A Moment of Romance stars Andy Lau as Wah Dee, a young man who races motorbikes at night while working for a triad gang. Wah Dee is ordered to be the getaway driver at a jewellery store robbery. When the police appear unexpectedly outside the the store being robbed, Wah Dee escapes by taking a young woman, Jojo (played by Jacklyn Wu), as a hostage. When back at the rendezvous point, Wah Dee finds himself having to save Jojo from from his acquaintances, who want to kill her so that she cannot identify them. Later when Jojo is asked by the police to attend a line-up to identify the person who kidnapped her, Jojo lies and an attraction starts to develop between the two, who are from different sides of the track.
Directed by Benny Chan and released in 1990, this action, crime, romance is very much a film of its time and has a timeless energy about it. The easy-on-the-eye visuals include various shots of Hong Kong during the night and day, along with the high-paced action scenes.
This was my first time watching it, at the East Asian Film Festival and I was delighted that I had the chance to watch it on the big screen. Already being a fan of Benny Chan’s later work (including Gen X Cops and Invisible Targets), it was easy to pick out the director’s cool, slick and emotional elements which work very well and became Chan’s staple ingredients for his Hong Kong films such as the adrenaline-fuelled car chases and the stylishly dressed characters.
It was also great to see a younger Andy Lau , forever a heart-throb and an idol to many and it is easy to see why. Here he displays the charisma similar to that of James Dean as his character rides a Suziki Ninja motorbike. Lau shines with charisma as he plays Wah Dee, a diamond in the rough who struggles to show affection towards Jojo. The film also features great montages with emotional pop ballards playing in the background. A Moment of Romance was a joy to watch. To see a film that has a places in the hearts of many and also launched the career of Benny Chan as a film-maker and saw Andy Lau continue to go from strength-to-strength as a leading actor.
