Suka is now available on Digital in the U.S.. You can rent or purchase the film at Vudu or wherever movies are sold.
A vicious, longstanding turf war between the Dawood and Yang crime families threatens to cripple Western Sydney as the starting point of Suka, the latest work from director Heidi Lee Douglas.
The film eases things in some, chronicling a series of events just under fifteen minutes to explore the dark betrayal and tragic occurrence that unravels the lives of a young mother and her child. That period spans about ten years before jumping to present day and we soon meet Hui (Jenny Wu), a young business major estranged from her mother, Wasiya (Tsu Shan Chambers), a businesswoman and the matriarch of the Dawood crime family.
Hui finds herself only a few degrees of separation from crossing paths with the seemingly affable Yun Bo (Paul He), and while the two manage to hit it off, little do either of them know that they both share a connection to the city’s unyielding rivalry. The latter speaks moreso to Yun Bo whose hands are just as dirty as that of his facially-scarred psychotic sister, Fandi (Grace Huang).
As for Hui’s closest friend, roommate and gym owner Jay (Ethan Browne), it’s only a matter of time before both get enveloped in Hui’s yet undiscovered world, with Jay struggling to cope with Hui’s denial after learning the truth for himself. Alas, as ailing crime boss Jun Yang (Tony Goh) looking to move in on the Dawoods’ businesses, more blood threatens to spill, forcing Hui to face the dark past that surrounds her family if she’s going to save what’s left of it.
Suka boasts a sumptuously-shot noir thriller with quality visuals for an inspired crime drama, and a notable and pristine look that lends some glimmer to as an action crime piece for Australia’s film scene. Its more prominently publicized characteristic as a Romeo & Juliet-style love story falls flat with meandering character development and de rigueur sex scenes intended for a more edgy and mature flick. Peculiarly, one love scene actually sets up an even more awkward cliffhanger that never gets addressed as the film recapitulates.
Action scenes are mostly hit-or-miss with the first sequence falling short of the exciting tone setter it needed to be for the rest of the film. While a number of the participants in the action scenes partly including Wu, He, Huang and Browne as well as co-stars Loretta Kung, Michael Rodrigues and Maria Tran show promise in delivering the action, most of their moments are hampered by the editing, pacing and direction which don’t really help hold a candle to other competitors.
Marking Australia Day actress Wu’s latest action role following the prolific Chris Nahon-directed Lady Bloodfight, Wu puts on a fairly enteraining show, but it’s not the standout performance fans might expect. Her character certainly delivers the comeuppance her opposing villain deserves in Suka which helps avoid leaving a taste too dissatisfying to viewers, and perhaps with and some persistence and introspection, the sequel that Suka sets up for in the final shot will be worth the effort put in after this hopeful franchise starter.
