SILK - DVD review

To date, "Silk" is the most expensive movie made in the Taiwanese market. The budget was over 6 million in U.S. dollars and while that might be chump change to a Hollywood studio, it's a lot of green for them. "Silk" is also the sophomoric effort from writer/director Su Chao-Bin whose debut film was the comedy, "Better Than Sex." "Silk" isn't Su's first dip into the pool of horror as he has also co-written Fruit Chan's short film for "3 Extremes" and "Double Vision", which was previously the most expensive Taiwanese film ever shot.

A Canadian journalist has traveled all over the world looking for ghosts. He finds one, a small boy, in an abandoned apartment building in Taipei and dies shortly afterwards. The journalist was in the employ of Hashimoto (Yosuke Eguchi), a Japanese scientist with a lame leg. Hashimoto has invented a device called the Menger Sponge, a device made of human protein that can absorb electromagnetic energy to defy gravity. The development of a large-scale version has eluded Hashimoto and he hopes to capture and contain the boy to use as an unlimited power source. Hashimoto explains that most ghosts dissipate shortly after death and he needs to know how the boy can remain among the living.

To do so, he hires Tung (Chen Chang), a top cop with exceptional eyesight. Tung works as a sharpshooter and has an uncanny ability to read lips which he uses to discern the silent words that come from the boy's mouth. Tung reluctantly signs on because his mother is dying and he wants assurances that there is a peaceful afterlife awaiting her. Tung also seems to be one of the few among Hashimoto and his research team to ask if the boy is dangerous after all, ghosts always kill in horror films. Sure enough, if anyone were to look directly into the boy's eyes they will become his victims. It is up to Tung to investigate the circumstances behind the boy's mysterious identity and death, while trying to figure out what Hashimoto's hidden agenda is.

I had a fleeting glimmer of hope that "Silk" might be a little different from the numerous Asian horror films that are nothing more than pale clones of "Ringu" or "Ju-On." For one thing, "Silk" doesn't have a pale faced ghost girl with a wild mane of black hair bumping people off right and left. It also attempts to tie down the supernatural with cold, hard scientific facts. I count myself as a bit of a science geek and there's quite a lot written about souls as electromagnetic energy and explaining notions of heaven and hell through theoretical quantum physics. It's heavy stuff, but don't expect "Silk" to give Stephen Hawking headaches anytime soon. "Silk" is science fiction that's light on the science, but heavy on the fiction.

For one thing, the Menger Sponge is actually a cubic construct in fractal geometry. It hasn't any of the properties that are shown in the film. I'm not exactly sure how the thing even works. Like George Washington Carver and the peanut, Hashimoto discovers a wide variety of ways to use his invention. By transforming it into liquid form, the characters can spray it into their eyes in order to see the ghosts. You can also take photographs of them by spraying it on film. Covering a room with Menger Sponge can trap the ghost inside. At one point, Tung sprays it onto his bullets to shoot the ghosts. "Ghostbusters" by way of John Woo, I suppose. The goofiest use has to be when Hashimoto's assistant, Su (Barbie Hsu), sprays a newspaper with the liquid and tries to sneak off with the ghost in her pocket. I hear Menger Sponge can also be used as a floor wax and a desert topping.

The majority of the film's budget was sunk into the special effects with won an award at the Golden Horse Film Festival, the Taiwanese equivalent of the Oscars. However, the CGI work is passable at best and downright laughable at worst. It doesn't help that they're used in ridiculous ways. In one of the silliest sequences, a ghost emerges from a bowl of noodles to strangle a hapless research scientist.

The acting is fairly decent with Taiwanese starlet and pop singer, Barbie Hsu bringing a smugness to her deceitful character. Chen Chang, best known as Dark Cloud the desert bandit in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", is pretty much wasted as Tung. He has a strong screen presence, but doesn't do much than play tough guy cop. The same could be said of Karina Lam in her meaningless role as Tung's girlfriend, Wei.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is practically pristine without any noticeable flaws or grain. The film has a cold blue look to it and it comes off strong on the DVD.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. Both tracks are in the film's original language which has a mixture of Taiwanese, Japanese, and English. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are also available.

EXTRAS:
The Making of Silk runs over half an hour long and is a fairly involving look at the behind-the-scenes activities of the film. Most notable was the fact that the filmmakers had no permits for on-location shoots. They were kicked off a subway train and the director was forced to spend more money to build a set.

Also included on the DVD, are an alternate ending, a reel of deleted scenes and outtakes, and the original theatrical trailer.

FILM VALUE:
Unlike many other films of the genre, "Silk" does attempt to try something new. Unfortunately, it fails to stand out of the crowd. "Silk" is full of facetious pseudo-science that even Stan Lee would balk at. "Silk" also fails to truly create an environment of eeriness or tension, an essential part of any horror film or thriller.