Starring: Ron Heung Chi-chung, Leung Yu-chung, Monie Tung Man-lei
Directors: Scud and Lawrence Lau Kwok-cheung
Category: IIB (Cantonese)
The unlikely combination of Hong Kong and baseball makes for one of the most original local features of recent years. With a cast consisting mostly of ball players apparently playing themselves, and a script which uses their real-life experiences in an expressionistic and not entirely reality-based manner, director Lawrence Lau Kwok-cheung and producer/scriptwriter/co-director Scud have created a movie that defies easy categorisation.
The narrative concentrates on three members of Hong Kong's under-acknowledged international baseball team: a rookie (played by Ron Heung) who also aspires to be a punk musician; a new coach from Taipei (John Tai Yu-cheng); and a pitcher (Leung Yu-chung) whose macho exterior masks an unexpectedly empathetic heart.
Apart from the finale, filmed at the Asian Cup tournament in Kuala Lumpur, the interaction between the jocks, both on and off the diamond, is of greater concern than the nuts and bolts of the game. There is perhaps an overabundance of subplots involving the principals and the quirky women in their lives. The female characters are played by professional actresses, and their acting styles blend well with those of the athletes.