Fridae

Hong Kong directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak are the ultra-hip guys behind the Infernal Affairs films. Their first film was so good that it was remade by the venerable Martin Scorsese to much acclaim this year.

Their new film, Confession of Pain, stars two of the sexiest leading men in Hong Kong cinema, Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Tony plays Hei, an innocent cop who becomes a murder suspect when his rich father-in-law is violently killed. Hei's old friend, Bong (Takeshi), an ex-policeman-turned-private detective, decides to help him. But as Bong and Hei investigate the case and search for the killer, they are forced to come to terms with the brutal secrets of their own pasts....

Confession of Pain is an extremely well-shot and well-scored film. The film looks and sounds dark, moody and evocative, capturing both the excitement and loneliness of living in an urban city like Hong Kong. In some ways, the film is reminiscent of David Fincher's crime masterpiece, Seven.

Completing the picture are Tony and Takeshi's quiet and brooding performances as two men struggling with their own demons within. Though the film is uneven in pace and somewhat too complicated for its own good, the presence of these experienced thespians keep us watching from the first reel to the last.