FANTASIA 2020: A Witness Out of the Blue
FANTASIAFung Chih-chiang's A Witness Out of the Blue, on the surface, is straight forward classic noir thriller with the quintessential comedic nature to take the edge off. However, dig a little deeper, and Chih-chiang's film is not just a competent feature but an excellent showcase of tonal balance and exploration of genre with masterful results.
What Chih-chiang achieves here in his fourth feature is something special. Granted, A Witness Out of the Blue is not a defining feature within its genre or a zeitgeist but manages to balance two incredibly potent filmmaking elements of tone and genre – ultimately melding them together beautifully, which is something to behold.
It is difficult to suggest which element comes first and foremost: the genre or tone. However, the former is undoubtedly the basis of what the film wants to indulge. Said noir genre is handled well; it is engaging, entertaining and atmospheric when the film wants to explore. Louis Koo's performance as Wang Xin-yuan is a perfect example of Fung Chih-chiang's film having heaps of fun exploring the darker side and underbelly of crime. Koo does a fantastic job at not only playing a terrifically crafted, calculated character but his serious approach is bolstered due to just how cool and calm Koo approaches the farcical, more heightened elements in the screenplay from writer/director Chi-Keung Fung.
FANTASIAAlthough the genre subverted here in an almost Coen Brothers approach, it is the comedic endeavour by Chih-chiang regarding his use of tone that spices things up. Notably, Louis Cheung's Lin Fa-liang offers the film's strongest comedic element. Cheung's performance is solid. The actor here juggles with a character that is not only Chaplin-inspired but a character of authority, and for much the film, Cheung succeeds in the oxymoronic balance with engaging results.
That being said, this is not to say it has not been done before – or better, for that matter. Nevertheless, contextually within the film and the comedic nature of A Witness Out of the Blue, having a parrot being the chief witness and lead to identifying a killer offers an incredible niche comedic dichotomy. An element so ridiculous it should never come together, yet is balanced with the tone to a natural and organic manner.
Despite the fact that such high esteem has been given, Fung Chih-chiang's film has a few issues. Chih-chiang pulls the third act twist straight from an Agatha Christie novella and, while it does work, it undoubtedly feels bane and anti-climatic in its reveal. Furthermore, the third act, in general, has a multitude of different directions thrown forward. It undoubtedly becomes lost in that very balance that A Witness Out of the Blue does a brilliant job of steering. Ultimately cultivating in a Heat/Gran Turino light approach that not only feels derivative but simplistic in its design and execution.
