Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 3/5
The setting began in a dog show, but most of it ended up the murdered man’s and possible suspects’ homes, none of them very interesting, so setting was a bland 3/5. The aesthetic/feel was a rich, sporty, and citified, nothing unique—again an indifferent 3/5. I did appreciate the whiff of archaeology/collecting but it felt very undeveloped to me—just there for the plot, since the characters really had no interest in it at all.
Characters: 3/5
I had a hard time telling who was who—everyone was so similar. Archer was decidedly unpleasant, but no one else was very nice, unless it was Liang. I did find him particularly interesting since he was not the usual Chinese cook of 1930s movies.
Plot: 4/5
I found the movie beginning very bland and hard to follow, although that might just be that my version had rather bad sound. Once things started to happen, which they did fairly quickly, I was definitely invested in the mystery and couldn’t figure out “whodunit.” I had difficulty figuring out everyone’s arcs/plotlines, though… I felt like there was a lack of explanation; but again, it could simply be I didn’t understand everything said or didn’t pay enough attention.
Romance: 2/5
A love triangle or three which didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Also, the detective had no romance, which I missed. Personal opinion. ;)
Theme/Message/Topics: 0/5
No message, except for a line about how collecting the artefacts of ancient China is not fair to the Chinese—excellent point.
Content: 3/5 (medium)
It’s never explicitly stated but Coe has a lover who cheats on him. One “how the d**il.”
Violence: 4/5 (low)
2 murders, a dog killing, and an attempted murder—all off-screen. A sergeant threatens to beat someone up.
Overall: 4/5
As a mystery, well done—it definitely kept me guessing up to the end. But it could have been done better, in my humble opinion.
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