City of SARS
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Features
• AC-3
• Color
• Dolby
• DVD-Video
• Import
• Letterboxed
• Subtitled
• Widescreen
• NTSC
In Theaters : 2003
DVD Release : 16 March, 2004 |
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City of SARS Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Tries To Be A Tragic Drama And A Comedy!
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One of the problems with the film, "City of SARS," is that the director, Cheng Wai Man, put too many disjointed elements into the film, and as a result, was not able to bring a cohesive enough film to the screen. First, the film begins as a tragedy, where patients are dying, including the medical staff running a hospital. Then the film segues into an alarming drama where the citizens are caught up in this highly infectious disease. And finally, the last episode, which is more or less a comedy, which is supposed to tie the entire film together: As all of the stories are interrelated. Yet, for some reason, this last episode, while funny, just did not mesh with the rest of the film. Unless, of course, the censor police or party officials decided that it would be better to have an uplifting ending to make everyone happy; whereby the Chinese authorities could show that they were doing everything right for its citizens. For example, making everyone feel good! But, then again, I may be wrong. However, for me, when watching the ending of the film, and seeing children dance happily under the Chinese flag, stunk of an intruding censor police or other government agency overseeing the film.
The film deals with an outbreak of SARS and the community response to the disease. The disease which afflicts the lungs is highly contagious, and when an outbreak occurs at a local hospital, the medical staff finds itself in a tough situation when the doctors and nurses are also affected. All three of the films vignettes are inter-related. The first episode titled "FRONTLINE" deals with a doctor, named Chan, who does not want to work in the hospital and requests a transfer as the staff become infected. He is selfish, and does not want to catch the disease, as many of his colleagues have come down with the illness, with some of them dying. Yet, he becomes a patient when the disease strikes him.
In the second episode, "VICTIMS" a young woman named Man Wai is moved to quarantine, in a very isolated part of the city. She is suspected of having SARS, as are others in her apartment building. When she notifies her businessman boyfriend, he stops all contact with her. Refusing to answer the calls she sends him on her cellphone. Therefore, she begins to feel depressed. That is until she meets a young and caring man who is not well-to-do, but does care about her. Moreover, they develop a friendship, and as their quarantine ends, something happens which will change all parties concerned. The last episode, "AFFECTED" is where the film really deviates. It stars actor Eric Tsang as a businessman who is going bankrupt. Realizing that he can leave a large amount of money from his insurance to his sister, he figures it is better to die than live. And he goes to extreme measures to catch the disease.
Now, this last episode is very different. And I will admit it was pretty darn funny, and actor Eric Tsang had me in stitches in quite a few scenes, and I could not help laughing at all the extreme measures he goes to in order to get the disease. But that is the problem with the film. Where the first two episodes are serious, and you witness people dying or getting extremely sick, you are left with this last episode--though quite funny--that just does not seem to fit in with this film. If this had just been a comedy with the last episode, or stayed true to it original theme, then this would have been a real good film. But to mix the film up the way it was done does a disservice to the films main premise, which is about a contagious disease killing people. I like dark humor, and dark comedies. But this film was neither. It is not a horrible film, but it is not good either. I know that I sound a little harsh regarding this film, as I am sure that there will be some who like the film, but I don't recommend buying it like I did. If anything, rent it first. [Stars: 2.5] |
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City of SARS dvd movie.