Andy Lau is the main attraction in this 2004 Chinese action drama, but its well-crafted plot is the true champion. Lau and Rene Liu star as a Bonnie and Clyde pair of thieves and lovers arriving at a new junction: the impending birth of their child. When they meet a trusting country bumpkin traveling with his life savings to find a wife, they have to choose between fleecing him or reforming their criminal ways in preparation for their family life.
Buy A World Without Thieves Blu-rayThe action takes place on an extended train ride from the sticks to civilization, a train that is somehow lousy with thieves to such an extent that they end up competing to rob the hick, Sha Gen. This involves ongoing sleight of hand and outright physical skirmishes, all while Gen remains blissfully unaware of the outright depravity of his fellow passengers. There’s plenty of action, with screenplay writer/director Feng Xiaogang keeping the story fully on the tracks throughout its two-hour runtime.
The train full of acrobatic crooks attempting to one-up each other brings to mind Bullet Train, but the focus on protecting Gen gives it emotional complexity absent in that film. Baoqiang Wang is perfectly cast as Gen, all wide-eyed wonder and trusting conviviality with total strangers who may be out to harm him. Instead of simply moving from one action scene to the next, his sweet tale provides coherence and makes us invested in rooting for his innocence to be rewarded.
As for headlining star Lau, he’s reliably charming and cool, although inexplicably saddled with a ridiculous shag wig for most of the film. He doesn’t have much chemistry with the lackluster Liu, but fares better facing off against the numerous other crooks in his way. Those crooks are an intriguing blend of disparate character actors, with each bringing distinctive flair to their roles rather than serving as generic cannon fodder. Chief among them is Ge You in a special appearance as the head of the primary gang of opposing thieves, bringing sage maturity to the trickster elder role.
The Blu-ray is presented in the film’s original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, with Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround. No bonus features are included. Production values are better than average, with especially scenic photography of the remote Chinese countryside and well-executed action scenes.
