Who Is Undercover (2014) (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3

The film begins in 1934 in Shanghai, with the Kuomintang government rounding up a group of suspected female rebel agents after an incident in a tea house assumed to have been a communist operation gone wrong. Desperate to try and uncover the identity of the mysterious ‘Joker’ before they have to let the prisoners go, the government secret police set about torturing the women in an effort to make them give up their secrets. Psychological as well as physical torment comes to the fore as the five are played off against each other, and as it gradually becomes clear which of them really are spies it equally becomes obvious that there’s a traitor in their midst. Meanwhile on the outside, a veteran communist resistance leader (Tony Leung Ka Fai) attempts to free the captives while keeping Joker hidden.

The film which immediately comes to mind when watching Who is Undercover is Chen Kuo Fu and Gao Qun Shu’s accomplished 2009 spy drama The Message, to which director Fan Jian Hui clearly owes a considerable debt. Indeed, though not officially a remake, Who is Undercover certainly comes close to The Message, lifting its plot, themes and even some scenes from the earlier film. Thankfully, Fan proves an efficient copycat, and the film moves along briskly and manages to hold the interest despite its lack of originality, with plenty of twists, turns and revelations. For the most part, the film does make for taut and occasionally exciting viewing, Fan successfully keeping the viewer guessing as to the various true identities of the women and milking their confinement for a respectable amount of tension. A welcome edge is added by the fact that the film gets pretty gruesome at times, packing in many graphic torture scenes, including fingernail pulling and other nastiness, as well as some (CGI) blood soaked battles and shootouts.

Things are undermined by an exposition and melodrama heavy final act however, which at times gives the film the air of a Chinese WWII television war soap opera, with the same level of nationalism and cheap tugs at the heartstrings as it builds to what for many will be a muddled conclusion. Thanks to this the film is undeniably uneven, all the more so due to a sketchy set of characters that the viewer never really comes to care about, each having clearly been written and manipulated for narrative rather than emotional impact. While Fan’s workmanlike direction doesn’t really impress, the film’s production values are solid, and he does succeed in getting good performances from his big name cast. Also, his actresses are all on fine form and manage to elevate their characters at least a little, if not quite to the point of believability. There’s something to be said for seeing such a collection of famous faces being put through the wringer, and Lin Chiling and Gillian Chung in particular get plenty of chances to chew the scenery and wail piteously in scenes which are likely to provide a fair amount of unintentional amusement for some viewers.

As a result, despite its various failings and liberal borrowing from The Message, Who is Undercover makes for a fun hour and a half of espionage themed hysteria. Boosted by its cast, a decently handled suspense plot and some surprisingly harsh violence, there’s plenty here to enjoy for fans of Chinese spy films or anyone not expecting too much.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com"