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My Father is a Hero
tells the story of a Chinese undercover cop, Kung Wei, who's forced
to infiltrate a dangerous gang in Hong-Kong, leaving his sick wife
Li Ha and his ten years-old son Kung Ku to their precarious situation.
No one is supposed to know Kung Wei's real identity, not even his
family : they endure daily gossips from the neighborhood, adults
like children. Kung Wei is not in the position to refuse the mission
he's given by force, he doesn't have any other way to feed his family.
The movie begins on this intolerable situation : it is with mortified
soul that Wei integrates this gang lead by Po Kwong (Yu Rong Guang),
a scary and unpredictable man. The only help he can count on comes
from the man he helped out of the Chinese prison - played by Blackie
Ko- and who's under Po Kwong's orders.
Kung Wei's ups and downs take place at the same time as Kung Ku's,
his mother's and the newcomer's, Miss Fong (Anita Mui), the Hong
Kong cop who is sent to China to learn about Kung Wei's background.
The
plot looks quite simple, but Yuen Kwai manages to turn a common
undercover movie into a full drama rhythmed by great and unforgettable
choreographed fights. The tension created by the emotional content
of the whole leads us from thrilling to heart-breaking scenes. The
strength of the characters (Miss Fong, Ku and Wei) and the strength
of their relationships instores a unique atmostphere which makes
My Father is a Hero look more than an action movie.
What is very surprising in My Father is a Hero are
the colors chosen to enhance the unusual realistic trend of the
whole movie. These colors' shades are the same from the beginning
to the end : realistic tones, almost cold, very far from Hong Kong's
flashy standards. These colors are discreet and harmonious, a very
aesthetically neat mix of blue, brown and black tones. This visual
style is the perfect choice for the discreet evocation of China
the first part of the movie offers us for sharing. These colors
are the colors of the everyday life of our characters, which is
filled with sadness (the Kung family has to face terrible difficulties)
and sweetness (the obvious love that unites this family) at the
same time…
Another
aspect we are not used to in a Hong-Kong movie is to have some parts
taking place in China… Hong-Kong movies usually only focus on Hong-Kong
and eventually show some Chinese people in the island, but it's
quite unusual to see a Mainland setting, and especially some people's
everyday life. There are mainly two parts taking place in Beijing
and what is interesting is that they are shown from two different
points of view.
The
first one, just after the wushu competition, shows briefly moments
of Kung's family's everyday life. Though we learn later that they
have many difficulties, they seem to be like a very normal Chinese
family, two parents with only one child, very open to their neighbors,
washing their teeth outside on the street… There is a kind of tenderness
and nostalgia coming from those scenes, like pure moments of family
happiness before the terrible events which are about to happen…
However,
later in the story, after a whole part taking place in Hong-Kong,
we return to this same set but from the another character's point
of view : the Hong-Kong female cop… Miss Fong is investigating about
Kung Wei, and she has to meet his family to find some clues about
him… The moment when she follows Ku in the street is particularly
interesting, as we progressively come back to the set we had seen
at the beginning but through Miss Fong's foreigner eyes. In this
scene, characterized through the music by a melancholic and quite
anxious tone, we can feel both the child's sadness (he has just
heard gossips from his classmates) and Miss Fong's uncomfortable
feeling. She is carrying her luggage, and as she is following the
child, her luggage seems heavier, showing how ill at ease she is
to discover this world, which is new to her, and to realize that
Kung's family lives in a poor area. The other interesting aspect
is that she really looks like an alien as she is in Kung's house,
with her way to dress, her make-up and her bad mandarin pronunciation…
She doesn't know anything of the Chinese way of life, she almost
says misplaced things (like talking about selling sex-video) and
everything surprises her : the medication Mrs Kung takes, the time
they go to bed… Later, she even awkwardly tries to give money to
Mrs Kung… Apart from their gap of social situation (Kung's family
is in a particularly difficult condition due to Kung Wei's job),
there seem to be a big cultural difference between this way of life
and hers in Hong-Kong. Later we see her briefly in her flat, a very
modern one, where she lives alone, very separated from her neighbors
like in every megalopolis (on the contrary as the Kung's family
who keeps their house open and greet their neighbors, wash their
teeth on the street…).
Finally, the originality of this movie iscompleted by the way events
are seen though a feminine look, Miss Fong's look. Miss Fong is
a particularly efficient female cop, who happens to meet Kung Wei
as he takes her friend as a hostage during a violent gunfight ordered
by Po Kwong. Wei manages to steal a money suitcase and to give it
to his boss, but thus he deliberately risks his life. She's impressed.
The first time we see her, she's at a bar discussing with her boyfriend
(Damian Lau) promising her that he'll divorce his wife for her,
and she looks tired of this situation. She's not the type of woman
who's happy to be dependent of the will of an indecisive man, though
she's been accepting this for almost five years.
At the very first second she crosses Kung Wei's look, something
romantic bursts onto her life. She falls for his eyes. In order
to know him and to save his life, she's ready to let him take her
as a hostage. When he saves her too as she's falling from an electricity
pole while purchasing him, she remains hypnotized by his eyes where
she can read innocence and care. Deeply troubled by this incident,
she decides to know more about this mysterious man, and here starts
a quest which leads her to Mainland China, in Kung Wei's house where
Ku and his mother live.
Anita
Mui is able to give credibility to a character who could have appeared
as stereotyped : her fascination for Jet Li's character never falls
into stupid beatitude, and she manages to incarnate at the same
time the eyes of the female audience like a medium, and a strong
and active character whose role in the story is determining. She
saves little Ku when his mother dies, and goes to Hong Kong with
the idea of saving the father too.
Saving this family from disaster during the father's absence means
that she interferes in this family's intimate life. She sees immediately
the strong links that unite these three people and the distress
they live in as soon as she arrives. Ku's almost ten years old but
he already holds all the responsibilities since his mother is ill
and his father away. One very touching scene showing his incredible
maturity and still disarming childishness is the one where he invents
a letter his father is supposed to have send him and his mother.
Both his mom and their guest, Miss Fong, are aware that he's pretending
to read a letter though the paper is empty and the smile they exchange
tells a lot about the admiration and tender feeling they share about
this child.
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