LOVE UNDERCOVER 3: Keep Off

LOVE UNDERCOVER 3 (comedy)
Cast: Fiona Sit, Takuya Suzuki, Sammy Leung, Hui Siu Hung and Raymond Wong
Director: Joe Ma
Time: 85 mins
Rating: * (out of 4)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Eighteen-year-old Fan Siu Wah (Fiona Sit) is a typical Hong Kong youngster aiming to carve a better life for herself. After getting involved in a road accident with a squad of Hong Kong’s most inept cops, she decides to join the police force solely because the pay is attractive.
Sergeant Chung (Hui Siu Hung), the leader of the squad, takes a special liking to Siu Wah and gives her special attention, grooming her to be the squad’s mascot and ‘model policewoman’. A problem surfaces when a handsome ‘plant’ in the form of Inspector Izu (Takuya Suzuki) shows up and suggests that she joins the Tokyo police force. Now Chung and his men must find a way to persuade Siu Wah to stay on and cool off her attraction for Izu.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? I have not seen the first two movies but if this sequel is anything to go by, no one will be hankering to catch them at all.

HIGHLIGHTS: There is absolutely nothing to interest the viewer, except maybe students of film. It should teach them how a really rotten comedy is made.

LOWLIGHTS: Even though this is a spoof and a parody on the restlessness of Hong Kong’s youth, there is nothing in the film that can generate any mirth, let alone laughter. Director Joe Ma seems to have made no attempt to lend credence to the story or to build up its characters. The acting, if we can call it that, is a whole lot worse than any school play I have seen and the movie is painful to watch. What’s worse is that the cast seems to be having a lot of fun hamming their way through the movie while we try to restrain ourselves from puking over the infantile gags and lame script.

THE LOWDOWN? Catch it only if you feel the need to torture yourself!