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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
Shot in black and white
with a gritty, documentary-like style, Wayne Wang's
Chan is Missing centers on two Chinatown cab
drivers: a middle-aged Chinese American named Jo (Wood
Moy) and his street-smart nephew, Steve (Marc Hayashi).
The two of them want to go into business for themselves,
but in order to get a license they had to give their
money to an intermediary, the enigmatic title character,
Chan Hung. One problem: Chan has disappeared, along
with their money.
In true detective story
fashion, Jo and Steve hit the streets on a quest that
takes them to a variety of places, including a popular
Chinese restaurant, a Manila Town senior citizen center,
and even the home of Chan's ex-wife. Along the way
they meet a myriad of interesting characters, each
showing a different side of not only Chan Hung, but
Chinatown itself. Every time Jo and Steve think they've
come closer to solving the mystery, a new clue takes
them in a brand new direction. What really happened
to Chan? Did he abscond with their hard-earned savings?
Did he flee for his life out of fear? No easy answers
are given. Thus, it's not surprising that the search
eventually takes its toll on the film's protagonists.
Sympathies divide the men, as the first-generation
Jo looks only for the good in Chan Hung, whereas the
American-born Chinese Steve sees their missing business
associate as nothing more than a criminal opportunist.
Although the men do find a measure of closure by story's
end, the complete truth about Chan remains a secret.
While Chan is Missing owes a clear debt to the detective tradition (Dragnet, The Rockford Files, and, of course, Charlie
Chan get name dropped in the film), filmmaker
Wayne Wang doesn't seem to be interested in adhering
to formulaic mystery conventions. Instead, the director
expertly uses the detective genre as a springboard
to explore deeper cultural issues, yet never at the
expense of the story or its characters. The Chinatown
of Chan is Missing is a far cry from the exotic
hot bed of criminal activity shown in numerous Hollywood
films, and is instead treated as just another location.
It's a place where the Chinese are depicted not as
one homogeneous mass, but as a community of remarkable
complexity, full of differing viewpoints, languages,
and even subcultures. In this respect, Chan is
Missing is a film that is as much about the community
of Chinatown as it is about its still-compelling mystery
plot.
That's not to say the film
is perfect. Chan is Missing runs a scant eighty
minutes, and considering the chemistry of its two
leads, certain lingering shots of Chinatown could
have been excised in favor of expanding on other,
more compelling moments already existing within the
narrative. There's also some amateurish acting and
awkward transitions during the first act, but these
are mild criticisms, especially considering the film's
woefully low budget. Clearly, Wayne Wang's talent
as a director transcends any quibbles about the production
values.
Ultimately, most of the credit
for the film's success must go to Wang, but quite
a bit should also be reserved for the film's two main
actors, Wood Moy and Marc Hayashi. Shot in a single
take, the scene in which the two men lose their cool,
arguing over the true fate of Chan Hung crackles with
energy, and in some ways, could be considered the
dramatic centerpiece of the film itself. In both its
depiction of Chinatown and of the relationship between
Jo and Steve, Chan is Missing is essentially
a meditation on the Chinese American experience and
the ever-pervasive search for one's identity in American
culture. Like the search for Chan, it's a journey
fraught with ambiguity. Yet while the truth about
Chan Hung will forever remain elusive, my evaluation
of the film will not be: Chan is Missing is
a clever, often humorous film and a certified touchstone
in Asian American cinema. (Calvin McMillin, 2004/2006) |
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