The Sparring Partner

Released Dec 9, 2022

2h 15m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

7 Reviews

81%

Audience Score

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Based on actual events: in 2013, Henry Cheung collaborated with a friend to murder and dismember his parents. While the case may have looked simple on the surface, the truth proved to be increasingly difficult to untangle. As the defendants take on the distinct personas of the scheming genius and the naïve, simple-minded victim of circumstances, the nine jury members must wrestle with their own conceptions of right and wrong as two men's lives lay in the balance.

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

A pulpy and engrossing courtroom thriller.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 9, 2022

Full Review

Cath Clarke

Guardian

A clever film that’s at least 30 minutes too long, and gets bogged down by its big themes of guilt and justice.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 16, 2022

Full Review

Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Even though The Sparring Partner has a total running time that is a little too long, it's still a gripping true crime drama that gives a memorable portrait of a twisted killer's mind. The movie serves as a warning about a sociopath's personality traits.

Apr 1, 2023

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Challenging crime story.

Rated: B

Dec 22, 2022

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Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

The level of detail is riveting, even if the film feels both rushed and overlong.

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 13, 2022

Full Review

Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

A taut, intense and gritty crime thriller, but overlong and occasionally heavy-handed.

Dec 8, 2022

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Carol Y

Like many HK movies, they always make the story indirect, redundant, and then find ways to ruin the story at the ending. Despite it is based on a true story, the characters in the films contradicted themselves. It's funny how one of the juries mentioned a "shaving story" that making things simple means more, ironically, but the director did not understand the assignment by adding unnecessary conflicts and scenes at the end of the movie to dim the story and confuse viewers for an additional 30 mins. You kind of wonder if the movie was trying to sympathize the second offender or try to throw shade at him, even though he is found not guilty in real life. It seems like the director wants viewers to see him as the mastermind and a villain after all these years. It's also annoying and unnecessary to compare the prime killer to Hitler and derailing the story a little. However, the acting for some of the cast was top-notched and feel natural without exaggeration, unlike many HK movies I have watched.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/29/23

Full Review

Damien B

THE SPARRING PARTNER (2022) (正義迴廊), Directed by Ho Chuek-Tin and produced by Philip Yung, premiered at The 46th Hong Kong International Film Festival and released on October 27, 2022 in theatres. Watching this.... i think Western viewers will likely be totally lost, not only wondering how the heck the HK legal system works, but left scratching their heads over the distracting and overly Theatrical style that the film adheres to. Why the hell they added this sort of HK humour into the mix is beyond me, it seems like many Cantonese films deliberately opt to include this element to keep it light and entertaining enough to keep their audience ensconced. The movie involves a serious topic, so you'd think they would have respect for the deceased parents when covering this topic. By adding laughing stuff inside, it makes a mockery of their memory, in my humble opinion. While it is a well-paced movie and the Standard Cantonese is relatively clear (both of which are good things), it seems to make Cantonese people appear to take this sort of topic so lightly (!?) i find that aspect very jarring, and hard to believe. After finishing this film, it will likely make one think that perhaps its too bad that the death penalty does not still exist in HK anymore, Henry Cheung deserves the ultimate sentence. Why waste HK Taxpayer money to keep bastards like these alive !? The same goes for the scum behind the recent Abby Choi HK murder, they don't deserve to live (not even in jail) in my opinion, it should be "an Eye for an Eye" with these maniacal sadists, they are the scum of the earth, literally! 👎🏼 Sone scenescare hard to stomach, but that is to be expected in a film of this nature, so beware going in, that there are a few grim scenes, even if they are only momentary. Good acting, well directed, but a bit too Theatrical in some scenes, though admitedly it works and you can see why they decided to include that element. My main contention with the movie is its overt focus on accomplice Angus Tong/TongMakKei, rather than putting the spotlight on Henry Cheung, the mastermind behind the murders, which i found rather frustrating. Worth seeing at least once if you enjoy Court Room dramas, Legal Thrillers, and Murder Mysteries. Its advisable to look up the 2013 Legal case before watching this movie, as its easier to navigate the film if you are better informed beforehand.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/29/23

Full Review

Dick C

It's a very good HK movie, The Sparring Partner 正義迴廊, 2022...basing on a Family Tragedy actual case, Murder of Glory Chau and Moon Siu...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/01/23

Full Review

art w

Spellbound and thought provoking crime thriller based on a real court case that shocked Hong Kong in 2013. Watch in the film's original language (cantonese) and knowledge of Hong Kong's divisive society make The Sparring Partner a must watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Cheuk Tin Ho

Director

Yeung Wai-lun

Actor

Pui Tung Mak

Actor

Louisa So

Actor

Jan Lamb

Actor

Ursule Wong

Jury

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The Sparring Partner: Trailer 1

1:51

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Synopsis

Based on actual events: in 2013, Henry Cheung collaborated with a friend to murder and dismember his parents. While the case may have looked simple on the surface, the truth proved to be increasingly difficult to untangle. As the defendants take on the distinct personas of the scheming genius and the naïve, simple-minded victim of circumstances, the nine jury members must wrestle with their own conceptions of right and wrong as two men's lives lay in the balance.

Director: Cheuk Tin Ho
Screenwriter: Frankie Tam, Oliver Yip, Thomas Leung
Distributor: Well Go USA Entertainment
Production Co: Film Development Fund of Hong Kong, Mei Ah Films Production
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 9, 2022, Limited
Runtime: 2h 15m

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