Let’s start this year off with a bang (literally)! Mirage is a Hong Kong/China co-production starring popular Chinese actor Yu Rong Guang as Tong Ting Hsin. While transporting some goods, Tong and his men see a mirage of a beautiful woman. Tong takes a picture of the woman and begins his search for her with his friend, Mao (Tsui Siu Ming, also director/writer/action director). Also starring Connie Khan, Fan Dung-Yue, and Pasha Romani. I can’t say much more about the plot without spoiling some of it. Then again, the plot isn’t the most important part of the movie.
This movie is all about the action and it’s just phenomenal. A lot of the main action scenes are a mixture of shootouts, fight scenes, chases, and explosions. The shootouts and the fights are sometimes realistic and sometimes over the top, but always impressive. The stunts are just mind-blowingly dangerous and we have Tsui Siu Ming to thank for them. There are some really outstanding stunts, many of which involve evading explosions at just the right moment (and sometimes not). The stunt falls also look ridiculously painful and it seems that most of it is done by the actors themselves.
What about the scenes in between the action? There are some talking scenes that mostly don’t stir much tension. There’s also a few scenes that show some cultural traditions that aren’t especially interesting (some of which lead to some pretty ridiculous animal cruelty). But even when nothing exciting is happening, I still found myself admiring the atmosphere. The unique locations, sets, costumes, and music create a somewhat beautiful and unsettling vibe. It’s kinda refreshing to see a movie with a more dramatic and dark tone.
This movie is all about the action and it’s just phenomenal. A lot of the main action scenes are a mixture of shootouts, fight scenes, chases, and explosions. The shootouts and the fights are sometimes realistic and sometimes over the top, but always impressive. The stunts are just mind-blowingly dangerous and we have Tsui Siu Ming to thank for them. There are some really outstanding stunts, many of which involve evading explosions at just the right moment (and sometimes not). The stunt falls also look ridiculously painful and it seems that most of it is done by the actors themselves.
What about the scenes in between the action? There are some talking scenes that mostly don’t stir much tension. There’s also a few scenes that show some cultural traditions that aren’t especially interesting (some of which lead to some pretty ridiculous animal cruelty). But even when nothing exciting is happening, I still found myself admiring the atmosphere. The unique locations, sets, costumes, and music create a somewhat beautiful and unsettling vibe. It’s kinda refreshing to see a movie with a more dramatic and dark tone.
As far as characters and story go, they’re both not very notable. There is a clever twist towards the third act of the movie that I would’ve been surprised by if only I hadn’t read some synopses online. Otherwise, as an action movie, it’s just jaw-dropping. Mirage is definitely an underrated film. Some people might be disappointed since it's kinda lacking story, but the action and atmosphere more than make up for it. Definitely recommended to those craving an action fix.
Images from Suruga-ya and So Good Reviews
Images from Suruga-ya and So Good Reviews