Eye in the Sky

Year:2007
Director:Yau Nai-Hoi
Cast:Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Kate Tsui Tsz-Shan, Lam Suet, Maggie Siu Mei-Kei, Eddie Cheung Siu-Fai, Lai Yiu-Cheung, Berg Ng Ting-Yip, Samuel Pang King-Chi, Wong Wah-Ho
Description:
Longtime
Milkyway Films screenwriter Yau Nai-Hoi makes his
directorial debut with Eye in the Sky, a crackerjack
crimer that enthralls thanks to a steady pace and
a precise focus on cop procedure. At least, that's
what happens for a good hour, after which narrative
coincidence and unrealistic situations drop the film
down a notch. Until then, however, Eye in the Sky
is solid stuff worthy of the Milkyway name. A group
of Milkyway regulars welcomes a newcomer
to their ranks: TVB star Kate Tsui, who plays Bo,
a neophyte cop looking to join the ranks of the SU
, Hong Kong's own dedicated surveillance
squad. We first meet her during an attention-grabbing
opening sequence as she tails SU leader Wong Man-Chin
, who goes by the codename Dog Head. Or is she
really tailing criminal mastermind Shan , who crosses paths with Dog Head and Bo while
staking out the location of his latest jewelry heist?

Director Yau earns his directorial
wings from minute one, using riveting style and plenty
of visual exposition to set up his players and the
playing field. When the film begins, the audience
isn't sure who's chasing who, and it isn't until some
tense moments have passed that things become clear.
Bo joins Dog Head's team as his latest recruit, taking
on the unfortunate codename Piggy, while Shan pulls
off his latest jewelry heist, suffering a few minor
hitches that reveal that his lackeys may not be as smart
as he is. Immediately, Dog Head's team is assigned
to find the perpetrators of the crime, and Bo's status
as a newbie gives Dog Head plenty of chances to explain
the technique and philosophy of being an ace surveillance
officer. Basically, it requires lots of patience and
the willingness to put your human compassion aside,
i.e. if you see someone getting beaten up, don't intervene,
because it'll blow your cover. The investigation launches
an intense chase, as the SU uses whatever means it
has - security camera footage, rechargeable smart
card tracking, sheer manpower - to deduce where
the bad guys are and if they'll strike again.
This focus on cop procedure
proves enthralling; the film initially moves at a
steady pace with little deviation for character backstory
or assorted hijinks. The film simply barrels along,
creating tension with the promise that the SU and
Shan's gang of thieves will one day cross paths again.
There's much to enjoy in the explication of the Surveillance
Unit's work; much of what the SU does in unlike what
we usually see in cop movies, and seeing it explained
onscreen is actually less boring than one would think.
Adding to that is Shan's methods for running his heists,
which sometimes parallels the SU's standard operating
procedure. Shan also handles surveillance on his heists,
taking up position on a nearby rooftop to survey the
surroundings. This juxtaposition of active voyeurs
is an intriguing one, made more so by the actors playing
the roles. Tony Leung and Simon Yam inhabit their
roles like seasoned pros, giving their characters
immediate credibility and - in Leung's case - a dangerous
unpredictability. The anticipated game of cat-and-mouse
between the two is probably half of the film's enjoyment.
The skills for victory here are a good eye and a quick
mind, and both Shan and Dog Head have got game. Who's
going to come out on top, the cat or the mouse?
Or will it be the cute
ingenue? Given the obvious push Kate Tsui's been getting
with Eye in the Sky, it's obvious that the
cute ingenue is the one who eventually gets put front-and-center.
Bo's initiation and the focus on procedure are enough
to hold our attention for a while, but at the hour
mark, things start to get a little labored. The procedure
gets laid on thick, and seems to be working so successfully
that one has to wonder if we're just going to watch
a routine bust, followed by a drink at the local pub
and high-fives all around. Thankfully, that doesn't
happen; things go awry, and after Bo experiences firsthand
the violence that comes with being a cop, the SU has
to regroup to once again pursue Shan. The shift is
welcome, as it removes the audience from the overload
of procedural detail. But the shift also changes Bo
from an ensemble player to the star, meaning the plot
hinges on her emotions and her actions - which don't
always come off as convincing. Tsui is fresh-faced
and engaging as the young SU recruit, but she's a
little out of her depth when compared to either Simon
Yam or Tony Leung Ka-Fai. The climax of the film also
hinges on many convenient coincidences, plus the SU
seemingly loses their ability to do their job at very
key moments. In Eye in the Sky, the key characters
seem so smart that when
they finally falter it just seems wrong.
But, luck does play
a role in this cop vs. criminal chase. As the film
finally points out, sometimes there's a "hand
of God" involved. Eye in the Sky proffers
some obvious karmic themes, which can easily be seen
in the film's title plus the fates of some characters,
which smack of obvious meaning. The screenwriters
do have the cleverness to write some of their karmic
thinking into the screenplay, in the form of a joke
told by Dog Head that will unfortunately fly over
the heads of those not steeped in Chinese religious
rituals. The theme of the "big eye in the sky"
is given little focus until the climax, however, and
the way in which its forced upon the audience could
have some screaming, "Cheesy!". Still, Yau
Nai-Hoi sells it well; the film builds to an appropriate
emotional and stylistic climax, and delivers an audience-friendly
ending that should help the film get a few extra nods
from Joe Q. Public. For a Milkyway film, Eye in
the Sky is a rather light affair, and seems to
celebrate its own style more than its themes, which
are potentially quite strong. Still, unlike the best
films in the Milkyway canon, the themes feel perfunctory,
and fail to resonate.
Then again, for a Hong
Kong Cinema fix, Eye in the Sky does the job
quite well. Yau Nai-Hoi shows a fine handle for pacing
and detail, and seems to echo the Milkyway house style
with his occasional detours into irony. Fans of Milkyway
films should find interest in the usual band of Milkyway
players, including Eddie Cheung, Lam Suet, and Maggie
Siu as the Surveillance Unit chief with a penchant
for swearing. Kate Tsui handles her character's emotions
well, Tony Leung Ka-Fai exudes calculating menace,
and Simon Yam is dependably charismatic, though his
fake gut is a tad distracting. Tying everything
together is Yau Nai-Hoi's direction, which is so assured
that moments after the film ends, it seems like it
accomplished more than it really did. Perhaps we shouldn't
be giving credit for a hollow success, but the ride
here is good enough that all can be forgiven. Nowadays,
a Milkyway film is an event for Hong Kong Cinema fans,
and though Eye in the Sky is a few steps below
the Elections and Exileds of this world,
it's still head-and-shoulders above most stuff getting
released in cinemas. Johnnie To and company are still
trying hard to make films - as opposed to slapdash
productions designed for quick profit - and for that,
we should give them our earnest thanks. Forgiving
Eye in the Sky its flaws is the least we can
do.