ONE NIGHT ONLY (天亮之前) (2016)

Genre: Drama
Director: Matt Wu　
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Yang Zishan, Hao Lei, Andy On, Jack Kao, Zhou Yu Tong
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 28 July 2016

Synopsis: One Night Only depicts an overnight romance story between an addicted gambler, Gao Ye (Aaron Kwok), and a prostitute, Mo Mo (Yang Zishan). Gao Ye got himself into a gambling debt threat after being released from prison. Mo Mo met Gao Ye, thinking he would want her “service”. However, instead of paying Mo Mo, Gao Ye forced her to start a black market underground boxing with him using her bondage savings. They go through a series of events―kidnapping, car-racing and killing, only to realize the need to decide which path they want to take before sunrise…

Movie Review:

One Night Only, as suggested by the title, is about a rendezvous between Gao Ye (Aaron Kwok) and Mo Mo (Yang Zishan). With the colourful backdrop of the nightlife in Thailand, the night Gao Ye and Mo Mo shared turned out to be an eventful and life-changing one.

The plot extends beyond just the two obvious vices – sex and gambling. It also talks about relationship development and the interconnectedness of human relationships. It started off with just a ‘random’ encounter, where Mo Mo turns out unexpectedly at the door of Gao Ye, as though he has placed ‘an order’. However, Mo Mo insisted on staying lest she gets chided at work. Having just experienced a huge loss at his last gamble, an idea suddenly sparked Gao Ye’s mind – to get Mo Mo to make the ‘investment’ on him.

Through the development of the plot, it leads to just conventional card gambling, to cage fight gambling and then to also an alleged murder. The story was interesting to follow. The plot then goes more than meets the eye, when it lead on to a plot twist to another, where it is revealed that the affinity fostered between the two goes beyond just that one night.

Albeit the development was a little slow, it gave ample room for the two main characters to build a chemistry and a trust relationship. They anchored the story really well and were enjoyable to watch. Aaron Kwok also haven’t lost his charm. Even a non-Chinese person who walked past the movie poster asked, "Eh, who's that yandao in the poster?" 'It's Aaron Kwok!' "Oh!!! He’s still so handsome!" That is right. The 51 year-old, able bodied heart throb is still making women's hearts swoon today.

Another commendable effort of the movie is to be able to tell a coherent story despite going back and forth in time, and handling several plot twists. The cinematography, coupled with the plot, also suited the flow and the style of storytelling. The movie also concluded well and amiably, giving a satisfying watch overall. In closing, here’s a quote on searching which echoes the central theme of the movie: "We often think of searching as a kind of movement, a forward motion through time, but maybe it can be also the opposite - a suspension of time and memory."

Movie Rating:

(A light-hearted and heartwarming story on a man’s search of life and its meaning)

Review by Tho Shu Ling