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Ocean Flame

2008 1h 38m Drama List
Tomatometer 1 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A killer murders a woman who he cannot control.

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...the film ultimately establishes itself as a monumentally tedious piece of work... Rated: 0/4 Apr 20, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (20) audience reviews
Audience Member The story itself was plain and at first glance, uninteresting. However, with the production team's effort and solid performance from the cast, the resulting film was suprisingly above average. There can be improvements to many parts of it still, including BGM and SE, smoothier story telling, and more absorbing scenes. Overall, the movie was okay, and worth watching if you have the spare time after watching the best ones with the same genre. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member It's difficult to review this film. I don't know if it's good or bad. I think the film direction and the acting are good. However, I don't like the storyline. I simply don't understand why the man has to torture his girlfriend so badly. Maybe I should just see him as a mentally sick person. 6/10. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member OK. I have to say that I don't know who the heck is Fendou Liu when I grabbed this movie in the rental place. After I searched him on internet, I found that I saw one of his films before: the "Shower". Actually, the "bath" is a more accurate translation. That movie was about an old bathing place. The "Ocean Flame" is very different from "Shower". It is not a fair comparison at the beginning. Fendou is the director in the Ocean Flame, but a screenwriter in the Shower. Shower was shot in Mainland China. I don't think the Mainland China will ever allow "Ocean Flame" to put on screen, let alone shooting the film. Yes, China still cannot handle this subject matter. What is a big deal for sex anyway? It is a vital part of the adult life. If someone still believe sex is a dirty thing, Chinese did way more dirty acts than the rest of the world. Poor Tang Wei, she had an excellent performance in "Lust, Caution". She is banned from acting in Mainland China because she performed in those graphic sex scenes. "Ocean Flame" makes me think of "Pola X" or "De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté". It is all about the destructive powers of violence and sex. Often these two things blended together with a different ratio. The film makes no sense at all. Would you ever have sex butt naked in a beach in Hong Kong? Can you find such a nice unpolluted beach in Hong Kong? As old Cantonese says, "Don't argue with the storyteller." It is how Fendou Liu tells this story that matter. I’d say Mr. Liu has full potential to be a great director of this generation. However, he needs to do more work. I can see some tensions between the main characters. But the movie doesn’t flow very smoothly. Fan Liao and Monica Mok are great actors, but I’m sorry to say that the chemistry is not there. I run some self diagnostics to see whether it is me but not the film. It could be true. I never experienced any abusive relationship before. I really have difficulty to figure out what is in the mind of Li Chuan. Usually, economic factors determine how long an abusive relationship could last. If the abusee couldn’t go anyway, she/he has to stick with the abuser. It is not true in this story. What makes Li Chuan keeps returning to Wang Yao no matter how shitty he treats Li Chuan? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member produced by Simon Yam, young girl in love with a bad guy Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Not bad for sex scene, not bad for story and a little good for "love" Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member It's veri beautifully done...alot cool scenes and nice camera angles...kind of Hongkie mobsters movie, but i cant relate to the meaning of love that is intended to show...that Lee Chuan and Wang Yao have...in all, it's entertaining watching the different scenes and the special style of editing...and keep me thinking e intended msg...hehe Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ocean Flame

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A killer murders a woman who he cannot control.
Director
Fendou Liu
Producer
Simon Yam
Screenwriter
Fendou Liu
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Runtime
1h 38m