I'm doing this review to undo the harm a previous IMDb poster did to me. Most likely the reviewer had something to do with the production of this film. The glowing review made me want to see this film only to be slightly disenchanted by it. I really wanted this movie to be good because Asian American films are limited to action martial arts films, which shows the current lack of acceptance of Asian Americans as viable leading men or ladies. So, I was going into this movie with good expectations, and I found myself first questioning the writing, then the acting, and casting. The contrivance and farce needed to accept the much of the film is outside my range. At no point did I believe any of the character development points, which mostly likely has to do with the casting. Ken Leung doesn't work in my opinion because he lacks all likability and charm needed for this part. Hayden's perverse attraction to him and her baby talk performance really turned me off. Kelly Hu is beautiful and believable, but her accent was less then believable. Boy, is she one beautiful woman. Hmmmm. Anyway, I do appreciate what the screenwriter was attempting, because the story line is believable on many levels. Being an Asian American actor that doesn't do stunts is like an automatic blacklist in Hollywood. The directors lost some of the nuance of reality in many scenes, which was distracting. I guess I can forgive a lot of these little things that threw me off. By the end of the movie I do like Ken Leung, but not his performance. I'll give this movie a five for the attempt, but nothing as glowing as the previous poster.
Review of Shanghai Kiss
