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Synopsis
Aaron Kwok is an ill-fated CID detective who runs into a woman (looking extremely like his long lost girlfirend) during his investigation on a money laundering case. Ekin Cheng plays a lawyer who protects a corrupt businessman from law, and Daniel Wu becomes a killer in the film who violates his code to get involved in the ill-fated CID's investigation. Adding to the all-star cast are TV idol Gallen Lo and charismatic lady Angelica Lee.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good complex cop thriller that could have been so much more,
By bobby_bobson (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Divergence [DVD] (DVD)
It's not hard to see why everyone's expectations were so high when Divergence was released. In the directors chair is Benny Chan (who had just directed Jackie Chan's return to Hong Kong film; New Police Story) and in front of the camera was Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng and Daniel Wu (this film promising the reunion of Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng for the first time since Stormriders), throw in large production values, a smart complex story and a guest appearance by Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs) and without a doubt this would have been a sure fire hit. Unfortunately that is not quite the case.
To explain the plot of this movie in a paragraph would be nearly impossible as there are so many things happening, so I'll just give you a simple overview of some of the main aspects. Aaron Kwok (Stormriders) plays a heartbroken cop whose girlfriend (played by Angelica Lee - The Eye) disappeared ten years ago. While he's investigating a crooked businessman (whose son has also just recently disappeared) he comes across a woman who is the spitting image of his long lost love. Unfortunately for him though she is married to Ekin Cheng (Stormriders, Young and Dangerous) who is the businessman's lawyer. All the while an assassin (Daniel Wu - One Night in Mongkok, New Police Story) keeps mysteriously popping up and for an unknown reason helps Aaron Kwok's character with his case. This all leads to an exciting climax where the connection between the three individuals is finally revealed. Divergence's main problem has to be the story. There are just so many sub plots going on at once that they all seem to merge with the main story and some seem to simply end up unresolved; just look at my attempt to summarise the plot, it's a mess! Double crosses, chases, fights, kidnappings, gangsters, murders and plot twists are all squeezed into a movie that lasts about 100 minutes. This does keep everything moving at a fast pace but at the cost of completely overwhelming the viewer at the end with its attempt to tie up all the loose ends. This doesn't mean that Divergence is a bad film; I actually really enjoyed watching it, mainly due to Benny Chan's directing, it just means it could have been a lot better. Although this isn't Benny Chan's best movie (that for me will always be A Moment Of Romance) he does keep everything moving along nicely and comes up with some great action sequences. Although there aren't many, the few fight and chase scenes present are well shot and choreographed (Aaron Kwok and Daniel Wu's chase scene along a busy road and through a market was exciting to watch). By looking at the front cover you would assume that the story closely follows the three main characters but in fact most of the time is spent with Aaron Kwok's character as he investigates and searches for his girlfriend. He plays the character extremely well in my eyes and only occasionally falls victim to overacting. Daniel Wu (who is probably the most talented of the three) plays the shadowy assassin perfectly but just isn't given enough screen time to make any real impact. As for Ekin Cheng's performance I would say that he's ok and gets the job done but it isn't what you would call a standout performance. The DVD is decent enough with high-quality picture and DTS sound. Extras include trailer, premiere footage, making of, biographies and photo gallery. Overall this was a good slick looking cop thriller with great production values, a couple of exciting fight scenes and a complex character driven story. Unfortunately due to such a complex plot being condensed into a short length of time you get the feeling that it never really reached its full potential when considering all the people involved. Whether or not you will like this will probably depend on how much you like Hong Kong cinema, if you've seen and liked other Hong Kong thrillers (namely those starring any of the three leads) and keep up with the plot then you'll most likely enjoy this, as for those expecting a new Infernal Affairs, I'm afraid you'll be deeply disappointed.
2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A very drab attempt at a hollywood style action/thriller,
By Shion 2 "Otaku + Gamer - Great Combo" (Devon/UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Divergence [DVD] (DVD)
Divergence is one of those rare films that in my mind makes
you want to rethink your faith in asian cinema, It can only be described as "westernised" because thats what has happened to it. This film lacks any of the flair the asian film scene usually contains so much of, it is un-interesting, with a plot that just limps along at such a pace that eventually made me stop watching after 40mins and in all honesty after that 40mins I had no real desire to see how the film ended because it just did not seem to offer me any incentive, and in the end the only reason i watched the rest of it was to see if there was any redeeming feture yet to come (of course there wasnt). The acting in this film i must say is of a good standard, but Aaron Wok and the supporting cast really dont seem to have had any passion for what they were creating, its all just so listless. the film contains emotional scenes yes, but they all jsut seem draing by the fact that the actors just dont seem to believe in what their dooing. furthermore the only good thing about this film being "westernised" is the fact that having a bigger budget has meant that the actual camera work is gorgeous and extremely well done, this said of course it cant make up for the rest of the issues i have already mentioned. This film will only be enjoyed by someone who has no real appreciation for the asian film scene and only enjoys films that are un-envolving and give you no satisfaction after watching them. the only reason i gave this film three stars is because of the cinematography because it really cant be faulted. Rent this if you must but dont expect much
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
2.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Negative Words about Divergence? Here are some Positive for a Change.,
By Thor - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Divergence [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
I was very surprised when looking for other opinions about this film on the internet after seeing it. I found almost nothing more than negative reviews!
I found this hard to believe and just have to say that "Divergence" is a really underrated movie. "Divergence" is a Hong Kong action thriller with an actually very good emotional edge attached to it, which makes this movie definitely watch able. The story follows cop Suen (Aaron Kwok) who fails to bring a key-witness safely to court. The witness gets murdered. The killer (played by asian superstar Daniel Wu), keeps a close eye on Suen. Meanwhile, Suen has problems dealing with his own past. His girlfriend has disappeared 10 years ago and has never been found since. When he sees a woman who resembles his girlfriend alot, his past keeps coming back to him, while killers, and unsolved mysteries are closing in on him. "Divergence" has won 3 Hong Kong Film Awards (the Oscars of Asia), not 4 like the dvdcover says, back in 2005 and deserves every one of them. I was surprisingly touched by the film's emotional edge which made it a powerful watch. First of all, Aaron Kwok won an award for best performance by an actor. He acts a very emotional part and does it very well. He is tough but has that everyman likability at the same time. Different opinions are flying around about his acting (with alot of "over-emotional acting" talk), but I found it an excellent performance. Than there is Daniel Wu, now a familiar face in films, who plays the role of a hitkiller. Just like Kwok he plays his role good and knows what he's doing. The film is stylishly filmed and the action is well captured on camera by director Benny Chan. There isn't very much action in the film, but still quite alot which is well filmed, exciting and energetic. A footchase down a Hong Kong highway in the middle of the city is magnificent. One of the Hong Kong film awards was therefor won for editing, which is indeed very good. The footchase down the Hong Kong street is, like another reviewer said before me, very well synchronized. The last award was won for Cinematography and indeed, just like with the other awards, well deserved. The film has a good atmosphere in it thanks to the cinematography. Another strong factor in the film is the music. Beautiful sweeping themes are at the emotional scenes while suspencefull music is there when it's needed. A nomination at the Hong Kong awards was for this music, but was not won. Therefor I found "Divergence" a very good film from the Hong Kong cinema, and it deservers better than all these negative words about it. The film's final is for some people a bit unclear, but the film as a whole is an emotional gangster drama with some very nice scenes and moments, which is an absolute must see for Hong Kong cinema fans. It is the emotional edge that does it. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Divergence: a fitting title for a film that's never sure what path it wants to take(2.5 stars),
By D. Wilson "SonRisedInTheEast" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Divergence [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
Divergence is one of those odd cases of a weak film being done really well-- I mean, it's certainly watchable, has a cast made up of some of China's "finest" pop stars, and has flashes of that kinetic energy that makes Asian cinema so appealing... on the other hand though, it's deliberately paced enough that it took me 3 tries to make it all the way through, the aforementioned "pop stars" seem rather miscast in their roles, and why watch an Asian film that only features "flashes" of greatness when there are plenty of similiar films that deliver nonstop doses of it? Could be you're a huge fan of one of the stars(aka, a 14-year-old Chinese girl), or the director Benny Chan(Big Bullet, Gen X Cops, Invisible Target)? Could even be that you watch WAY to many Asian films and this one made it to the DVD player by a process of elimination(that'd be me, as lame as it may sound)? Whatever the reason is, let me just give those interested a little info on the fim. Divergence centers on 3 main characters: a down and out cop who's wife has been missing for 10 years(played by Aaron Kwok), a criminal lawyer who never loses a case(played by Ekin Cheng), and an assasin with possible ulterior motives(played by Daniel Wu). A few similiar styled murders and the kidnapping of(ironically enough) a male pop star bring the cast into an eventual collision course. It should be added that the lawyer has a wife that looks eerily similiar to the police officers missing love(which became the main plot device that drove me to finish the film). The movie then carfully tip toes it's way to closure and some answers to just what's been going on(let's just say the questions seemed better than what we're left with). It's not that the entire premise isn't interesting, but there is enough left unanswered(or plot holes if you prefer) that the reason behind the film kinda caves in on itself(at which point you sit back and rationalize that it all makes sense and was worth the hour and a half of your life... maybe?). Another important point to make, Divergence is NOT an action film(don't let the Tartan Asia Extreme logo fool you, there's nothing "extreme" to be found here). There are a few well done moments, but this is actually an emotional character study being acted out by a cast that's never been that emotionally convincing(everyone is solid here though). Still, the direction from Benny Chan is good enough to forget what is or isn't happening and enjoy the show-- even if the show won't be remembered much past the end credits(2.5 stars).
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just remember this movie is a vehicle for pop singers.,
By Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Divergence [DVD] [2006] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
Divergence (Benny Chan, 2005)
I sometimes wonder whether I'm simply getting bored with Asian flicks these days, because I'm seeing so many bad ones recently. But then I think about it, and I realize that Divergence, while the kind of action film that would never tread this path in America, is essentially the Asian version of Glitter or Crossroads; it's a simple vehicle for pop stars to gain film exposure. When looked at like that, Divergence is definitely an above-average example of the genre, but it's still not a terribly good movie. Three professionals--a cop, a lawyer, and an assassin--are all involved in some way with the kidnapping of a crime boss' son. The movie focuses on each of the three alternately as their paths cross, diverge, then cross again (for an American cognate here, think 21 Grams; Inarritu's earlier film Amores Perros is a bit closer to the mark, though). While Coke, the assassin, is played by a full-time actor (Daniel Wu, an American), Suen and To, the cop and the lawyer respectively, are played by pop stars Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng, who've previously teamed up in The Stormriders. They're better in front of a camera than Mariah or Britney in the movies above, for certain, but these aren't immortal parts, and they're not played by top-notch actors. But then you probably shouldn't be expecting it; this is a turn-your-brain-off movie where things blow up, people get shot at, and everyone does a whole lot of running. Given that, Divergence delivers; it's only when you start expecting something deep and meaningful that the movie fails. And in that regard, it's exactly like 21 Grams. ** ½ |
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