Long (Chang Chen) is a Taiwanese hitman, and apparently one of the best. Especially his mastery of knives is unparalleled. But on an assignment in Japan, he walks into a trap and is almost killed. He somehow makes good his escape into an abandoned house in a rundown part of a small town - and soon enough makes the acquaintance of a young boy, Jun (Bai Run-yin), who at first inexplicably gives him everything he needs to survive. It's only later that Long finds out that Jun's the son of a heroin-addicted woman, Lily (Yao Yi Ti), who just wanted to make friends. As a thank you, Long cooks for Jun - and he's a very good cook, which neighbours from around find out soon, and they soon become fascinated with Long. And since neither of them has made out of their own lives, they project their fantasies into Long, the mysterious stranger who doesn't even speak their language (only Jun and Lily, who are part Taiwanese, are able to actually talk to him), and before he knows it, Long has his own food cart and sells self-cooked food in front of a temple. He also gets Lily off heroin, and the two of them and Jun soon feel like an almost-family. That is, until Lily's past catches up with her, and her former pusher (and pimp) gets her hooked again. Also, the man Long came to Japan to kill has since found out his whereabouts, and he's not in a forgiving mood ...

Ryu San is quite an unusual movie, inasmuch as it has lots of heart, to the point where it's only just this way of cheesiness - but then it features also some quite explosive and very bloody action setpieces. The surprising thing though is, this works in this film: The often sudden changes of tone are ironic counterpoints more than anything else, and the very good-natured humour of the piece really ties the film together. That said, the film isn't without its lengths, but it's utterly entertaining all the same.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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