a5c7b9f00b Ming Ming is a 21st Century martial arts princess and lady Robin Hood who steals for love. Her Prince Charming is D, a maverick fighter and irresistible rogue who posted this challenge to his swarms of female admirers - give him 5 million dollars and he'll run away with his benefactress to Harbin. Ming Ming meets D's another girlfriend Nana, who is a virtual look-alike of Ming Ming. Meanwhile, disappears from Shanghai without a trace. The only clue he leaves behind is a cryptic phone message.
Two virtually look alike women Ming Ming and Nana; one flies bead with invincible force like warrior, the other just as ordinary and hysterical; they don't know each other yet fall for the same man named D who disappeared after both pursued his challenge of going to Harbin with 5 million dollars.
Ming Ming is a very stylized movie, but that's not to say it has more style than substance. Unattainable love and infatuation play central themes in Ming Ming's world, one which contains fantasy martial arts elements, set in today's contemporary era. The titular character played by Zhou Xun cuts a willowy figure, dressed in black with her long dark tresses. One night she casts her eye on D (Daniel Wu), a street fighter whom she falls in love and spends a night with.<br/><br/>D, on the other hand, is an elusive lover. With secrets of the past which he seeks to unlock, he's never committed, giving out a promise to whoever can fetch him 5 million dollars, and with whom he'll travel to Harbin with. This sets in motion an entire chain of events, starting with Ming Ming stealing the money and a secret box from Brother Cat (the singer Jeff Chang, who has long been away from the public eye).<br/><br/>On the other hand, Ming Ming's friend Ah Tu (Tony Yang) is also infatuated with her, and chances upon Nana (Zhou Xun in her second role), with whom he brings along in their escape from Brother Cat's thugs, and whom too is also in love with D. Confused? Don't be, as Nana is distinctively different from Ming Ming, from hair and outfit (loud and garish) to mannerisms, not forgetting the languages used.<br/><br/>In fact, the movie can be renamed Nana, as this character had more screen time than Ming Ming, as we explore the unrequited love by so many characters in the movie. Love and its different incantations are put up on display, even parental ones, as the plot slowly unravels to its surprise ending. There are some zen like dialogue and moments in the movie, such as being able to be with a person even for a moment, is better than not being able to at all. And this is especially true for Ah Tu, even though he's with someone who resembles, and not with the actual person. I thought Nana and Ah Tu had the strongest storyline and the best character development, naturally so because of the screen time devoted to them.<br/><br/>Accompanying the superb story are both the music and action. The soundtrack is an eclectic mix and fusion of various influences, from electronica to jazz, and the theme used for chases is particularly catchy. Given that it adopted a fantasy martial arts style, most of the fights, especially Ming Ming's, were given distinct looks. Ming Ming's especially, is one adopted from flicking explosive projectiles at her enemies, while D's style is quick, brutal, and very short ranged. Plot elements from such fantasy movies, like mini quests, and the seeking of treasure, are staples too in the movie.<br/><br/>The filming style used is also a mixed bag, with repetitions, quick cuts and flashbacks the norm. It might require a little time to get used to, typically those used in fights. By the time you get through one or two action sequences, you'll be clamouring for more. Savour those moments, as they actually come few and far between. There are many "poser" moments as well, which gives the movie a certain "sexy" look as characters preen and pose when they deliver their dialogues.<br/><br/>I guess I'm fortunate to have caught this movie here, in its original language track, as compared to having to watch the dubbed Mandarin version back in Singapore if it gets played. Key languages used - Mandarin, Cantonese and Shanghainese, provide a certain flavour and utilized to distinguish characters. inevitably the effect will be lost in any dubbed version. Zhou Xun, and Tony Yang too, at times sounded a bit off in their Cantonese diction, but that doesn't mar their performances, in particular Zhou Xun's excellent delivery of dual roles.<br/><br/>For giving a contemporary fantasy martial arts movie a different and refreshing look, Ming Ming will get my vote.
This is the sort of movie where style is king (or queen, if you like). While as a possible genre, "style" is a rather elusive concept, one can easily bring to mind movies that are, though not entirely comparable, similar in distinguishing themselves with style. Two examples that come immediately to mind are "Miranda" (2002) and "Pisutore opera" (2001).<br/><br/>On this premise, Ming Ming is indeed nice to watch, so much so that you almost want to forgive its ridiculously far-fetched "plot twist". But isn't there even a plot to begin with? It's almost as if the director has watched so many movies recently that an urge becomes irresistible, an urge, that is, to throw everything she has seen from these movies into a mixer, and churn out a movie of her own.<br/><br/>For melodramatic elements, you have identity confusion of look-alikes, cliché gangster routines, childhood secret, devoted-boy-helping-girl-to-chase-another-guy, girls head-over-heel with the crash for a sexy male, city hopping and many other plot elements you recognize. Unfortunately, they do not add up to an integrated plot in this movie.<br/><br/>For more specific borrowed elements, you have a boxing sequence from "Ong-bak" (2003), a voyage from "Invisible waves" (2006), the "Matrix 2" (2003) fighting scene (slight variation in having all the Hugo Weavings as different persons here), just to give a few examples. The camera work is quite dazzling but there's nothing that you have not seen somewhere else. And, as mentioned, there must be suspense and a twist, which in this movie is a motif in the form of a mystifying box and its tantalizing content. This turns out to be so brainless that it's almost comical.<br/><br/>On the plus side, style comes not only visually but also with music, from fabulous Anthony Wong Yiu-ming and his fabulous "People mountain people sea" gang. Zhou Xun gets a chance to look both super-cool and super-cute because she is playing two characters*. Daniel Wu is deliciously sexy. It's good to see Kristy Yang Kung-yu in a cameo role. Casting of top Taiwanese pop star Zhang Xin-zhe as the gangster boss is a little weird but there is reason in the madness.<br/><br/>* During Q&A in the Hong Kong International Film Festive premier I attended, one individual who might have been sleeping through most of the movie, asked Zhou Xun how she felt about playing three characters. Her response brought about a round of applause from the rest of the audience, "May I suggest that you watch the movie one more time", she said. "I only played two," she added.