The Film: Under the looming threat of Japanese invasion and the British fleeing, Hong Kong residents are sent into a severe panic. Yet, for Ah Fay (Chow Yun Fat), former Peking Opera actor, layabout, and dreamer, leaving Hong Kong was always his plan anyway, wishing to seek his fortune in America or Australia. He bides his time while living with his aunt, and tries to form a plan of escape. And, for street hustler Wong (Alex Man), his only concern is winning the hand of his girlfriend, Ah Nam (Celia Yip), daughter of a rich family and plagued by epileptic seizures. Ah Fay and Wong meet when they both work in Ah Nam's fathers rice factory. They find themselves to be instant companions, and when the factory is closed and the workers riot, their companionship is cemented as they run from the police. Ah Fay shares his dream of prosperity with Wong and Ah Nam, and as the Japanese close in on Hong Kong, the three attempt to escape. Ah Fay makes it onto the boat, but Wong and Ah Nam are too late; as they watch their new friend float away, Ah Fay jumps into the water and returns to them and an uncertain future under oppressive Japanese rule. Ah Fay is willing to stay, and suffer the consequences, all for the price of friendship.

The three encounter many hardships. At first the city is in chaos, ruled martial law, and eventually, it turns fearful under the stern hand of the Japanese soldiers. Ah Nam's wealthy family is in ruin. Ah Fay, plays the part of Japanese sympathizer so he can get papers that will allow them to leave Hong Kong and escape to the mainland. Wong finds himself trying to build a nest egg for himself and Ah Nam (by selling clothes off the dead), but ends up in trouble when he tries to bail out his criminal friends. All this, plus the growing affection between Ah Fay and Ah Nam only strengthens tension, though Ah Fay proves himself to be a noble third wheel, mainly concerned with the welfare of his friend, rather than his own hormonal and emotional urgings. Will they escape? Will they prosper? Will their hidden affections drive a wedge between friends? Well, I wont ruin the film.

An ambitious blend of melodrama, the turmoil of war with a lovers triangle backdrop, HK 1941 (1984) is uneven, but despite its large shortcomings, still manages to be pleasantly entertaining and moving. The problem is, it is more a tv movie when it wants to be Shindlers' List. While there are many extremes and nice touches to the story (Ah Fay comforting Ah Nam during a seizure is almost a sweetly-strange sexual thing), it is really the actors who save the film from some clunky direction and storytelling. Their camaraderie and command of their characters makes the film worthwhile. And, it does manage to not be black and white on the issues of the time- the Hong Kong residents who kowtow to the Japanese or prey upon their own people are boldly and harshly criticized, which surely wasn't an easily digestible matter for Hong Kong filmgoers. There is just enough scope to story and good acting, that even if the overall execution is not solid, Hong Kong 1941 is a film that gets points for trying.

The Cast: Director Po Chi Lueng has a very lukewarm career, a common plague among Hong Kong art house directors. Educated in Britain, his films are known for a certain, low key style, unfortunately contrasted by some blatant flourishes (like in Hong Kong 1941 when they observe the Japanese secretly beheading a man, and outside on the street are little children, mock beheading each other, an image used not once, but twice). After his initial success (Jumping Ash 1976, co-directed with Josephine Saio), his sensibilities never really connected with Hong Kong audiences, leading to long list of moderate to no-success films, some of which over time have gained more attention, like Hong Kong 1941 and Isle of the Dead. He hasn't filmed a movie in Hong Kong since the early 90's, and since has gone on to direct the direct to cable USA thriller Cabin by the Lake, and the 'love it or hate it' British horror film Wisdom of the Crocodiles with Jude Law. Two years after Hong Kong 1941, Chow Yun Fat would go from washed up tv actor to gain HK megastardom with A Better Tomorrow, and has only gone up from there. His role in Hong Kong 1941 won him some early acclaim and, even if his hands never touch a gun in the film, he is as charismatic as ever. Celia Yip has spent the last twenty years as a top billed HK actress in such films as Center Stage, Swordsman, Call Girl 92', and she manages well with her role, making "a rich girl who suffers from seizures and is divided between two men", less a romance novel cliché than one would expect. Alex Man, stable HK actor in films like As Tears Go By, Rich and Famous, Rouge, also fares well, though his character does suffer from being clueless and lacks the dimension afforded to the other actors.

***On a geeky side note, Ah Nam's father is played by Kein Shih, the evil villain Han, from Enter the Dragon.

The DVD: Tai Seng packages the Universe transfer, and present s a good Region 0 edition of this film.

Picture- Okay widescreen presentation of an older, low budget, HK film. A little wear and tear on the print, but overall a nice picture with good color and fair blackness levels, maybe just a bit too soft and lacking the depth of high end DVD transfers.

Sound- Two language tracks 5.1 Dolby Digital Cantonese and Mandarin, with no noticeable problems. Optional English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Korean, Thai and Japanese subtitles.

Extras- Informative Star bios and selected filmographies of Po Chi Lueng, Chow Yun Fat, Alex Man, and Celia Yip. Trailers from the film, as well as City on Fire and All About Ah Long. 8 Chapters.