Review by David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. If we are to believe what we see in movies, professional assassins rarely get to enjoy their retirement. Writer-Director Linhan Zhang (DINNER WITH STRANGER, 2018) informs us at the start that Hong Kong is comprised of 250 islands, one of which is Grass Island, near Shenzhen.
We first meet Ah Hoi (Chinese screen veteran Tai Bo) as he cares for his invalid mother (Yee-Yee Yeung) on the houseboat they share. There is an early joke involving the 1985 Jackie Chan POLICE STORY movie, in which Tai Bo had a role as Snake Eyes. Soon, young female assassin Xiaoma (played by Yang Wang) sneaks aboard, and it’s clear her mission is to kill her master Ah Hoi. Given the respect she has for him and his situation, and his own experience under pressure, the three are soon sharing dinner at the same table.
In a short 14 minutes, Zhang’s film tells us much about these three people, and the respect one has for elders. We also get one of the best ever dishwashing lines of dialogue. This little gem is well filmed, well written, and well-acted.
