The Treasure Hunter
Kevin Chu
The story: A legendary treasure hidden deep in a desert attracts the attention of relic protector Qiao Fei (Jay Chou), author Lan Ting (Chiling Lin), opportunist Chop (Eric Tsang) and an archaeologist with a past, Hua Dingbang (Chen Daoming).
How does this annoy me? Let me count the ways. There is the lazy characterisation, the hammy acting and a garbled plot which has little interest in making sense.
Perhaps this is the result of having five scriptwriters attached to the project. The producers are obviously not familiar with the notion of quality, not quantity. The several strands of plot have only one thing in common – they are all half-baked.
Qiao Fei and Lan Ting were childhood sweethearts but she felt betrayed after he disappeared from her life to apparently return to the desert where he came from. The reason was possibly the fact that he is part of a tribe who are responsible for protecting the ancient tombs.
If this seems like a rather murky and convoluted explanation, it is because much is left unexplained and unaccounted for.
There is also the rivalry between Qiao Fei and the Desert Eagle, head of the guardians, as well as a rote romance between Qiao Fei and Lan Ting to further muddy the waters.
The sparks never fly as model-turned-actress Lin is stiff before the cameras and seems to be still coming to grips with the notion of acting.
Admittedly, risible lines such as “Tears can’t roll down your face when you’re looking up at the sky” would challenge the most dedicated thespian.
The best thing you could say about director Kevin Chu is that he did not play favourites in this film – he managed to bring out the worst in everyone. Tsang, spewing lines in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, is at his most irritating. And veteran China actor Chen turns in an embarrassingly amateurish performance.
Meanwhile, Chou looks vaguely ridiculous dressed in a studded leather jacket with slicked-back long hair .
Maybe this will mark the end of Chou’s collaboration with Chu. They last worked together on the basketball flick Kung Fu Dunk (2008), which at least had some idea of what to do with its star’s boyish charms.
Do not feel too sorry for Chou, though. Even without releasing a new album this year, he has once again emerged as the top money-spinner in the Taiwanese music industry. He earned NT$554 million (S$24 million) from starring in films, as well as from endorsements and royalties.
If you must contribute to his overflowing treasure chest, wait for his 10th studio album and pass on this piffle.
(ST)