Goodbye South, Goodbye

Though Hou has said that he wanted this to have a different rhythm from the slow, even static pace of his previous work, it remains immediately recognisable as a Hou movie, not only because of the very lengthy takes (here, admittedly, often of moving trains, cars, motorbikes, etc), but because of his determinedly oblique approach to narrative and the way it provides information. This time round, the 'story' of a group of small-time punks on the fringes of the underworld is designed to offer insights into the moral, political and economic climate of '90s Taiwan; it does, and the movie looks as marvellous as ever. But for all the expertise on view, one can't help feeling a sense of déjà vu. The film echoes much of Hou's own previous work, and the plot's central strand - an ambitious guy and his younger, more volatile buddy finally get their comeuppance in a car crash - is oddly reminiscent of Mean Streets.