Following the crime thriller “Three” in 2016, “Chasing Dream (我的拳王男友)” is the latest film by director-writer duo Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. Needless to say, seeing their names together is enough reason to buy a ticket and watch it. To’s filmography contains classic films that have helped shape Hong Kong Cinema, with films like “The Mission”, “Election”, “PTU” among others. Known mostly for his dark, brutal triad films filled with bromance and aesthetic violence, To has always managed to surprise audiences with his experiments in different genres like wuxia (The Bare-Footed Kid), comedy (The Mad Monk), romance (Love on a Diet) and even musical (Office). With a filmography such as this, it is normal to have a couple of disappointments here and there. “Chasing Dream” is one such example, with a predictable plot, mediocre action that looks more like professional wrestling than MMA (which is very disappointing from a director known for his stylistically staged action pieces) and over the top acting which can be quite cringe-worthy at times.
“Chasing Dream” tells the story of Tiger (Jacky Heung), a gluttonous MMA fighter who meets Cuckoo (Wang Keru), a wannabe singer and their romance as they pursue their dreams together. Certain outdoor scenes remind me of To’s 2015 musical film “Office”, which has a similar open space look that is obviously a set built for the shoot, especially when the characters of “Chasing Dream” break into song and dance on the street. However, “Office” is an adaptation of a stage play, and that makes this particular choice understandable, but when the same look is applied to “Chasing Dream”, somehow it feels weird, creating a surrealistic feel, which is ironic since the movie aims to inspire people to chase their dreams.
Despite the apparent flaws throughout the film, the real gem of the movie is the interesting side characters and its sincere message.
Personally, I wasn’t very impressed with the main characters, but the side characters really caught my eye. I might even say they are more interesting than the main characters, despite only appearing in a couple of scenes in the film. Throughout the film, we see a rock singer who appears with more injuries each time we see her, but they come from her over-passionate performances on stage, which shows her undying love for music, and her appearances are comic relief moments in the film too. Another interesting character is a middle-aged second assistant director who has not been promoted for years but is continually looking for an opportunity, and at the end of the film he grabs the camera and runs after Cuckoo, who leaves the competition midway, to film her supporting Tiger at his fight, and this decision might finally lead to his big break.
When Tiger returns to his old boxing school, he meets his teacher (Shao Bing) who disapproves of him competing in MMA, going so far as to say MMA is just putting on a show. This leads to an argument and the two decide to settle it in a match, which results in Tiger defeating and humiliating his own teacher in front of the other students. As the teacher leaves, he says, “I am the one that’s antiquated, not boxing itself.” It’s small moments like these that To excels in making the audience care for the side characters, and the dynamic between teacher and student is also reminiscent of his earlier film “Throw Down”, which happens to be my favourite film of his.
The message of the film is simple - the journey of chasing your dreams is more important than the outcome. What makes it so powerful and heartfelt is that it reflects To’s own attitude towards filmmaking, his pursuit of improvement and willingness to try new things echo throughout the film, which is very admirable.
★★★ (3 stars out of 5)
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