Time and Tide
Holy crap dude! That's awesome!

by Face
March 17, 2004

Danger lurks at every corner...

"Time and Tide" is a maniacally muddled, insanely awesome action film by the master martial arts director, Tsui Hark. It's a cinematic libertine, with a plot that doesn't make any sense, with characters whose substance is unconventially deep, and with action sequences that specialize in redefining the physical limitations of human beings. Just recently, I ridiculed "Spriggan" for being nothing more than an "apocolyptic hodgepodge," a series of meaningless action sequences surrounding a barely flimsy foundation. Call me a sophist, but I can't help but highly recommend "Time and Tide" for doing the exact same thing--more or less. But there's a difference: where "Spriggan" uses animation and special effects to create out-of-this-world action, "Time and Tide" uses real life people, stunt men and ultra cool editing techniques to create action sequences that will make you say, "Shit!"

Tsui Hark slops together a story of hardship and loyalty with a visual lexicon that doesn't really make much sense, but there's always a faintly visible method to his rip-roaring madness. The film stars two friends, unknowingly enemies: a 21-year-old named Tyler (Nicholas Tse) who abruptly becomes a father after an unplanned one-night stand with an attractive lesbian, and mercenary/soon-to-be father Jack Chow (Wu Bai). Tyler quits his job as a bartender to join an "unlicensed bodyguard company" for some quick and easy cash. While on the job, protecting a South American drug lord, Tyler unwillingly finds himself not only involved, but implicated as a prime suspect in a very deadly gang war. Thereafter, adventures zigzag off into corkscrews of action-packed neruosis, where characters perform feats of unbelievable improbability as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

At heart, "Time and Tide" is a rabid portrayal of Tsui Hark's clever ability to construct extended action sequences. Characters propel themselves down narrow mazes of apartment buildings, they leap from parking garages with firehoses in hand, they fight to the death above a roaring rock concert, they are dragged down countless flights of stairs, they leap on top of one another, they flee undercover from armed assailants, and yet there's more, much more. Meanwhile, both Jack and Tyler face several complicated romantic issues that they are forced to deal with amidst the madness. After impregnating the lesbian woman, Tyler slides wads of money under her door on a daily basis, but sadly, her dog chews most of it up. Jack's wife is also pregnant, and he has to guarantee her safety while he rids himself of his pesky South American counterparts. It's obvious that neither Jack nor Tyler are content with their meager lives, but they are both stuck in a situation preventing them from doing anything about it.

Staggered and lighthearted, pumped up with spine-tingling bloodshed, mind-blowing acrobatics, and deliberate solecisms, Tsui Hark has given new meaning to aesthetic values. Much like Takashi Miike, Hark has a relentless editing style, and he employs all of his tricks in "Time and Tide": ultra fast cuts, radical camera angles, bumpy hand-held shots, and discombobulated close-ups, all together giving the film an extra oomph of angsty verve. Yet, there are moments of nonchalance, not teary-eyed close ups, but reasonably meaningful encounters. Other times, after chaotic unrest, the camera will stop, giving us some time to catch our breath.

"Time and Tide" is not delicate, it's not overly romantic, but instead, this film is a visual treat, astounding in its ingenuity. The story may be complicated, and the characters could be considered secondary, but driving this film is an emotional force that surmounts all logic, and a sense for the humorously absurd that overcomes all feelings of disbelief. Getting lost in the story is part of the fun, but if you want to clear up those ambiguities, be sure to watch it a few more times--it's worth it.

Director: Tsui Hark
Writers: Tsui Hark
Koan Hui
Starring: Nicholas Tse
Wu Bai
Released: 10/19/00
   
Production:
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia

Hong Kong Film Workshop
Also known as:
Shunliu niliu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Links:
Theatrical Trailer
IMDB Profile