Mention the name Tony Leung in Hong Kong movie circles and chances are people will think first of actors Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Lust, Caution; In the Mood for Love) and Tony Leung Kar Fai (The Lover; Election), then action director Tony Leung Siu Hung (Coolie Killer; Satin Steel) before finally also recalling the existence of this film’s scriptwriter, director and producer.
This is not to say that Tony Leung Hung Wah has never been associated with movies worthy of viewing. However, on the back of his more recent output, the veteran filmmaker has earned a reputation for directing B movies or worse, and, after viewing his latest offering that’s set entirely in Taiwan (rather than Hong Kong), pretty much everyone is going to agree that reputation is thoroughly deserved.

The Sparkle in the Dark is a seriously melodramatic work that seeks to be morally uplifting but really only succeeds in coming across as overly preachy and clunky. And although much has been made of the inclusion of singer-actors Deep Ng and Kenny Kwan and actress Mandy Chiang in its cast, they actually have to share – and often even outright relinquish – a fair amount of screen time in this Mandarin/Cantonese movie to two others: one of whom, Hsieh Cheng-Chun, is far more credible in a tough guy role than either Ng or Kwan while the other, Benjamin Li, plays a generous do-gooder who is the film’s true hero and most admirable character.

A man who has embarked on a private crusade to provide a home for, and help reform, social outcasts with mental or other problems, Mr Lee (Li) spends a significant amount of time preaching while administering to the troubled individuals he generously treats as members of his family. For the most part, however, his earnest urgings (“Just try your best to be your best”) and bits of advice (“If you know how to love, that means you know how to sacrifice”) appear to fall on deaf ears.

And for much of the film, perhaps the ‘deafest’ person of all is Wang (Kwan), a young tough with violent, rebellious tendencies and a history of sniffing gasoline and alcohol abuse. In contrast, Siu Ho (Ng), another Hong Kong youth with a ‘past’ who has ended up at this rather sad corner of Kaohsiung, was someone Mr Lee had high hopes for; at least until his romance with Mei Ting (Chiang) abruptly hit the rocks due to his burgeoning friendship with Lang Pi (Hsieh), another temporary refugee filled with no small amount of rage.

Will Siu Ho get back on the right track before the movie comes to an end? Will Kwan eventually see the light? And what of Mei Ting, whose own troubled past includes a romantic relationship with a lesbian prostitute? With a title like The Sparkle in the Dark, you just know that at least one of them will come good. So, actually, the bigger question is: at the film’s end, will you care? For my part, the answer can be summed up by my conclusion that this movie’s makers did try but still ended up trying my patience quite a bit more than they should have.

Yvonne Teh