Director: Juno Mak.
Cast: Siu-Ho Chin, Anthony Chan, Kara Hui, Richard Ng.
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 103 minutes
Synopsis: A famous actor (Chin) moves into a dreary apartment block. After a failed suicide attempt, he begins to connect with the strange inhabitants of the building, and discovers that the living aren’t the only ones taking up residence.
Anybody familiar with the likes of the classic MR. VAMPIRE will know that vampire tales can be a little different over in China. As can any supernatural film really, and RIGOR MORTIS is no exception. It’s odd tone and mixture of genres doesn’t always work, but as I always say “It’s better to be barking mad and unique, than fully comprehensible and dull.”
The whole setting and tone just screams about its horror roots, to the point where you completely understand that no sane human would walk into the situations we are presented with. Yet, rather than stretching our disbelief, we are given instructions on how to place our tongue in cheek. Never is this more evident than when the exorcists and priests decide to do battle with the dead in the classical East Asian form of martial arts. It really is very satisfying to see a spiritual man do battle against the paranormal with his fists. Who knows what would have happened to Linda Blair if she had messed with the cast of RIGOR MORTIS. The fights are also beautifully choreographed and work within the confines of the narrative.
The tone is also magnificently constructed, with pretty much every single set presented in grey. Grey is such an undderated colour in film, and its use here is a great contrast to the life we imagine protagonist Sui-Ho Chin (using his actual name for the character) lived before moving. The battles within himself soon become shown on screen in a delightful mixture of stories between building residents that at times feel like a spectacular anthology of shorts. The mystery element that binds it all together is also very engaging, and even though the obvious nods to the aforementioned vampire classic clearly state where RIGOR MORTIS is headed, there are many other twists and turns in store.
The plot only goes so far though, and we’re soon left with a boggy waltz through many tropes without many nods or winks. It never quite balances the genres – this couldn’t really be described as scary – and you may have moments in the days following a viewing where you forget this was all one film. Most disappointing is the complete reliance and overuse of CG. The film has a great visual style, but by the end the screen is crammed with fake looking red trails of blood and ghostly goings on. It becomes too hard to see what is going on, or even care.
On a looks basis, RIGOR MORTIS is mostly a success, but so much so that perhaps the home entertainment release will suit connoisseurs better as they will be able to abuse the pause button. Otherwise you’ll have to be a bit of a genre fan to get the full experience intended. It’s a nice antidote for anybody wanting to be surprised on some level, and there are plenty of moments worth revisiting via subsequent viewings. A slap-bang-wallop fusion of martial arts versus the paranormal with tons of atmosphere.
[usr=3]RIGOR MORTIS is released in cinemas from 24th April and on DVD from 27th April.
