There isn’t exactly a plot in Herman Yau’s latest effort, Split Second Murders – it is more like a series of unfortunate events for young cartoonist Luk Jai (hip-hop duo Fama’s 6Wing). At the opening of the film, too obsessed with his comic drawing and landing an interview opportunity with a publisher, he ignores his girlfriend, Julia, who soon leaves, and Luk Jai continues to try to sell his story to publisher Chan (MC Jin). The film then shifts to his imaginary world – big sister (Kay Tse) visits younger sister (Stephanie Cheng) and her husband (C Kwan) in their large luxurious house for a New Year dinner but ends up in a absurd tragedy of domestic violence. In the real world again, Chan suggests Luk Jai adds more killings to his story, which he duly does – and the film turns into a local comedy version of Final Destination as random strangers start dying in the most unexpected fashion.

After the interview with Chan and back on the street, Luk Jai finds people throwing fatal corrodent around, a man is killed in a fight over a dim sum, a taxi driver is thrashed by a construction worker over a traffic jam and when he finally gets to see the “boss” of the publishing company in a karaoke bar, Luk Jai is trapped in a fire. As he dies, Julia returns his call and Luk Jai finally realizes how different everything would have been if he had made the right choice at the right time.

On the face of it, Split Second Murders looks like a film made up of bits and pieces of recent news events (the corrodent incident in Mong Kok, the man who was injured and died after the fall of a dead tree in Stanley etc) to satisfy a younger audience – and it is. By the middle of the film, with no idea where it is going, you start to feel the movie is dragging or, even worse, you become annoyed by 6 Wing’s overacting (though giving it a positive spin, maybe it is just an accurate portray of a typical foppish Kong Boy). But then there is little need to be annoyed – the light tone and street-smart humour, plus a very strong cast of teenage idols to satisfy those who’ve come only to stargaze make Split Second Murders more of a routine assignment by Yau, who probably never intended it to be anything too sophisticated, let alone have depth.

MC Jin and Stephanie Cheng from among the relatively new cast give outstanding performances and young model and recent hot cake Chrissie Chau proves she has more potential than just as a seducer of teenage boys with her life-size cushion. And then toward the end it is a relief to recognize that, after all, there is some substance to the film with its karma-like realization of what ‘spilt second’ refers to in the title of the film. Not that it makes Spilt Second Murders a film of any significance but at least I could more happily walk out of the cinema feeling entertained and even slightly enlightened. Rachel Mok