Perhaps the most memorable thing about this odd, frustrating film is that, after it got a rave review in the Times last year, nobody was able to see it. That’s because it was not released in any identified theatre – the Times critic saw it at a “multiplex” somewhere – and there were no plans to show it anywhere else.

We were told it was a musical about dirty dealings in high finance at a Chinese corporation, and that it was in 3-D. Most importantly, it was directed by Johnnie To, the Hong Kong filmmaker who is one of the masters of stylized criminal violence.

Well, after seeing it, I can truly say…it is what it is. Yes, you never saw anything like it, and Yes, I’m glad I saw it and, No, I don’t want to see it again.

It was written by Asian screen star Sylvia Chang, who plays Ms. Cheung, the most prominent role. She is the defacto director of the Jones & Sunn Corporation (hereafter Jones), a Chinese cosmetics firm. But she is also the mistress of the CEO, Mr. Ho, played by Chow Yun-fat. Ho’s wife has been in a coma for an extended period, and, at the beginning of the film, we see Ho and his adult daughter, Kat, visiting her at the hospital. Kat, played by Lang Yueting, has just started work as an intern at Jones, and, at Ho’s insistence, cannot reveal that she is his daughter. The other intern starting that day, Lee Seung (Wang Ziyi), is a bright eager beaver, who soon develops a crush on Kat. Their supervisor, David (Eason Chan), is Cheung’s lover, but is plotting to replace her. The last major character, Sophie, is a new worker who resists marriage to her longtime fiancee, and secretly adores David.

The story is set in motion by the financial crisis of 2008, from which Jones has not yet recovered. Ho knows that only a major change, like a merger or new product development, can save the company, but he false-fronts a totally dishonest campaign that Jones is stronger than ever. Workers at the office are inundated with this propaganda, to the point of having forced singalongs about how wonderful it is to work there.

For Johnnie To fans like myself, certain motifs are familiar. The story and resolution are as cynical as ever, and it doesn’t end happily. But, whether because of the musical and 3-D formats, or the corporate setting, or some combination thereof, it’s not a good fit. To never gets to let loose with the kind of dazzling set pieces you found in Exiled or Drug Wars. He just strings the scenes together, with confidence and a steady hand, but diminishing impact.

First off, I don’t think the musical numbers added much. When it comes to cutthroat capitalism, the role model is Brecht-Weill for The ThreePenny Opera. We’re not talking snappy “How to Succeed…” here. The tone is dark and turgid throughout. Kurt Weill wrote memorable, haunting melodies that leant humanity to the characters. But the music here is altogether repetitive and uninteresting. The fast numbers are choral set pieces with workers in office dress marching and chanting. The slower numbers, except for one poignant duet with David and Sophie, add nothing that spoken dialogue wouldn’t convey. It’s made worse because the translated lyrics are mopily introspective, and often obscure.

I don’t think the cast is to blame. Or the writing, scene by scene, which presents us with well-differentiated characters. The real problem is the story. It is another cynical takedown of the dog-eat-dog business world, and the people depicted are unappealing. The one exception is Ben-Ben, the office sexpot, played by Stephanie Che. Clearly a seasoned musical comedy performer, Che adds real bounce and fun to her scenes. The film could have used more of her.

In general, though, we don’t much care what happens to these connivers. Sex is used either for advancement or protection, so the constant betrayals are less emotional events than strategic maneuvers. Only one character, Sophie, is in any way sympathetic. She is the only one who truly believes in pure love and also the only character who, significantly, gets sent to prison.

The multiple story lines finally converge in a nasty and shocking scene that springboards the plot to its catastrophic conclusion. This is where we finally see what Johnnie To does best, but it’s not enough to save the film.

In other words, these people aren’t worth our time. Johnnie To’s professional criminals are often charming, enigmatic and physically graceful. The exec types here, however, fail to hold us. Even the usually charismatic Chow Yun-fat is dull. And the visual scheme becomes predictable after the early scenes, which relied on depth-of-field images using office architecture patterns. It says a lot that an extreme close-up of a passionate kiss is the only shot in the film that uses 3-D to memorable effect.

 

 

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