ReviewThe Gangs, the Oscars, and the Walking Dead film review: frenetic but ill-judged oddball comedy
- Director Kao Pin-chuan’s film has plenty of visual fireworks, but much of the humour falls flat
- Its slick execution cannot disguise the fact its twist-filled plot is a step too far
2.5/5 stars
Actress Yao Yi-ti picked up a Golden Horse Award nomination for her dual role in director Kao Pin-chuan’s frenetic comedy, in which a pair of struggling indie filmmakers get in over their heads with a gang of drug dealers.
A textbook case of style over substance, The Gangs, the Oscars, and the Walking Dead is slickly executed, stacked with oddball characters and full of outrageous antics. But for all its technical bravado and visual razzle-dazzle, much of the humour falls flat, and its twist-filled plot is beyond preposterous.
BS (Roy Chiu) and Wenxi (Huang Di-yang) are childhood friends who dream about making movies. To date they haven’t got further than shooting wedding videos, but they pour their hearts and souls into them, and catch the eye of gang boss Brother Long (Lung Shao-hua).
Long agrees to bankroll their first feature, a zombie thriller with a high-school girl heroine, on two conditions. Firstly, they must shoot part of the film on location in Japan. Secondly, Long’s thirty-something girlfriend, Shanny (Yao Yi-ti), must play the lead.
Reluctantly, BS and Wenxi agree to Long’s terms, but tragedy strikes almost immediately when Shanny accidentally dies. Rather than confess this to their new boss, the pair attempt to cover up the death of their leading lady and keep the cameras rolling.