Review | A City Called Macau film review: Bai Baihe in tale of misplaced affection and gambling addiction
- Film suffers from the fact that, while its three lead actors give credible performances, none of their characters is sympathetic enough to carry its story
- The tale of a casino broker who funds wealthy gamblers but drops her guard when she falls for an artist turned gaming addict requires a suspension of disbelief
3/5 stars
A City Called Macau is a glossy, episodic tale of misplaced affection and gambling addiction set in the Chinese casino city between the early 2000s and 2014, when China’s anti-corruption campaign put a halt to the ferocious growth in its gaming revenue.
The first film since 2007’s The Door by Li Shaohong, one of China’s Fifth Generation directors, who is best known for Bloody Morning, it is an adaptation of Yan Geling’s 2012 novel of the same name. Yan wrote the script with the help of two other writers, Lu Wei and Chan Man-keung.
Its story revolves around casino broker Xiao-Ou (Bai Baihe, Monster Hunt 2 ), a financial agent from Beijing who maintains long-term relationships with her wealthy clients by providing them with loans.
Xiao-Ou moves to Macau after breaking up with her ex-husband, gambling addict Lu Jin-tong (Geng Le), in a Las Vegas casino. She supports their young son by managing the casino activities of her many high roller clients from China, including successful property developer Kevin Duan (Wu Gang).