Dark Rendezvous (HK 1969)

Rating: **
Review Date: 6/24/19
Cast: Ling Yun, Yu Chien

A doctor fakes his own death so that he can kill his pregnant girlfriend. Detective Wenjiang Zhang (Ling Yun) investigates the case, despite repeated warnings by the police to mind his own business. The girl's death is somehow related to a group of erotic nightclubs that throw decadent private parties and deal in illegal drugs. The nightclubs are run by a sinister and sexy woman named Luna (Yu Chien), and she enjoys trying to seduce Wenjiang while conjuring up a suitable death for him. When the stakes get too high and Wenjiang finds himself in real trouble, the police finally show up to rescue him and shoot everyone else they run into.

It's a stylish thriller that's most notable for its rousing music score and Japanese cinematic sensibilities. The cinematography is wonderful and the film is bursting with color. Ling Yun is a handsome and charismatic actor who looks slick in a well-tailored suit. Yu Chien is stunningly beautiful, although the fashions of the time are a bit outlandish and not particularly flattering. The film is light on action, but Ling Yun gets into a couple of nice fights. The gunplay is unintentionally hilarious, as people standing three feet away from each other consistently miss hitting each other. The pacing is slow and the story isn't very engaging, but the art direction is interesting and the characters are attractive and fun to watch.