WORLD WITHOUT THIEVES - DVD review

At the 77th Annual Academy Awards, host Chris Rock made a joke about Jude Law being in so many recent movies (6 in 2004). His remark was quickly rebutted by professional killjoy Sean Penn. However, ask anybody in the Hong Kong film industry and they'd wonder what the big deal is. It's not uncommon for an actor or director to pump out a dozen or more films in a single calendar year. One of the most prolific stars in Hong Kong and China is Andy Lau, who is likely most familiar as the star of "Infernal Affairs", which was remade by Martin Scorsese as "The Departed." Lau is also one of the top stars of Cantonese pop and has won hundreds of awards for his music. He has been dubbed a member of the "Four Heavenly Kings" along with fellow actors/Cantopop artists Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok and Leon Lai. Lau has worked numerous times with writer/director Johnny To, but with "A World Without Thieves" he pairs up with mainland China filmmaker Feng Xiaogang. Feng's other films include the satire "Big Show's Funeral" (starring Donald Sutherland) and the wuxia epic "The Banquet", which was re-titled "Legend of the Black Scorpion" for the DVD release by Dragon Dynasty.

Sporting a rather silly looking mop top, Lau co-stars with Rene Liu as Wang Bo and Wang Li, a husband and wife team of thieves. They're like a laidback version of Bonnie and Clyde preferring subtle con games and sleight of hand to tommy guns. The film begins with the Wangs in their latest spoils of war, a brand-new BMW. Suddenly, Wang Li drops a bombshell on her husband. She wants out of the business. She's retiring from thievery whether Bo wants to come or not. Angered, Wang Bo drops her off in the middle of nowhere and drives away. Wang Li manages to hitch a ride on the bicycle of Sha Gen (Wang Baoqiang), nicknamed Dumbo. Sha Gen is a wide-eyed, innocent youth who has been working construction at a nearby Buddhist monastery to earn money to bring back to his village. He's saved up 60,000RMB and his co-workers urge him to wire the money back home, but Sha Gen balks at paying a transfer fee and ignores their warnings about thieves.

Arriving at the train station, Sha Gen practically paints a bullseye on his face by flaunting his cash and daring any crooks to come and get it. Wang Bo is like a shark that smells blood in the water when it comes to Sha Gen. He's alternately amused and exasperated at Sha Gen's simplistic, Pollyanna views on life. He actually thinks that stealing the boy's money will teach him a valuable lesson about the real world. But, Wang Li has adopted him as a little brother and seeks to protect him. He'll need that protection as Wang Bo isn't the only one after his money. Also on board the train, are a gang of bandits led by master of disguise Uncle Li (Ge You). Uncle Li's group consists of his number two, Number Two (You Yong), newcomer Four Eyes (Lam Ka Tung), and femme fatale Xiao Ye (Li Bingbing). Uncle Li plays a game of cat and mouse with Wang Bo. Both thieves try their best to lift the money right from under anybody's nose. At the same time, Uncle Li recognizes great skill when he sees it and attempts to get Wang Bo to join his little troupe.

The story was based on a novel by Zhao Benfu and the script won a Golden Horse Award in 2005 for best adapted material. The plot is filled with twists and turns and I'm not just talking about the railroad tracks. Nobody on the train is quite what they appear to be. They each have their secrets and hidden agendas. However, they aren't very well-rounded characters as Feng paints his script with broad strokes. The Wangs are the criminals on the path to redemption, Uncle Li is the veteran with his own code of honor, and his underlings are the hotshots who want to play by their own rules. Feng uses a bit of a heavy hand when it comes to his direction as well. "World Without Thieves" isn't quite an action film, but it does have several stylish sequences. One sequence follows the Wang Bo, armed with only a razor blade, picking the pockets of a group of tourists. There are also a few fight scenes sprinkled throughout, but not the hard-hitting martial arts stuff you might see in a Jet Li flick. The fights are done more in the style of a dance, softer and set to flamenco music. Feng cuts these moments in much the same manner of a typical Hollywood action flick. Fast paced with close-ups and quick edits. Just because the scenes move at a manic speed doesn't make them any more exciting. Some silly looking CGI also detracts from these scenes.


VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is clean and the colors come off strong. Nothing too earth shattering, but perfectly acceptable.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. Both tracks are in the film's original Mandarin language with optional English and Spanish subtitles.

EXTRAS:
The Making of A World Without Thieves is simply a series of six featurettes that run between one to two minutes. Each segment acts as only a brief and superficial look at the creation of the film.

Also included on the DVD are a collection of six deleted scenes, the film's theatrical trailer, and a photo gallery.

FILM VALUE:
"A World Without Thieves" isn't a bad film, but it's not something to write home about. The story is decent, just not very involving, though it does pick up towards the end. It's such a middle of the road kind of picture. Devoted fans of Andy Lau will likely enjoy it, but I found my attention wavering from time to time. Feng manages to capture the beauty of the Chinese countryside when he's not imparting his MTV flourishes to the action scenes. Perhaps, the most noticeable element in the film is the ultra-cute Li Bingbing as one of Wang Bo's nemeses. Western moviegoers will likely know her more from her upcoming appearance as a Bride with White Hair clone in the Jet Li/Jackie Chan vehicle, "The Forbidden Kingdom."