The First 7th Night (2008)

[One Armed Boxer]

I just got through watching this one last night and have to say it comes strongly recommended. An unassuming movie that no doubt flew under everyone's radar from director Herman Yau, who's gone from directing 90s Cat III classics such as 'The Untold Story' & 'Ebola Syndrome', to recent hits like 'Ip Man: The Legend is Born' & 'The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake'.

'The First 7th Night' succeeds at keeping you wondering exactly what type of movie it is, at an hour in you still can't be sure if you're watching a horror, a crime suspense, an existential road movie, or a supernatural thriller. There's no easy way to categorize it, as in parts it's a mix of all of them.

Set entirely at night, the plot revolves around down & out taxi driver Gordon Lam receiving a call to escort a truck driver to the remote Moon and Sun Village. Lam is know as the 'Map King' due to his ability to be able to go to any destination in China, and although initially reluctant to take the job, the hefty price the truck driver is willing to pay, played by Julian Cheung, eventually convinces him to take the booking.

Communicating via 2-way radio, along the way Cheung persuades Lam to tell him a story of the Moon and Sun Village, of how a recently widowed woman and her son died when the restaurant that was left by her husband went up in flames, after 4 robbers who had escaped from Shanghai with their loot chose to hold up there for the night. It's when Cheung disputes his version of the story that things get very interesting....

For a movie which is very dark in tone, it has a surprisingly upbeat and feel good ending, which I think raised my opinion of the movie a little more than if it had stuck down the path it seemed to be going. The final act actually strikes quite an emotional chord, as you realize the whole thing is about Lam's redemption as a person. To say anymore would be going into spoiler territory, but if you have the chance, definitely check out 'The First 7th Night'.

qvv4u8CoRVo

[Sheng]

An absolutely wonderful, genre-bending film that demonstrates once again that Yau’s creative energy can’t be restricted by the shoestring budgets he’s accustomed to work with a lot of times. He’s done about half a dozen worthwhile films since THE 1st SEVENTH NIGHT, his most recent one, LOVE LIFTING, being a genuinely affecting drama with a most welcome “local” ambiance.