ALARIS' REVIEWS

3rd September 2009
A World Without Thieves (2004)

Andy Lau must be one of the hardest working men in Hong Kong. With over 100 films, more than 300 miniseries, and well over 50 albums under his belt, working through Andy's back catalogue could be a career in itself.

A World Without Thieves isn't one of Andy's best movies - that would fall to tense, dramatic thrillers like Infernal Affairs (2002), or sentimental favourites like Return of the Condor Heroes (1983). However, A World Without Thieves is a low key story with touches of surprising poignancy.

The Mandarin language film is set almost entirely on a train, travelling through the mountains of rural China . Bo and Li (Lau and Rene Liu) are a pair of thieves at the bitterly fraying end of their relationship. Li wants to clear her conscience, and when she befriends 'Dummy' (Baoqiang Wang) - a naïve young passenger carrying his life savings - she is determined to protect him from a ruthless gang of thieves also aboard the train.

It's not a masterpiece, but it's well anchored by the earnest performances of Liu and Wang. Wang is exceptional as the kind and utterly guileless 'Dummy', and it's easy to feel a genuine sense of stakes as the competing thieves circle in their cat and mouse war.

The stylised fight sequences come across as cheesy more than artistic, but the general mood of the film is quite understated - for an Andy Lau film. The same goes for the plot, and the performances of the secondary cast.

If you're expecting an action packed flick, or a delicate mood piece, you'll probably be disappointed. However, if you're looking for a quiet, bittersweet drama and can take a little cheese, A World Without Thieves is unexpectedly engaging.

Verdict: An enjoyable, low key melodrama, if you don't have high expectations.

If you like Andy Lau, you might like this.