Rigor Mortis (Geung si), 2013

Strange, exquisite and plain old bizarre, Geung si is a film by Juno Mak who takes upon himself to jump in to the shoes of Ricky Lau, the creator of the hugely famous Mr. Vampire (Franchise); 1986-92, in homeland Hong Kong, and succeeds at it.

With atmosphere as plot and POV shots of lit cigarettes leading up to a man as the hour-glass shifts sand and the camera following the tip of a sewing needle as Aunt Meiyi stretches to tighten a stitch, Mortis lives up to all hype and shines, albeit taking the wrong bus home, ever rarely so.

Did Kubrick NOT influence everyone from the US to the back alley dealings of Kowloon City?

Mak’s film is a mix of fantasy storytelling, post-production conversion of fight sequences in to beautifully designed slow motion 2D action; much like the beloved hallway-hammer-sequence from Old Boy, 2003.

It is also quite lovely to look at. From the failed suicide attempt resulting in a Star Child-like kaleidoscope imagery, the misty hovering and tentacled possessions to Uncle Chin and Uncle Lau, the two retired vampire hunters and powerful magicians, one of whom cooks the best glutinous rice in the town and the other practices black magic for fun; I did not see anyone pay up, just saying.

Rigor Mortis keeps you highly entertained with its visuals and a sense of hilarity even during the most intense and intricately crafted action and horror scenes.
We watch a little Crouching Tiger from the Eighties here, a sprinkle of Bane; yes him, there. Then we watch as the uncalled for protagonist is crushed under the performances of Uncles Yin and Lau actors Siu-Ho Chin and Billy Lau; performances that bring an earthy feel to the otherwise heavily mythological and a violent film.

The colours used by Man-Ching Ng keep changing from the gray of the apartment complex to the multi-coloured haunting, green hallways and then silver as secrets are violently revealed and finally bright sepia when our has-been star living on a budget serves his purpose of becoming bait to The Sisters. Sweet.

All of them bastards come together in this faulty gem. Zombies, Vampires, The 80’s Shining, Jason, black and white Magik, old man with Lennon specs flying across the room in what is a sincerely sensational film progression. The action and styling is orgasmic (it couldn’t be, or I’d not want to fuck for another week), a villain with leathery skin who schemes in his red and black kimono (keeping the Japanese legacy alive) and prays to the demons. Then there are the women who crawl up the walls as a puddle of water splashes in slow-motion – the water drop photography reminded me of Kar-wai Wong, but not too much; which is good since Kar-Wai would not want his name anywhere close to this beast of a film, for reasons of empirical aesthetics.

The visuals are highly engrossing and mad fun. The direction could have been more decisive and original and the film itself could have added to the genre some more, it does have potential to do so. However, it did not do any of those things. No problem, the imagery is powerful and potent enough to make the viewer forgive.

The ending will leave you puzzled – not shocked – but it will make you think for hours after the film has ended. Well, maybe not for hours but the ending is pretty neat.

Overall do watch Rigor Mortis if you’re a fan of Cantonese mythology/action cinema and let it take you on a crazy as fuck ride.