Goddess Of Mercy (Chinese) 2003

aka: Jade Goddess of Mercy / Yu guanyin / Juk gun jam
Year: 2003
Directed: Ann Hui
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Romance
Runtime: 01:50
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese
Subtitles: English & Chinese
Cast: Vicky Zhao, Nicholas Tse, Liu Yunlong, Sun Haiying, Chen Jianbin
Imdb: Jade Goddess Of Mercy

Synopsis / Plot

This is a story about a policewoman’s intricate love lives: Her husband, Tie Jun, dies saving her life despite he knows he is not the father of their baby; Mao Jie, a drug trafficker, her baby’s father, the one she loved but becomes her enemy after an operation which led to the death of his parent; and Yang Rui, a city slicker toy boy, whose love and care for her finally moves her badly scarred heart, but is injured when Mao Jie comes to take revenge on An Xin. At the last scene, An Xin meets Mao Jie alone, when both of their closest kin are killed by each other, only till death they can resolve their hatred.

Ann Hui’s Goddess of Mercy is a difficult film to pin down. While the plot screams routine suspense thriller, the slow, opaque storytelling and generous focus on star Vicki Zhao would seem to indicate a female character study along the lines of Hui’s more personal films. On the other hand, having Nicholas Tse appear as a charismatic, ill-fated drug smuggler would appear to be large concession to the commercial powers that be—except his role will likely turn off most of his teenybopper fanbase. This juxtaposition of commercial and artistic elements is what makes Goddess of Mercy intriguing—and ultimately only partly successful. – - LoveHkFilm