In his previous effort, director Kelvin Tong had gone to Hong Kong to make Rule #1, filming in the city and having Hong Kong actors Ekin Cheng and Shawn Yue in lead roles. With the Kidnapper, this film marks a first collaboration in the suspense thriller genre between his Boku Films, Scorpio East Pictures, and Malaysia’s RAM Pictures and PMP Entertainment.

As for leading roles, well we have Malaysia-born stars Christopher Lee, Jack Lim and Phyllis Quek put their best foot forward in what would be a taut thriller that had flashes of brilliance, if not bogged down by seemingly obvious plot loopholes.

Which at first I had felt that they had spoilt the show, until it dawned upon me that perhaps some of these moments had worked in the film’s favour, in highlighting how apathetic a society we can be and have become. For instance, not too long ago, an ambulance driver was bring physically bullied, and a crowd had gathered not to lend assistance or to calm things down, but to gawk and record the incident on mobile devices.

Similarly in this film, bystanders just gawk (OK, so they may be members of the public who had found it amusing to stumble onto a film shoot) and not lend any assistance when they realize that a man is dragging a child along, one who fits the description over the public announcement speakers about a missing child, and in another scene, a man is seen grabbing a child out of the Singapore Flyer cabin, with everyone wondering why the “parent” is stark raving mad from both within and outside of the cabin.

I fear we’ve really turned into a nation of gawkers, and it’s a real shame if we were to lack moral courage to do what’s right, or to intervene when the situation calls for it.

So the dilemma here is obviously not just wondering how one can beg, borrow or steal one million dollars in under 36 hours (being born with a silver spoon in the mouth doesn’t count) as a ransom payout, although having that HDB flat as an “asset” does help (only to find oneself homeless) but rather how one can get fellow countryman to mobilize and rally around you for support when you get beaten down or bullied.

But of course that’s not to discount other seemingly coincidental episodes and those that defied some form of logic, such as A&E processes in hospitals that ends with no questions asked.

In any case, the gist of the story centres around the father-son single parent family of Ah Huat (Christopher Lee) and his son Lim Wei Xiang (Jerald Tan), who share close knit ties despite their penchant for a life of convenience, as seen in their diet of choice (which makes for creative product placement too).

Being a cab driver (also an opportunity for product placement), Ah Huat doesn’t make much to feed both himself and his son, but they’re happy with their lot and share a peculiar hobby of betting through the taxi meter. Wei Xiang gets kidnapped one day due to the classic case of mistaken identity through association (steer clear of rich kids!) and thus begins a wild goose chase of a table-turning, one-upmanship between all the players involved. Going to the cops to report this capital offense (in the Singapore context) also gets written out, as Ah Huat has a looming custody battle which will do him no favours if it’s known his son had disappeared while under his care.

While Kelvin Tong shares writing credits with Ken Kwek (The Blue Mansion) with Mandarin dialogue by Danny Yeo (almost like a Bollywood film where dialogues get written by someone else), you still see plenty of Tong’s signature all over the film, such as his relish for blood, gore and “shock” tactics.

Scenes such as torture through water dunking, getting copious amounts of blood splattered everywhere, and some slickly done quick cuts and editing from his horror film experience, somehow gets your adrenaline all pumped up as you root for the victimized dad to come out of his ordeal good, coupled with some very arty, carefully crafted cinematographic shots seldom seen in rare action films that come out from our shores.

And credit too has to go toward Christopher Lee as Ah Huat, the cab driver pushed into the corner of desperation, grappling with his humanity when faced with obvious tit-for-tat action when given an opportunity to inflict the same level of pain against his transgressors. Lee has so far only two cinematic outings (The Best Bet, and The Wedding Game with now wife Fann Wong) despite his leading man status at Caldecott Hill, and I suppose with every film outing, he’s raring to showcase what he can deliver.

The unkept goatee he keeps almost throughout the film hides his handsome features so as to bring out a more rugged demeanour of a man obsessed with his mission to save his son, who’s willing to sacrifice everything to raise an impossible amount, being looked down upon by institutions and driven to wits end.

But of course one cannot help but to chuckle at how reel followed real, as Christopher Lee himself has had brushes with the law some years back for drunk driving and other traffic offences, which range in the movie from driving while using his mobile phone, and being made to take a breathalyzer test. He’s served his time already and his stardom has not diminished if going by the popularity polls.

Jack Lim isn’t new to Singapore audiences, having been in the films of Jack Neo (who’s now feeling the heat of the recent scandalous revelation of his infidelity) such as Ah Long Pte Ltd and Love Matters. Here Jack (Lim that is) ditches his funny man persona to play Ah Hu (Tiger), a convict recently set free, and wants to extort money from the rich Sng family, hence his single-minded plot to kidnap the Sng young master, only to discover his botched attempt, yet adamant in wanting to extort the same amount from a taxi driver.

Ah Hu’s not too bright actually despite his elaborate concoction of a plan to just grab a bagful of cash, and lacks any depth to either make us feel for his predicament (no convincing background as to why he’s doing the things he’s doing) or lacking that menacing factor that would have made his character a real villainous force to be reckoned with.

Phyllis Quek turns out to be a disappointment and I didn’t really enjoy the way her character fit into the scheme of things, her acting (probably deliberate) being none too subtle, and a dead giveaway when she first appears on screen.

Her function is to add some pizzazz to the plot which is told in three broad acts complete with the dalliance of role reversals or parallels and power play, which thankfully shifted up a notch in the second half of the film, especially when an emotional connection between parents and their children get made, which innately means a drive to protect their young ones no matter the cost. We get the idea, but execution could have come with a little bit of finesse.

Kidnapper as a taut thriller it is not, but as the rare action, suspense thriller, Kelvin Tong does point the way forward that we don’t always necessary need big bang explosions in order to do something smaller, yet packing quite the emotional punch. All that’s needed is a concept idea (here being how one can raise money urgently against time constraints – it’s not easy) and plenty of creativity and flair in developing that into a feature narrative. It’s not destined to be a classic, but hey, it was rather fun while it lasted.

Oh yeah, for those who need numbers for this weekend’s 4D draw, you can try any of these from the show – Ah Hu’s van 3749, and Ah Huat’s cabs 2095 and 1195. Good luck!

– A Nutshell Review: Kidnapper

The programme for this month’s Sinema Showoff! has been released! Music videos, short films, documentaries… Take your pick.

For more enquiries or interview requests with the directors, feel free to drop me an email at sueanne[at]sinema[dot]sg.

1. NAGARAVAYTEI

by Abbas Akbar (4 mins)

The music video captures the urban scenes of Singapore for Shabir’s (Vasantham Star 05) Tamil single ‘Nagaravaytei’ (Urban Quest). It is currently airing on both local and international channels including MediaCorp Vasantham, MTV Asia, Channel [V], etc.

Director’s Bio:

Abbas honed most of his skills on the set or as he puts it ‘school of hard knocks’. His short film ‘Certain Chapters’ was nominated Best Short film at the 2009 Asian Festival of First Films and has been an official selection at several film festivals.

Abbas remains busy directing a mix genre of programmes (current affairs, drama, commercials, etc.) for TV.

2. RUDRA – HYMNS FROM THE BLAZING CHARIOT

by Jacen Tan (6 mins)

Nominee, Best Art Direction – Singapore Short Film Awards 2010.

Is a heavy metal re-imagination of the ancient Sanskrit text ‘The Bhagavad Gita’, one of the most important philosophical classics of the world. The music video took over a year to create because of its intensive visual effects.

Before the start of the Kurukshetra War, Prince Arjuna is reluctant to go into battle as he has to fight his relatives, beloved friends and revered teachers. In desperation, Arjuna turns to his charioteer and mentor, Krishna for advice. Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and reveals the nature of the Self.

Indian performance arts groups Apsara Asia and Maya Dance Theatre were roped on to help with the stunt choreography and costume design. Props and weapons were also specially made for the epic battle scenes.

Director’s Bio:

Jacen Tan was named by The Straits Times Life! as one of Singapore’s most exciting young filmmakers. In 2005, his debut short film ‘Tak Giu’ (Kick Ball) became a cult hit and received over 100,000 internet views. He hasn’t stopped making films since!

3. SPECIAL PASS

by Vicknesh Varan (24 mins)

Winner – Best Documentary, Singapore Short Film Awards 2010

Indian national Anthonysamy Charles and his colleagues were issued a special pass while investigations at their former workplace was being carried out. The Special Pass entitles them to stay in Singapore but work only in limited places. ??The award-winning documentary follows Charles and his colleagues as they attempt to find food, shelter and work to support themselves under challenging circumstances.

Director’s Bio:

Vicknesh Varan graduated with a Diploma in Mass Communication from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2005. After completing National Service, he has been freelancing as an assistant producer.

He recently attended a summer filmmaking course at the University of Melbourne. He hopes ‘Special Pass’ to highlights the voice of foreign workers in Singapore.

4. NO TEN DOLLAR RIDE

by Vigneswaran Rajkumar (10 mins)

The film centers on two trishaw riders in Singapore and the tiring work of their backbreaking profession.

Director’s Bio:

Vigneswaran completed a diploma in filmmaking from SAE Institute Singapore.  NO TEN DOLLAR RIDE is Vigneswaran’s first short film.

5. FROM THE BELLY OF KERALA

by Sabrina Nazimudeen (5 mins)

The comedic struggles of a Keralite girl becoming a bellydancer.

Director’s Bio:

Nazimudeen is currently a final year student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic pursuing a Diploma in Film Sound & Video.

6. FORGET ME NOT

by Ajay Zaldo, Amir Hussain, Syed Idros & Hamidi Yahya (11 mins)

An old friend, John, comes back after studying aboard for a long time and pays a visit to Ali unexpectedly. Ali is a young man with a bad memory, which is a constant bump in his life. So one day, left alone at home, he gets a visit from John, who had just come back from overseas. They catch up on old times but slowly, Ali starts to discover that John is not merely visiting.

Director’s Bio:

The four directors are close friends who met in Singapore Polytechnic and joined a theatre club. There, they discovered their interest in short films and continue producing short films together.

A novelist, an actor, an arts administrator and an advertising executive are just four of the 12 participants of THE FIRST DRAFT, which starts next week with a week’s residential programme at Aloha Villas, Changi Village.

All twelve were selected from an open call for applicants launched last December and make up a diverse and colourful cross-section of ages, occupations and backgrounds. Applicants were selected on the basis of their script ideas and their ear for dialogue (they were asked to submit a basic idea and two sample scenes) and through interview.

They will be spending 5 days in seclusion at the resort in Changi in an intensive workshop with tutors from the London College of Communication where their ideas will be intensively worshopped and developed.

This workshop is just the first stage of the programme, which will extend over the next year and will consists of monthly meetings, Skype and email communications with the tutors and a further residential programme in September.

The programme is a collaboration between the British Council, Sinema and the London College of Communication and is supported by the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore.

The aims of the programme are:

• To develop 12 basic screenplay ideas to the point where they are ready for pitching to the industry.
• To develop the 12 participants’ skills in the area of screenwriting so that they will go on to form a solid core of writers essential for the growth of the film industry here.

This programme has been developed as a response to the widely-held view that the industry is suffering from a lack of trained screenwriters and that the weakness in scripts is a major obstacle that the industry needs to overcome if it is to produce films that attract a domestic audience while also having international appeal.

The screenplay ideas include a science-fiction thriller set in the business world, a blackly comic farce playing out on the factory floor, and a road trip for seniors. There will be a very strong focus on character and dialogue, and a considered practical view of what is possible in the Singaporean producing context, as the aim is very much to have ‘producible’ scripts by the end of the course, that can be fed directly into the further funding programmes of the MDA and SFC.

Quote from Dan Prichard, Director of Programmes, British Council:

“We are very excited about the opportunity this programmes presents to bring together 12 talented Singaporeans and to work with them to develop their distinctly Singaporean stories for the screen. Aloha Villas was selected as the venue for the workshop as it is the ideal location to give the writers an opportunity to step out of the hectic pace of Singapore life and the demands of their everyday lives.

“We are hoping that this ‘timeout’ will provide the right conditions in which to foster a spirit of community and mutual support necessary for the growth of a strong cohort of writers in Singapore. ”

Quote from Nicholas Chee, Executive Director, Sinema:

“At the end of the day if you strip a film bare from its devices and fancy effects, it’s about the story, nothing but the story – how it begins, develops and end. That is all that really matters.”

Mr Tham Wai Kin, Director of Talent Development, MDA, said:

“Through the Professional Screenplay Development Programme, MDA hopes to build deep capabilities in screenwriting in order to build up a pool of trained screenwriters who will be the bedrock of writing talent for the Singapore film industry’s future growth and development.”

For more information on The First Draft, visit http://www.samp.sg/thefirstdraft/

We’re really excited to announce that Sinema Showoff! will be making a return debut this month with the theme, “Masala Mix”.  Masala Mix is a selection of short films by Indian directors or with Indian themes, carefully curated by Singapore Polytechnic.

This is the first time Sinema has collaborated with an external group for Showoff!, where we provide the venue and support, while giving the creative vision and curation to another party.

Do drop by Sinema Old School on the 30th of March at 7.30pm for this excellent showcase of local Indian talent.  And best of all, it’s completely free of charge!

RSVP at the Facebook event page here.

More details to follow, so keep checking this space!

Sinema is proud to announce that we are one of the venue partners of the 23rd edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF), which will take place from 15 to 24 April, 2010.

It will screen close to 200 films from over 36 countries.

Festival Highlights

Setting the tone of this year’s SIFF is the Opening Film, Mao’s Last Dancer from the Oscar - nominated Australian film director, Bruce Beresford, and is based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. Li was plucked from a Chinese village by Madame Mao’s cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet.

He later managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet, and then became the principal artist with the Australian Ballet. Both Bruce Beresford and lead actor Chi Cao will be in attendance at the Festival.

The Closing Film, Dear Doctor from Japanese director Miwa Nishikawa was nominated for Picture of the Year at the 33 Japanese Academy Awards, where it won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. It is about a young medical intern assigned to work in a remote village, and soon he starts to learn things from the town doctor that he has never learned in medical school.

A secret then emerges about the town doctor and the village must come to grips with this new knowledge of the man they so admired.

Singapore Panorama

The Singapore Panorama section was first introduced in 2008 as a platform for new Singapore films.  This year Singapore Panorama will feature three feature films (Roulette City, In the House of Straw, and Memories of a Burning Tree), as well as three short films.

Silver Screen Awards

Having received over 70 submissions this year for the Singapore Short Film Competition, SIFF has selected seven finalists, who will be competing in the categories for Best Film, Best Director, Best Performance, Best Cinematography, and Special Mention.

It will culminate in the Silver Screen Awards and Gala Dinner on Apr 22, where the Festival will recognize the top films in the categories of Asian Feature Film Competition and the Singapore Short Film Competition.

Special Programmes

This year audiences can look forward to a wide selection of fresh and engaging films, as well as be exposed to three newly introduced segments.

First, the Dance: Movement in Film segment explores not only the performance but also the creative process of dance, and examines the impact that cinematic conventions and post-production have on the dancer’s performance for the camera.

The second segment takes a look at Women in Film and examines their work in the film industry. It explores the passions, dreams and aspirations of women from around the world, while considering the challenges they have faced in history and continue to face in contemporary society.

And last but not least is the New York Avant Cinema Series.  This film cycle of 22 works representing genres such as animation, documentary, fiction and silent experimental will screen Asian premieres of new films by some of New York’s most daring and dynamic contemporary filmmakers.

Ticketing

Tickets will go on sale later this month.  Stay tuned to Sinema.SG or visit filmfest.org.sg for more details!