Taiwanese director Leo Wang released two movies in the last five years, the first of which was fantasy crime thriller The 9th Precinct which I’ve been shamefully asleep on. That film is currently streaming on Netflix, as will his latest heist romp, Breaking And Re-entering, which enjoys its North American Premiere at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival before then.
An ensemble cast led by Chen Bolin, Cecilia Choi, Frederick Lee, Kent Tsai, and JC Lin, proffers an energetic caper replicating the kind of energy presented in Wang’s reportedly favorite film in the genre – at least according to the programming notes – emulates. The story starts on the night of a major bank vault heist for a four-man crack team led by Po-chun (Chen), efforting to steal millions in won from rich banker Chen Hai-Jui (Wu Kang-ren) who also has his hands in a shady cryptocurrency investment connected to his charity front.
The heist is a success, but it’s not until Po-chun and the team realize the trap that’s been set for them by the same people who employed them, also envelopes unsuspecting bank employee Shu-wen (Choi), who also happens to be his former flame. As the plot thickens and close life-or-death calls ensue, it’s up to Po-chun and Shu-wen to reconcile their differences, and for team members – hacker Kao (Tsai), costume infiltrator Uncle Bin (Lee), and ever-loyal pugulist Wen-hao (Lin) to come to terms with their latest circumstances, particularly if they’re going to have any chance of returning the money while saving Shu-wen’s life.
Wang’s Breaking And Re-entering is loaded with energy from start to finish. A fart joke early on in the film unabashedly cuts in on the tone some, but the rest of the exposition does fantastic in stage setting and character intros. The film is also sprinkled with little nods from notable Hollywood faves like the Oceans, Mission: Impossible, Bad Boys (but without too many of the tawdry laughs) and even Universal’s Fast films in its construction, combined together and mixed with its own Taiwanese flair, without any bloating or overuse in its ingredients.
The unrequited romance between the charismatic Po-chun and love interest Shu-wen, and the backstory that precludes it, becomes central to the development of the story, lending a tender romantic arc to the spectacle as we follow our characters’ quest to stick it to the sniveling Wang and his squad of henchmen dressed in black. There’s a cheeky queer subtext Wang enlists in the narrative that pertains to Po-chun and Wen-hao that brings the hijinks together in the film’s final act rather handsomely.
The same goes for some of the more fight-heavy action which sees Lin bearing the brunt of the fisticuffs. Some of the cinematography gets a little too tight at times but Lin and the rest of the cast involved in the action look great. Even Choi’s character gets her own signature combo which comes handy when things get a little too close for comfort.
I occasionally thought Breaking And Re-entering was a sequel of its own, so I was a little suprised given its title. It could very well have made as a great successor, while on its own, Wang and the cast can proudly tout this as another accomplishment on the Taiwanese film front. Western audiences can definitely chalk this up as a palatable PG-13 popcorn flick to enjoy once it hits streaming.
Breaking and Re-entering was reviewed for the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.