LEGALLY DECLARED DEAD (死因无可疑) (2020)

Genre: Thriller
Director: Yuen Kim Wai 
Cast: Anthony Wong, Karena Lam, Carlos Chan, Kathy Yuen, Alice Fung, Liu Kai Chi, Stephen Au
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 August 2020

Synopsis: When an insurance agent is called to visit a couple’s home to follow up on a life insurance policy, he discovers their son’s corpse hanging in the bathroom. Principled and kind-hearted, he suspects that the child may have been murdered. As he digs for the truth, the tables are turned and he’s forced into a psychological battle of wills.

Movie Review:

The premise of this Hong Kong production is disturbing enough to make viewers curious. How unscrupulous or unethical can one become to exploit insurance plans? When you’re in need for money, how about chopping off some fingers and claiming some payouts under an ‘accident’? Not enough to get by? How about killing a family member and watch a huge amount of money get deposited in your bank account?

There are probably some well known real life cases out there, but this movie based on the Japanese horror novel “The Black House” takes things to the extreme. How much you want to relate it to how scary people can become is up to your imagination.

The setup is outlandish enough to capture your attention. First, there is a creepy Anthony Wong who sends chills down your spines with his killer stares throughout the 109-minute film. The veteran actor doesn’t need to speak – his screen presence will make you want to escape his line of sight. Then there is Karena Lam tries her best to look disheveled. She has unkempt hair, bad fashion sense, an eye which doesn’t see very well, and to top it off, a bad limp to complete the look. She manages to make you think that she probably hasn’t showered for days. They stay in a dilapidated house that is difficult to navigate around. It is the kind of environment that will have you thinking that there are decomposed food and animals lying around.

The two actors play husband and wife, and they seem to be down in the dumps with no money to live a decent life. Enter Carlos Chan’s insurance agent who chance upon the eerie couple’s dead stepson during a house visit. Being the righteous (and good looking, like the good guys always do in the movies) person he is, he digs deep into the case and is determined to uncover the truth. Of course, that brings about dirty secrets (which aren’t that unexpected if you are familiar with story setups) which eventually culminate in a finale that will please fans of slasher flicks.

The film directed by Yuen Kim Wai (Lam’s husband, who also made her a leading lady in his first feature Heaven in the Dark) does a decent job as a horror thriller. It works best when Wong and Lam are on screen, effortlessly showcasing their acting chops. Chan’s earnestness also leaves an impression. However, things get clunky when the story tries to inject other elements which take the focus of the main plot away.

For example, there is the bit about Chan’s guilt over his elder brother’s suicide when they were young. Then there is an awkward comparison to carnivore bugs, which Chan happens to keep as pets. And there’s also a psychiatrist girlfriend in the picture, who offers insights on criminal behaviour. Because these subplots are not explored in depth, viewers may be left unsure of what purpose they serve.

The movie has its share of chills, blood and scares. Unfortunately, quite a bit more can be done to make it a memorable scare flick.  

Movie Rating:

(Anthony Wong and Karena Lam deliver spooky performances in this otherwise average scare flick)

Review by John Li