The family unit and, in particular, relationships between children and their parents has been heavily scrutinised at this year’s HK International Film Festival – from the agonising exploits of Joan Chen’s money-grubbing singer in Tom Ayres’ heart-breaking The Home Song Stories to Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke’s good-for-nothing siblings who decide to rob their own parents’ jewellery store, with predictably disastrous results, in Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead. The festival also saw the world premiere of director Sylvia Chang’s Run Papa Run, which puts the relationship between a triad boss and his young daughter under the microscope, but in this instance, the film is played for laughs.

Louis Koo turns in a likeable performance as Lee, a scoundrel who has spent most of his life working his way up the ranks of a local gang. After being arrested for the umpteenth time, Lee falls instantly in love with his court-appointed attorney, Mabel (Rene Liu), an innocent and sweet-natured young lass for whom the attraction is mutual. When Mabel gets pregnant, Lee does the honourable thing and marries her, but at the birth of his daughter, Hay-Yi, Lee is forced to reassess his life and loyalties – which comes first? Fatherhood or brotherhood?

Lee chooses to keep his life of crime secret from his daughter, which leads to a never-ending stream of gags as he struggles to maintain his charade of legitimacy. The more time Lee spends pretending to lead an honest life, the more his illegal activities begin to flounder, invoking the wrath of his superiors, and in turn encouraging him to seek a more honest life and, through that, redemption.

Although Run Papa Run is for the most part a comedy, a shadow of tragedy looms over the story, as the film opens with Lee’s funeral, recounting the story in flashback. The portrait adorning his coffin shows that Lee died before his time, doubtless the result of his gangland activities. Mabel and Hay-Yi are joined in their mourning by an assortment of Lee’s criminal associates, again illustrating his inability to walk away from his life of crime.

Run Papa Run is, almost unreservedly, a delightful little film, finding a perfect balance between domestic comedy and gangster flick. However, unlike the brooding visual style of, say, Johnnie To, Chang presents Hong Kong’s underworld in vivid primary colours, using animated sequences, visual quirks and slapstick humour to keep the tone light and the pace bouncing along nicely.

It is a shame to report then, that the final reel of the film drops the ball completely, offering a narrative volte face that leaves the audience bewildered and a little let down, and reeks of a last-minute rewrite. Whether or not it will ultimately affect one’s enjoyment of the film will rely entirely on the forgiving nature of the viewer. For this reviewer, the film’s first three quarters are certainly good enough to warrant the recommendation. The last 10 minutes are a misstep to be sure, but, that aside, Run Papa Run remains confident, colourful and consistently entertaining.

James Marsh