Out now in Irish cinemas is Night King, a comedy about a hostess club in Hong Kong trying to survive in the changing times. As the film opens, we are given a brief rundown of the hostess club environment in Hong Kong and how it was a hell of a place for men to spend their money and be treated with care, something these men can’t achieve outside the halls of these hostesses. However, over the decades, the popularity of the hostess clubs has waned. This is where we are introduced to Fung (Dayo Wong), the titular character of Night King.
Foon is an eccentric, a romantic, and something of a fool, but he has a lot of charm. He helps these young women to maximise their potential with a list of tricks he has learned over the many years in the business. He loves his club, and he loves the ladies within it, something akin to a family. Unfortunately, business is not great. His club has lost their owner, and after a brief skirmish for control of it with his ex-wife Dame V (Sammi Cheng), he must find some way to bring up profits, or he’ll lose all his employees.
This is but one event in this surprisingly thrilling adventure. Night King is many things: a screwball comedy with a roster of quirky characters, a drama filled with thrilling twists and turns, and an emotional love story that will surprise you with its depth.
Men deserve to die
I don’t know much about the hostess clubs within Hong Kong. I know a little about the ones in Japan due to playing the Yakuza games, and that is about it. Night King gives you a crash course on the whole world, and it is a fascinating one. I believe the film does romanticise the life as Foon is an incredibly warm and caring boss, even though he tries to hide it. He goes above and beyond for his employees, and the cast delivers on this with Wong having an excellent rapport with the entirety of the cast. Cheng is excellent as Dame V, a far more cutthroat boss who clearly balances him. She knows what it takes to be a woman in this world, and it has clearly hardened her.
Night King is a gorgeous-looking film with its ambient lighting. It welcomes you into its arms with warm colours that are at times remixed with bright neon lighting. It’s a clash that works, giving the audience the same illusion that the customers feel. It’s warm and friendly here, but there is a falseness. The score complements the cinematography well with a pulsing rhythm that flows through the film.
If I had any issues with the film is that it is fairly clichéd; if you’ve seen a film about a scrappy business owner and his ragtag group of employees, you know where this is going. Thankfully, the journey to get to the end is a thoroughly enjoyable one. With a charming cast of characters, a rhythmic score and a quirky charm, Night King is a great night out.
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