Just One Look (2002)

75% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
32% of users liked it
(196 ratings)

Featuring an appearance by Cantopop megastars Twins and set in 1970s Hong Kong, this nostalgic comedy drama from director Riley Ip concerns itself with a young man as he contemplates revenge on the gangster he believes responsible for his father's death. Though his policeman father had committed… More Featuring an appearance by Cantopop megastars Twins and set in 1970s Hong Kong, this nostalgic comedy drama from director Riley Ip concerns itself with a young man as he contemplates revenge on the gangster he believes responsible for his father's death. Though his policeman father had committed suicide in a movie theater toilet ten years earlier, Fan (Shawn Yu) still believes that the local kingpin called "Crazy" (Anthony Wong) is somehow responsible for his death. Making a living by selling his family wares in front of a local theater, Fan and his best friend Ming (Wong You-Nam) decide to enlist in a kung fu class to impress the master's daughter Nam (Charlene Choi). Things later get complicated when Fan falls for a mysterious country girl (Gillian Chung). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Kam-Hung Yip
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Nov 22, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Apr 20, 2004

Critic Reviews

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Fails to overcome its recycled elements but displays a winning spirit that's hard to dislike.
Derek Elley, Variety
An utterly charming retro romancer set against a background of '70s movie going.
Dana Stevens, New York Times
This valentine to Hong Kong cinema should resonate with anyone who's been through the painful apprenticeship of learning the difference between life and the movies.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Just One Look proves that Hollywood doesn't have exclusive rights to jokes about constipation.
Akiva Gottlieb, Village Voice
A paean to cinephilia that might goad viewers into questioning the value of film itself.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Sometimes hilarious, sometimes melodramatic, Just One Look always rings true.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Subtle, and with a surprisingly melancholy aftertaste, it proves that Hong Kong films don't have to be all action to be good.
David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
A romantic kung-fu comedy with a good heart.