Nightfall

NIGHTFALL Keeps It `All In the Family'
Everyone appreciates a good cop story, and the Chinese are no different. Those dedicated investigators who stick it out through thick and thin to get to the bottom of things are a cause for celebration wherever they serve. There's one thing a cop anywhere will tell you: somehow - in some way - it all comes back to family. This doesn't necessarily mean mom or dad or little sis are guilty, mind you; what it means is that there are few motivators in life as strong as the bonds that tie us together. Despite the best of intentions, families can drive us to drink; they can drive us to drive; and, in the worst circumstances, they can drive us to commit the very darkest of sins.

Such is the stuff of NIGHTFALL, a quiet and meditative thriller directed by Chow Hin Yeung Roy.

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and character. If you're the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd...

A flawed thriller with impeccable acting
A man is sent to prison for raping and killing a woman that he had a reputation for stalking. 20 years later, that same man Eugene Wang (Nick Cheung) is released on parole and is a free man. Meanwhile, a renowned pianist named Han Tsui (Michael Wong) is preparing for his final string of concerts before retirement. Behind closed doors, Tsui is an abusive alcoholic that takes all of his frustrations out on his daughter Zoe (Janice Man). When the authorities pull Han Tsui's mangled corpse out of the river, Inspector Lam (Simon Yam) is put on the case. Lam has a reputation for reopening closed cases and is the only one who's connecting the case from 20 years ago to this one. Lam's detective work seems to only uncover more questions. What could the Tsui family be hiding and how is Eugene Wang connected to them?

Personally speaking, it's always been incredibly easy to compare the acting careers of Simon Yam and Liam Neeson. They're both mostly known for their supporting roles...

Hong Kong is Alive and Kickin'
I used to watch a lot of Hong Kong crime thrillers, but recently they to have been usurped by the South Koreans. "Nightfall" is the first thriller from the Island I've seen in some while and it's quite the watch.

Here's the scoop. A man (Wang) is let out of prison, after 20 years, for a murder he didn't commit. Upon release he spies on the family of the daughter who he was accused of murdering. He becomes obsessed with their new, young daughter. Dad is killed and the police are now after him again.

There's a lot to like here. You see what's happening and you have some of it figured out, but it doesn't all add up so you stick with it to fill in the blanks. You also have some good characters. The ex-prisoner, Wang, is mute so there is a degree of sympathy for him, but why is he acting so creepy? Is he planning another murder? Of who? The father? The daughter? Then there's detective Lam (Simon Yam) who is a good detective but always has a booze bottle nearby and...

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