A compulsive gambler crosses paths with a young prostitute, leading to a night of bizarre incidents…
One Night Only sees superstar Aaron Kwok (Cold War 2) playing a desperate gambling addict who spends a crazy night with prostitute Yang Zishan (So Young), the wife of Taiwanese actor Matt Wu (Reign of Assassins), here making his directorial debut. The Taiwan China co-production was produced by Leste Chen (The Heirloom), who also co-scripted with regular collaborators Ren Peng and Chen Zhengdao, and was shot in Bangkok, standing in for the Alderney Chinatown district in the fictional Liberty City.
Kwok plays Gao Ye, the film opening with him being released from a stretch in prison, with his pockets empty and with no real prospects for the future. A certified gambling maniac, despite being heavily in hock to local loan sharks and hooligans, Gao Ye makes the brilliant decision to head straight to an underground casino, where he promptly ends up in trouble. That night, a young prostitute called Momo (Yang Zishan) shows up unexpectedly at his motel room, demanding to be allowed to stay long enough to convince her pimp that some action has taken place. The crafty Gao Ye manages to convince her to give him her savings, promising that his gambling skills make winning big a sure thing, though a return to the casino swiftly proves otherwise. Hounded by an old rival (Andy On, League of Gods), things steadily get worse for Gao Ye and Momo as they try to make it through the night while staying one step ahead of debt collectors and his shady past.
Although One Night Only starts off in pretty generic fashion, coming across like a southeast Asian take on Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy, the film soon shifts gears and heads off in a variety of different directions, flipping between romance, comedy, action and heartfelt drama at the drop of a hat. There’s a great deal going on, and the film is driven by an unpredictable energy that keeps it moving at a jaunty pace, Matt Wu showing real confidence as a first time helmer, and managing to just about keep things coherent, if not exactly believable – not that this particularly matters. Part of this confidence no doubt comes from Wu having been backed by Taiwan industry veteran Leste Chen and his team, and the film does benefit from his steadying hand as producer, as well as a well-constructed script.
One thing to be aware of is that One Night Only really isn’t as romantic a film as some of its marketing materials would have viewers believe. Focused primarily on Aaron Kwok’s Gao Ye, the film is better approached as the character study of a serious addict, whose life is spiralling out of control, entirely due to his own actions. On this level it actually works very well, being neither a condemnation of his behaviour nor a simple story of redemption, with Kwok on fantastic form, channelling recent roles in the likes of Port of Call and The Detective to engaging effect, Gao Ye making for a fascinating and sympathetic protagonist despite his many flaws. While Yang Zishan doesn’t make quite so much of an impact, this is largely down to the nature of her role, and her changing relationship with Kwok is moving and features several moments of genuine pathos, the film arguably being at its best when the two are simply talking together. Sadly, if perhaps inevitably, things do get sappy towards the end, Wu throwing in a last minute revelation which effectively changes and indeed undermines everything that’s gone before, in a clumsy manner which will likely anger a fair few viewers.
The film’s tech credentials are excellent, and it looks great throughout, the Bangkok-shot backdrop of Liberty City (presumably a nod to Grand Theft Auto) making for an evocative setting, drenched with neon and filled with dark, dangerous alleyways. This is thanks in no small part to some sterling work by cinematographer Charlie Lam, who previously worked with Leste Chen on the likes of Miss Granny and Eternal Summer, who gives the film an impressive look throughout, without ever being too over-stylised. The action scenes are similarly top notch, even more so than in some recent more straightforward genre offerings, and the film boasts some thrilling set pieces, including a blindfolded street race that’s more exciting and less daft than it sounds.
This really helps One Night Only to stand out, and though frustratingly let down, for this reviewer at least, by a bungled and melodramatic conclusion, it’s a film with plenty to enjoy. Guided ably by Leste Chen. Matt Wu has made a fine, assured debut, and is clearly a director to watch.