Cheap Peace Hotel (DVD) (Ka-Fai Wai) Price

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Customer Reviews of Peace Hotel

See it for the action, buy it for the acting.
I bought this movie without seeing it before hand (which is how I see a lot of Hong Kong movies), and thought it just another Chow Yun-Fat vehicle, which was, to be honest with you, fine by me. I thought it would just plain be interesting to see CYF in a western. Well listen, in this movie, it's the acting that shines, not so much the gunplay. Sure, we lead junkies get our fix with a gunfight (and an even cooler sword fight), but the story here is deep. Much deeper than I expected. For one thing, subtlety is at play here, and that's a new thing for me while watching Hong Kong movies. I mean, I suppose it was there before, in other movies, and maybe I didn't pick up on it (d'oh! I think this sentence is turning into an oxymoron...), but here they don't slap you in the face with plot points, and they leave you to your own devices to try to figure out what a character is thinking and feeling. Some people may not care for that, but it always impresses me when a film doesn't insult it's audience's intelligence and perceptiveness.

Peace Hotel is a visually impressive movie as well. The film appears to have been washed, giving everything a dusty brown tint to it, which lends itself to great atmosphere in a western. There are subtle little tricks that may or may not have been intended by the director, such as...well, I'm not going to ruin it for you. It's quite an interesting film, and anyone who wants to see Chow Yun-Fat's acting chops should give it a try.

An interesting idea falls flat...
It is doubly sad that "Peace Hotel" fails not only because there was so much talent on board (Chow Yun-Fat starring AND working the story, with John Woo executive producing) but also because this was Chow's swansong to Hong Kong filmmaking. It could have been great. Or could it have? I honestly don't think this otherwise interesting idea (A Hong Kong western) could have worked, at least with this cast and writers. It's a shame that the filmmakers tried to make a straight-faced Western, because the Hong Kong filmmaking style just doesn't fit it. For one thing, I believe the female lead was rather uncompelling and unconvincing. I honestly couldn't believe that Chow would eventually fall for (almost like a fairy tale) for a two-timing, obnoxious woman like her. Also, the melodrama and quirky Asian humor that worked so well in films like "Mr. Vampire" and most of Woo's and Chow's collaborations is a grating clash. It just doesn't work as a western. Also, I found the film rather boring, despite its rather compact running time (only 84 minutes). Even though the film was not crafted as a nonstop HK action blowout per se, it could have used some more action between the lulls (which are far too plentiful). The main complaint I have with the film is that it throws all credibility to the winds far too often (like when Chow falls for this mysterious woman). Also, the melodrama seems forced and hokey. On the upside, though, the film does gain its two stars due to Chow's usually excellent performance (he is one of HK's most versatile actors, and will sadly be missed), and the above average cinematography (especially the admittedly great climactic battle). But the whole movie just doesn't gel the way it should. I was quite disappointed with "Peace Hotel."