in a coma.

Just then Chun Kit's phone rings, it is his girlfriend Jane ( Charlene Choi) who needs Kit to return to Thailand to sign for a loan. When she hears the news that Kit is in a coma she begs Chun Man to come to Thailand, pose as his brother and sign for the loan.

Needless to say everything goes wrong, the loan is refused, then while explaining the fact that there is no money to the loan shark, King,( Dayo Wong) they need to pay.King decides that he will cut one of Chun Man's fingers off as partial payment, the ensuing mayhem leaves the loan shark missing one of his fingers and a great many of his valuable antiques are destroyed.

In a humorous side plots Chun Man doles out grooming advice to Jane's father despite the fact that he is petrified by the situation. While back in Hong Kong Chun Kit has woken and finds himself the target of attention from Chun Man's boyfriend (Jan Lam) much to his dismay. Both situations cause the parties to learn something about the other. Jane realizing the Chun Man though gay has some admirable qualities and at the same time Chun Kit learns that love is love whether it is between two men or a man and a women.

On advice from his brother Chun Man and Jane visit an old friend of Chun Man's father to ask for a loan of the money. The friend however gives them a packet of heroin and suggests they sell it for the money. With no other options Jane decides to try to swindle a drug dealer to get the money to pay off the loan shark is their only option. They meet him in a male club, where his henchmen are naked in the bath, Jane is not at all bothered and gay Chun Man struggles not to look. The deal of course goes wrong and Jane ends up killing the drug dealer. In the ensuing chase Chun Man shows off his driving skills to effect their escape.

Unknown to them, the drug dealer is the brother of the loan shark. Now the mess is so big that money can no longer solve it. Into this mess Chun Kit returns and realizes that they need to leave the country, and he goes to obtain a passport for Jane.

While he is gone, the loan shark snatches Jane and Chun Man, tying them up in a large parking lot and booby trapping the whole place with time bomb explosives. Fortunately, Chun Kit finding them gone turns up to rescue them. In the ensuing gun battle King is shot. His men intent on trying to despatch Chun Man, Chun Kit and Jane ignore his pleas for help. Ultimately, the bombs explode killing the King while at the same time, the intrepid heroes leap off the parking lot roof onto a conveniently passing truck.

Chun Kit and Jane head off into Hong Kong to get married and Chun Man returns home to find his boyfriend at his home with food ready for him.

Review

This movie is a companion to Danny Pang's brother Oxide's "Ab-Normal Beauty". Both movies have vehicle accidents and the ensuing effect on the lives of others. Danny Pang's comedic action movie however is significantly lighter and more humorous than that of his brother.

Ekin Cheng provides an excellent double performance as Chun Man and Chun Kit. Although there are only slight differences in hairstyle and dress, Ekin skillfully manages to make the two separate characters convincing. Ekin also manages to make the action scenes by both brothers truly seem to be by different people by the use of special camera cuts, but also his detailed portrayal of the two characters. Chun Kit is super cool in the Chan Ho Nam genre, while Ekin seems to to portray scary predicaments Chun Man finds himself embroiled with a sympathetic manner. Ekin deserves much credit for this spectacular achievement which he had described earlier as a role that was particularly challenging.

Charlene Choi however, despite trying to go for a more substantial role, really is not believable as a gun wielding cool character. She still looks far to young to be a dangerous gangster's girlfriend. While she is improving as a serious actress, she still has a long way to go to develop a great enough range to carry off these kinds of roles.

Dayo Wong as the loan shark is truly a bizarre character and extremely amusing. Once he gives an order his henchmen carry it out with a dedication that causes them from then on to totally ignore their boss, who is always in some difficulty, from an accidental lost finger to being shot in the leg, an injury which finally causes his death. Jan Lam is also humorous as Jane's father who is desperately in need of some fashion advice to allow him to score with the ladies. Throughout the film we watch his slow transformation under Chun Man's guidance to a suave well dressed individual.

Kenny Bee is also hilarious as Chun Man's boyfriend. He plays the role completely straight and Ekin as Chun Kit is also amusing while he tries to fight off his attention. Eventually however they come to an understanding.

The movie is interesting mostly for Ekin's double role and the directors comedic take on Thai gang types, homophobia and violence. In places Pang is extremely syrupy, especially the flash backs of the twin's separation and their romantic memories of their partners. Danny Pang obviously intended us to believe that both of the twins had grown in understanding by their involvement with the opposite lover.

The movie is available on both VCD and DVD. Both are high definition wide screen. There are both a Cantonese and Mandarin audio track, together with removable English and Chinese subtitles. It should be noted that the China version of the movie has an alternative plot line with much of the homosexual references removed, also Chun Kit is an undercover cop rather than a Thai cool gangster type.