Jeffrey Lau – The Professional
Nov 16th, 2007 by Peter
Sometimes you just wonder how low China/KH are ready to go by copying stuff so they wont have to think themselves. And then sometimes you get a sudden clue. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but sometimes I still do.
The missus just watched a Chinese movie called “Out of the Dark” by the godly instructor Jeffrey Lau. It was a comedy horror movie about ghosts. If you haven’t guessed it was extremely sucky (I know because I was sitting in a chair with my laptop playing a game in the same room). Somehow I couldn’t help but look up once and a while to pick up some kitsch.
There was a scene where some guy was chased to a dark room. At one point he stopped running to locate where the other guy chasing him was. From the dark behind him a hand bearing a knife slowly appeared and was put under his chin and he was forced to use a phone.
It you’re a movie buff this scene should ring a bell? No – then what about many beams of light passing through many holes in the sliding port in the same room? No? Then what if the attacker had round dark glasses and wore suspenders beneath a long dark coat? Then what about a last clue: The attacker’s name was ‘Leon’.
And you call yourself a movie buff?
Ok, then let me reveal that this scene is originally from Luc Besson’s movie ‘Leon – the Professional‘.
It was not just that scene. There was other stuff to that was completely ripped off from “Leon”. Like a girl the attacker meets who had exactly the same haircut as Natalie Portman had when she was in “Leon”. She also wore a necklace/collar replicated from the original movie and soon enough the guy would give her a plant to carry around.
It’s all right to find inspiration at your favourite instructors, but this was just too much. I’ve seen other stuff in Chinese movies, but nothing this obvious. The ripping off didn’t really help the movie at all, so it was a waste of time anyway. I’m amazed, but know I shouldn’t be.
My wife found the movie entertaining so I guess I should be happy.