Yes, this is a repost as there was a review embargo on Tape until today, and we have an interview with the director to share.
We had the trailer for Tape recently. I will admit, I was a little flippant about it, as it seemed like ‘another remake’, although this time, from an American movie for the Asian market.
The original movie Tape starred Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and Uma Thurman. Richard Linklater directed, and Stephen Belber wrote. I’ve yet to see the original, but it is on my watchlist.
This new version is very different, I will explain why later why. It stars Adam Pak, Kenny Kwan, and Selena Lee. Bizhan Tong directs and co-writes with Selena Lee, Lok-Young Lo and original writer, Belber.
The Story
One thing I don’t want to do is spoil the story of Tape too much:
Three former classmates reunite in Hong Kong, but a buried secret resurfaces forcing them to confront the past, each other, and the limits of truth.
It’s 15 years ago, and Wing and Johnny are best friends about to finish college. The two friends seem interested in the same girl.
Jump to the present day, and we meet Wing (Pak,) who’s in a flat and seems to be setting up cameras around the place. Johnny (Kwan) turns up, and it’s been a while, but the friends are back with the banter and catching up.
Something happened 15 years back, which didn’t sit well with Wing. He wants the truth of what occurred. The truth eventually comes out, and Amy (Lee) turns up, and it gets even more complicated.
As I said, I’m not going to spoil the story, but it is good, very good. The first 20 minutes lull you into a false sense of security, and is pretty dull. As the story unfolds, it becomes more gripping.
The Cast
I like the kind of movie like Tape; there are three main protagonists, and they are ‘locked’ in a room together. Even though the direction is very good, the cast has to carry the story, and they do it well.
I can’t fault any of them, I mean, it was harder to judge as the movie is subtitled, it’s hard to focus on things, especially as I’m dyslexic. All three characters have their own agenda, and the story is engrossing. I don’t want to break the characters down, as it will spoil things.
Now, I have had an interview with Adam Pak, and the director, Bizhan Tong. We have always said we won’t shill, and I’m really not saying this is a good movie because I’ve spoken to them. In fact, in all transparency, with the first 20 minutes of the movie being dull, I nearly cancelled the interviews!
I rarely turn a movie off, you know me, I sat through War of the Worlds. I kept the movie going, and I’m glad I did. By the end, I let the credits roll and just stared at the screen for a while as I processed what I had seen.
Cultural Differences
Again, I don’t want to spoil Tape, but Tong, the director, told me this was a passion project to bring it to the Asian market. There is a huge difference between the original movie and the one for the Asian market.
There is a big difference in the way things are handled. Again, I’m trying my hardest not to spoil things, but you have an idea where it’s going. If you do guess, make sure you spoiler it in the comments. There’s nothing worse than having a movie like this spoiled for you.
Because of the cultural differences, this version of Tape was very different to the original. I should have seen the original before doing this review, but if you ever saw my watchlist, you’d understand why I haven’t had the time yet.
Overall
Tape is a very good thriller, it’s claustrophobic, tense and has one of those endings you’re going to think about for a while. When it ended, I honestly sat there trying to process it.
As I said, there is a bit of an issue with subtitles. I’ve nothing against foreign movies, obviously, they generally make far better movies than Hollywood. The main thing being, for me, they are harder to watch as they take more effort. It’s not like I can put this on in the background at work.
Giving Tape my full attention meant I was far more engrossed in the story and characters, which meant it hit harder. Again, I’m doing the best I can to not spoil it.
I’m giving Tape 4 out of 5 stars. The story is very good, but it has to loses a point because of the subtitles. But also, I don’t fully appreciate the cultural differences, as I don’t live in Asia. I imagine, for the Asian market, it will hit a lot harder.
Also, just to mention, kudos to the director Tong for joining in the discussion to defend his movie. I understand it was a passion project for him, not to just remake the movie, but to make it for a different territory of the world. My interview with him is on the way, and he’s a fascinating guy.
Tape can only be seen as a theatrical release at the moment.
