"Fist Fight" Review

To keep producing the same old TVB drama, or to go completely off the deep end to create the anti-TVB drama? That is the question many TVB producers and scriptwriters seem to ponder, and "Fist Fight" is able to find a happy medium between the two approaches.

"Fist Fight" has many elements familiar with typical TVB series' DNA: from the bickering pair, to revenge, to family, and more. It also uses themes that have been previously used and mixes it with fresher ones, coming together to create a drama that features everything from telepathy, boxing, security, government corruption, conspiracy, to the internet and virtual reality. While this sounds like it could easily end in a hot mess of a drama that tries to do too much, the result is a multi-dimensional series that can keep a viewer on the edge of his or her seat, and require the viewer to stop and think a little to hang on for the crazy ride. 

This balance of fresh and familiar is ultimately what allows "Fist Fight" to stand apart from other series this year. While it takes the requisite two to three episodes to set up the characters and general plot, the pace becomes quick and easy to get into afterwards, unlike past "risky dramas" like "When Heaven Burns" that try to be more artistic and can become draggy instead. 

It seems like producer Lam Chi Wah drew inspiration from the highly serialized and genre nature of many American shows these days (with some viewers commenting the premise is eerily similar to Netflix's "Sense8"), and this influence is apparent. As the series shifts away from the bodyguard agency and more on the three male leads themselves, "Fist Fight" becomes increasingly complex with more and more elements at play and viewers are left trying to put together the puzzle pieces of what becomes the show's primary mystery. The blend of genres and themes is ambitious and screams more "American streaming drama" than "TVB drama," but there is also the familiar mixture of drama, action, comedy, and romance. 

Throughout all this, it even throws in some social commentary through its discussion of virtual reality and the "dark web." While some of this becomes confusing, and the use of virtual reality becomes almost laughably far-fetched in the last stretch of episodes, it does raise some interesting questions about the dangers advancements in technology can bring. 

"Fist Fight" boosts a younger cast, which is in line with its fresh nature, and thankfully they overall deliver.

Vincent Wong is fantastic as always these days as "Fever Cheung." With a different actor, "Fever" easily could have become irritating to watch with his arrogance and self-confidence. Instead, Vincent makes him charming, funny, and entertaining. The character regularly says "If you can guess what I'm up to, I wouldn't be Fever." It was refreshing to watch a protagonist who you could not always predict the next move of, consistent with the character's innovative and out-of-the-box mindset. 

Mat Yeung as "Leo" plays a great straight man to Vincent's "Fever." The character is aloof and "cool" as well as untrusting of others, and Mat looks and plays the part without being wooden, while also excelling in his emotional scenes in the last episodes. 

Another refreshing aspect of "Fist Fight" was how smart "Fever" and "Leo" are, albeit in slightly differing ways. While many TVB series love revving up the dramatic irony where the viewer is left screaming at the screen about how a character could be so oblivious, our leading men catch on to everything we realize about the villains and suspicious characters and more. With Fever and Leo's mutual preference for relying on themselves rather than trusting others, it was incredibly entertaining seeing the two try to outsmart the other (and failing, because the other would always eventually catch on) before they finally agreed to work together.

While still awkward and wooden in his most dramatic scenes, particularly in early ones when he is still a cop, Philip Ng showed improvement from "A Fist Within Four Walls." Philip also shows once again that his forte is in more comedic, lighthearted scenes. His voice still goes too deep when angry, but he is more natural and very likable in lighter scenes, particularly those with Rebecca Zhu. "Iron" is very impulsive and hotheaded while still a cop, and while those traits do not completely go away, he mellows in the second half and appropriately steps into the role of an older brother figure who is capable of taking a step back and looking at the situation more calmly. Consequently, Philip becomes much more enjoyable to watch too, and while he still has a long way to go, he demonstrates that he can be cast for more than just his action moves.

Unsurprisingly, there are less praises to sing for the female cast. This largely has to do with the fact the series is focused on brotherhood, making the females secondary characters who mainly exist as love interests for the men.

Shining the most though is Kaman Kong, despite the character's ridiculous name of "Sitting." I have noticed Kaman's potential and surprisingly already rather natural acting since "My Ages Apart." In her first substantial "adult" role, she is still as affable and lovable as ever, while also performing well and evoking sympathy in her emotional scenes. She and Vincent share an easygoing and sweet chemistry as the series' resident bickering pair turned lovers. The bickering pair trope can get old, but I enjoyed the pair's progression into a couple, though I groaned at one specific development in "Sitting" in the second half. Thankfully, it was not too grating to watch. After finishing this series, I wish Kaman would have won Most Improved Actress this year. 

Rebecca Zhu performs adequately enough as "Ching Ching" without being too interesting, but she shares great chemistry with Philip. The "immediately good friends turned something more" was a good contrast to Fever and Sitting as a bickering pair. The scene where Ching Ching and Iron finally get together is probably my new favorite get-together scene with how adorable and hilarious Philip is running back and forth across the street. 

Tiffany Lau had a difficult debut role in that she had to go through training and had many boxing and action scenes. Character-wise, she is more of a supporting player than female lead who is easily the most disposable. She is likable but her Cantonese is distractingly and heavily accented. She and Mat have enough chemistry to not look awkward, but it is nothing noteworthy.

Other notable performances included Toby Chan, who takes a break from her typical boring pretty girl characters to play a bad-ass bodyguard, and Jack Hui as Fever's loyal confident and friend. 

Although the series is not without its fair share of predictable twists or unrealistic turns, and the death-toll became very high, it was refreshing to watch the series and not always be able to see what was going to happen next just based off context clues and what has happened in other similar series. Any viewer could see Shek Sau would at least be a semi-villain, but I enjoyed being able to keep guessing as to who exactly did what, just how evil a character was, and who the ultimate villain would be. 

"Fist Fight" was an ambitious series, from the nearly six-month commitment it took to film the series with its location-filming and many action sequences, to its mix of genres and complex storytelling. Despite its flaws, this different direction is executed well enough that it is worth commending, even if it became more unrealistic and convoluted towards the end. Hopefully, other producers and scriptwriters will take a page from "Fist Fight" to more create entertaining and fresh series that can take risks without completing shedding the feeling of familiarity and accessibility that comes with watching a TVB series. 

Rating: 4.25 stars

TVB Anniversary Awards 2017: Results + Comments

Global Netizen’s Favorite Drama: “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Not a surprise and well-deserved. I’m so glad TVB didn’t give this to “Line Walker 2” and always love a good underdog story. This series had a low budget and the farest thing from a star-studded cast, but heart and creativity. There probably isn’t any other series in the last few years that dealt with the subject of human loss and love so well, much less while tying together supernatural elements.

Most Improved Actor: Mat Yeung

I said “Matthew” out loud just as the winner was announced and was completely blindsided in the best way possible when Mat’s name was announced instead. I pegged Mat as having no chance, especially as the two drama series he is nominated for did not receive much attention. Yes he’s overqualified for the award, and perhaps Owen deserved it most solely in terms of actual improvements in acting, but I am so happy that he has finally received recognition. Next stop, best supporting actor with the big boys?

Most Improved Actress: Mayanne Mak

I was totally surprised by this, and don’t watch variety shows so I cannot give an opinion as to whether or not Mayanne deserves it. From all the applause and cheers she received, it seems like she did, and in that respect I’m happy for her. However, I still think TVB needs to separate out the most improved acting and hosting categories. I’m mostly just glad Jacqueline Wong didn’t win (sorry Kenneth).

Most Popular Drama Theme Song: Hubert Wu’s theme song for “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Woo so happy Hana didn’t win for her sub theme for “Line Walker 2”! This is definitely my favorite theme song of the year. No complaints. So glad Hubert, who is a far superior singer, finally nabbed this award out of the hands of Jinny, Hana, and Co. Also loved the "Hearts of Fencing" reunion. When I first heard the theme song by 2R start playing, I was wondering why it sounded so familiar before I was flooded with memories of the series.

Most Favorite Onscreen Partnership: Edwin Siu, Raymond Cho, and Matthew Ho for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”

I didn’t actually put this down as my prediction, but did expect this would be a very likely scenario. Edwin, Raymond, and Matthew were such a fun ensemble with chemistry while each having comedic talent in their own right. Edwin looked completely surprised and unprepared when giving the acceptance speech though, which was quite funny.

Best Supporting Actor: Joel Chan for “The Unholy Alliance”

Top 5: Joel Chan, Jimmy Au, Andrew Yuen, Owen Cheung, Anthony Ho

This category was obviously one “The Unholy Alliance” co-star versus another. In the end, I’m not surprised Joel won, and that is more fitting anyway because as solid of an actor as Jimmy is, his bodyguard role in the series probably could not even have been considered a supporting role. Joel was one of the more emotional people of the night, which makes sense given he was given a second opportunity at TVB and has experienced so much more success this time around after putting in a lot of hard work. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Joel. It was sweet seeing Elaine present the award to Joel and tearing up behind him as he gave his speech, before regaining composure and watching him in admiration.

Best Supporting Actress: Rebecca Zhu for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”

Top 5: Rebecca Zhu, Tracy Chu, Mandy Lam, Elaine Yiu, Sharon Chan

I don’t think I’ve ever been so genuinely offended and confused by an anniversary awards winner in my life? While I did not agree with Katy and Elaine’s wins in the last two years for this award, at least they were for meaty roles. Meanwhile, Rebecca had the least to do of all the females in “A General.” She stood around and flirted with Matthew sometimes. What’s even more offensive is that her co-star Grace Wong did not even place into a top 5 despite giving a far superior, more entertaining performance. However, I was pleasantly surprised Mandy Lam placed for “Lo and Behold.” I haven’t been watching it, but been hearing good things about her and always like it when actors from sitcoms can get short-listed. Either Tracy, Mandy, or Elaine winning would have been better than Rebecca. And this is saying a lot, considering Tracy only had a guest starring role and Elaine gave a typical performance and already previously won. I can’t believe Sharon was short-listed for her cringeworthy, adulterer role in “Heart and Greed 3” either. This has been one of the weakest categories in the last few years, but Rebecca’s win is probably one of the most uncalled for and unfair since Fala first won in 2007 very shortly after debuting.

Favorite Male Character: Kenneth Ma for “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Top 5: Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong, Moses Chan, Edwin Siu, Benjamin Yuen

Most of us definitely called this. “Ma Kwai” is definitely one of the most easily likable characters of the year. All the top five nominees’ characters were likable though, which is a nice change from some categories sometimes not even having one solid nominee recently.

Favorite Female Character: Sisley Choi for “Legal Mavericks”

Top 5: Sisley Choi, Natalie Tong, Nancy Wu, Mandy Wong, Ali Lee

Slightly surprising, but not that much considering it’s TVB. Sisley should have been nominated for and won Most Improved Actress instead. If we are looking solely at character, I really did like her “Din Jie” character, which was a refreshing female character who was bad ass, did not care she was unattractive, and was unapologetically herself. I would still easily choose Ali’s “Paris” over Sisley, and am disappointed Ali went home empty-handed despite giving such a solid performance in “My Ages Apart.” Unfortunately, what I dreaded would happen to Ali happened to Sisley instead. She isn’t necessarily undeserving and has genuinely improved, but she won such a major award sooner than others usually do, which has already given her criticism. TVB is hurting Sisley more than helping her by pulling this move, while the audience may have actually been happy for her had she won Most Improved.

I might be in the minority here, but I liked Sisley’s speech about how the criticism she has received for her acting made her question her self-worth, while getting to play this role helped her to finally get some it back. You can tell that the attacks and negative words have really gotten to her, but instead of questioning why people are criticizing her (ahem, Grace Chan), or letting it get the best of her her, but you can also tell she has taken it to heart and tried her best to improve. But yes, it was bizarre that she didn’t actually thank people in her speech. On another note, every main cast member except Mandy deserved praise for “The Exorcist’s Meter,” but here we are. Moon Lau should have taken her place.

Best Actor: Vincent Wong for “Legal Mavericks”

Top 5: Vincent Wong, Kenneth Ma, Ruco Chan, Michael Miu, Moses Chan

Expected, but still satisfying. Vincent obviously knew he was going to win barring an upset by Kenneth, so he was calm and collected and had a well-rehearsed speech. Vincent is a perfect example of someone who may not have as much experience under his belt as other winners (12 years, and just a mere three series as a leading actor), but won based on merit instead of timing, and the luck of receiving a great role he could nail. I would love to see more actors in the future winning based on the merit of performance alone, rather than it just being “the right time” or the luck of being cast in a series with high buzz. I definitely felt Vincent had the potential to win TV King when “Legal Mavericks” and his role was first announced - called it!

Best Actress: Natalie Tong for “My Unfair Lady”

Top 5: Natalie Tong, Jessica Hsuan, Nancy Wu, Nina Paw, Ali Lee

My jaw dropped when Natalie’s name was called. I wasn’t angry like for Rebecca, but I was just shocked. I did not read the reports that Natalie’s fans had been campaigning for her or that she was rumored to sign a new contract in exchange for the award, so I was completely confused. I have liked Natalie for a long time and think she is a good actress, but not Best Actress caliber (she was also in the awkward position of being a second lead in “My Unfair Lady,” neither a leading or supporting actress).

Best Drama: “My Ages Apart”

I’m surprised that TVB didn’t give this award to “Line Walker: The Prelude” and allowed it to go home empty-handed. But if this award was going to go to any other series, I’m not surprised they decided to give it to the anniversary drama that didn’t make a splash, but at least didn’t completely tank (ahem, Heart and Greed). I am very happy this series won though, because it was a refreshing series with a great sense of humor. I am a fan of meta and satirical humor, as well as series that are not afraid to poke fun at themselves. As crazy as the main family and some plot lines could get, you could tell the writers were well-aware of its own absurdity and never took themselves too seriously. It’s something I really wish more TVB comedies could incorporate. And while it understandably dragged sometimes at a whooping length of 50 episodes, with its large ensemble, I did not feel like it dragged significantly more than series that ran just a mere 20 or 30 episodes can sometimes. I wish more people would have tuned in.

"Momentary Lapse of Reason" Review

I had a lot of reasons to just completely skip "Momentary Lapse of Reason." Premodern dramas are my least favorite to watch since they tend to be tragic in nature. Despite being a big fan of Louis and happy he received his first leading role, I also wasn't interested in seeing Tavia. However, with the quiet but strong critical acclaim, I finally decided to give in because I wanted to check out Louis, Mat, and Rosina's performances for myself.

I'm glad I finally gave this series a chance, and didn't just give up after the first two episodes. It took maybe 5 episodes, but once I got into it, I was hooked and binge watched it over the course of my 3 day weekend. Against all my (non-existent) expectations when first hearing about this series, "Momentary Lapse of Reason" has become my favorite series of 2015.

Although all four leads deliver, the main reason I enjoyed "Momentary" so much is because of Louis Cheung and Mat Yeung's performances. The changes of their characters as well as their friendship drive the series forward and are what make it compelling.

There is not much romantic chemistry present in this series, which may make it sound like a failure, but romance was ultimately not integral to the series despite what some people may have thought initially. Mat and Tavia Yeung are by no means wooden and awkward with each other, but didn't create any sparks either. Same goes for Louis and Tavia, but this is because Louis' love for Tavia remains one-sided for the entire series.

Instead, all the "sparks" happen between the incredibly close brotherhood that develops between Louis and Mat - and I have no complaints about it. It was very rewarding to watch these two characters go from being foes who were completely different cops with contrasting morals, to two people who cared so much about each other and made such a huge impact on the other's life (which is why part of the ending was such BS - but more on that in a bit).

There was a split second where I was not sure if Louis was ready to be a leading actor, although it was only because he (deservingly) had bounced up so quickly. I'm now slapping myself for ever thinking that, because Louis absolutely shines in his first leading role. He and Ruco are one of few TVB actors who excel in these gray characters. In the early episodes, he does well as the clever, "Corrupt Wah" who has no problem taking credit for other people's work and being mean-spirited. Some of his best acting though is when his character slowly starts becoming more conscientious. From feeling guilty over indirectly causing the death of an innocent man to showing compassion over his widow, and standing up for Mat when no one else would, Louis' portrays the character's change in nature after befriending Mat very well. With another actor, the transition probably would've felt sudden, but Louis' expressiveness allowed you to see "Kam Wah" rethinking himself. Although the character becomes easier to play once he is no longer corrupt, Louis does wonderfully in his emotional scenes, particularly when he found Ng Chin's lifeless body.

Kam Wah is also a character who, even when he was a corrupt cop, is very humorous and playful. This made him a lot of fun to watch and prevented "Momentary" from becoming too tragic or "heavy" to watch like most other premodern series. Some of his funniest moments are when Mat catches him doing good deeds and expressing sympathy early on, only for Louis to deny it profusely and claim he is just a creep. It was also hilarious when Louis decided to go into the walled village (where there is no police jurisdiction) to help save Mat, but not without getting himself drunk to work up the guts first. I am happy to see that Louis was able to get into the top 5 nominations for Best Actor despite this series not being a big ratings hit.

Mat had a tough task of leading alongside Louis and is not nearly as expressive as him, but certainly rose up to the challenge in his first shot at second male lead. He was able to portray the character of "Sam Yat Yin" as the righteous and serious cop he is without being wooden, and tender in his scenes with Tavia's Leung Sum. He shows the internal emotional struggle of wanting to be a good cop in a precinct full of greedy and corrupt ones who actively dislike him and what he stands for very well. His most memorable and absolutely heartbreaking scene is when he forces himself to collect the bribes from the market sellers against all his morals and beliefs. 

With the path the character was taking in the early episodes and TVB's usual predictability, I had expected Yat Yin to become a full-on villain. Although he does make a terrible jerk move towards the end in a desperate attempt to move up so he can continue to fight police corruption, Yat Yin never becomes evil or even mean-spirited and simply becomes more dire in the lengths he'll take to fulfill his goal. Until the very end, he still remains a hero. This was a direction I appreciated because it made the character much more realistic as well as allow the plot to move along logically, instead of hurriedly turning him into a caricature, a la Ruco's "Ah Lik" in "Eye in the Sky." As far as secondary leading characters go, Yat Yin was absolutely integral to the story (just as much as Kam Wah) and in moving the series along. Mat got a great opportunity, and he took advantage of it. 

While this is both of their first time as leads, Louis and Mat were my favorite leads to watch all year, and I hope to continue seeing them in major roles.

Tavia once again receives the least interesting role of an entire main cast, but unlike in the
previously mentioned "Eye in the Sky," is not irritating to watch. In the end, I don't have any praises to sing, but I also don't have any nit picks with her performance. Leung Sum is likable instead of a suffocating goody two shoes. While she thinks lowly of Kam Wah initially, she does soon come to the realization he is not what she judged him to be after she gets to know him. The character cries from time to time, but it's also not an endless waterfall like some of Tavia's past dramatic series. The most heartbreaking moment for the character is in the very last episode when she sees someone who she believes is Yat Yin, but is really Willie Wai in Yat Yin's clothes. 

Although playing a character who goes through many major events that can be considered either unfortunate at best or highly traumatic at worst, Rosina gives a very natural performance as "Fa Ying Yuet." There are no huge dramatic acting moments, and that ended up being what I liked. It's so easy to start equating dramatic yelling and crying with good acting. Rosina had many opportunities to overact and it would have even been understandable for the character to be portrayed as over the top. Yet, she never does, but still shows the emotions of the character. Ying Yuet ended up not having as much screen time as I thought she would, but she was a character that could have easily become grating to watch where the actress could take every opportunity to try to steal the scene. Instead, Rosina injects just enough emotion and makes her a sympathetic and intriguing character without trying to steal anyone's thunder, allowing the focus to remain on Kam Wah and Yat Yin's brotherhood. 

With such solid performances playing such intriguing roles, it is very disappointing that Mat and Rosina did not win Most Improved. Based on acting merit alone, they definitely had it in the bag, but much like Vincent before his villain role in "Will Power" came along, simply did not have the buzz (or favoritism) Grace and Tony possessed. (On the bright side, Mat did win Most Improved Actor in Malaysia, while Rosina took home Best Supporting Actress in Singapore, although she was nominated for "Young Charioteers" instead.)

I enjoyed the friendship between the core four characters and the few scenes they all shared, and only wished that there had just been a few more. Unlike in recent series that try to portray friendship (ahem, "Raising the Bar"), you could feel the bond between the four despite them not sharing many scenes altogether.

In addition to our leading actors, the rest of the cast performs well too. Also providing some comic relief were Brian Burrell, who appears to be playing an important role for the first time, and Amy Fan. The two were very sweet to watch as a married couple. Hugo Wong was convincing as the corrupt and cruel police inspector. Lai Kong does well as always, but him as the villain is getting increasingly predictable.

Ending Commentary (Spoilers ahead!!)

A very satisfying ending overall, with just one major complaint. On his death bed, Yat Yin tells Leung Sum that she is the reason Kam Wah changed to be a better person, not him. While the writers do not try to drill into our heads the importance of Leung Sum on Yat Yin and Kam Wah too much, doing so at all was a disservice to how important the two guy's friendship truly was. This was inconsistent just timeline-wise, as Kam Wah had already become more conscientiousness before even developing a crush on Leung Sum. Yat Yin's death was terribly sad, but fitting, though I also wish he and Kam Wah were able to share more of a "final" scene together. 

Lai Kong, Akina Hong, and Joe Tay's endings were incredibly satisfying and poetic. Akina and Joe trying to outsmart each other by poisoning the other to receive all the money for themselves, only to both die at the hands of the opposite, was brilliant and a bold writing move.  

Finally, I have mixed feelings towards Kam Wah feigning memory loss. He had already lost Yat Yin, and by pretending to not remember, he was isolating himself from his two remaining best friends. However, I am glad the writers chose not to have him and Leung Sum end up together, as the latter never expressed romantic feelings for him and it would have been too sudden and convenient for her to do so so shortly after Yat Yin's death. Kam Wah continuing to watch over Leung Sum from afar may not be the happiest ending, but it was the most fitting one. A bittersweet ending was the most appropriate for "Momentary," but the characters also ended up all pretty content.

Overall

As stated before, Louis and Mat are the heart of the series and it is ultimately about how Kam Wah and Yat Yin come to impact each other as they try to rid Tong Sai of its rampant corruption. The series makes full use of its 20 episodes, and the writing feels very tight, with none of the inconsistencies or wackiness present in many series' writing today (I enjoyed you "Captain of Destiny," but I'm looking at you). Despite being a premodern series, "Momentary Lapse" also manages to succeed more as an action series than recent typical police procedurals. Its elements of drama, action, and suspense along with its fast paced writing and strong leading performances makes you want to keep watching once you get past the set up of the first handful of episodes. "Momentary Lapse" is the most underrated series of the year, and one of the best.

Rating: 4.5 stars