Mikes Film Talk

The Pig the Snake and the Pigeon, is a Taiwanese drama currently tearing things up on Netflix. Writer/director Ching-Po Wong takes us on a pretty complex roller coaster ride in this tale of criminals in an overly populated criminal underworld.

Okay, so it is subtitled

A word of warning here, this Taiwanese offering is subtitled. This is going to turn a good number of folks off. *Side note: To be fair, this is not the best subtitled effort. A lot of things “being said in dialogue heavy moments” do not make sense. This is a case of “close but cigar” folks. If you are willing to think outside the subtitle box, you will get the gist of what is going on.*

Synopsis

Chen Ku-Lin, played by Ethan Juan is told at his grandmother’s funeral that he has stage 4 lung cancer. He follows some well intentioned advice and tries to turn himself in. At the cop shop however, despite telling the police his name, they have no idea who he is. Ku-Lin is shoved to the back of the queue for prisoner visits. As he stands there, somewhat annoyed, he finds that there are two other criminals ahead of him in the “most wanted” list.

He vows to take out the competition and become number one. His journey is an odd one and he ends up at a religious commune. The last gangster he needs to kill, is apparently already dead.

Or is he.

Twists and turns

As we follow Ku-Lin, the plot takes many different twists and turns. Although the last twist pretty much takes the cake in terms of switching sides. Folks who know me understand that I love movies that start out as one thing and then turn into another. The Pig The Snake And The Pigeon sort of falls into that category.

Ku-Lin’s character arc is brilliant. During his quest to be the number one most wanted, he learns a lot about himself. He also shows that he can be taken in by a charlatan. This growth actually makes him more likeable, despite his homicidal urges. To become number one Ku-Lin takes ruthless to another level.

And yet, somehow, we almost cheer him on in his quest.

Taiwanese feels Korean

The Pig The Snake And The Pigeon may be a Taiwanese effort but it feels Korean. The pacing, the tone and the journey all feel like a Korean riff. It is not really like any existing K-Crime films, but it feels like one.

Taiwan can turn out some excellent films and, it seems, episodic television. This Netflix offering is not in the same league as one of my all time favorites, Invitation Only, but it is very, very good.

The Trailer

Check out the trailer and if you like it, head on over to Netflix and check it out. Try to ignore that phobia about subtitles and give this one a go.