What a (lovable) mess!
When you see the name of "Jeff Lau" as a director and screenwriter, you can expect something very Hkgese. And Treasure Hunt doesn't disappoint... It looks like a thriller with some romance, and a little touch of fantastic. And it takes place in the Shaolin Temple... Sounds quite messy, and it is. And it's even more than that.
What can't be guessed from the cover or the plot is that this movie is mainly a comedy, and a very HKgese comedy. In a few words, it could be retitled "Chow Yun-Fat puts the mess at Shaolin". With his surnatural coolness, Fat Gor teaches the monk how to play baseball, cooks them some french fries and sushis served with some Coke, has some flowers pushing in his hairs, seduces Wu Chien Lien of course, and has friendly hilarious argues with the Shaolin master, Gordon Liu! Then you can add some kung-fu fights, (with a very enjoyable Gordon Liu / Philip Kwok), bloody gunfights, romantic scenes at night under the snow, and you begin to understand that it's really the kind of bullshit that fans like.
The major drawback is that it's impossible to feel any tension, the humor part transforming Yun-Fat's mission into a tourism tour to Shaolin. Hopefully, the romance is quite cute and moving, the action is correctly done, the cinematography is quite nice (thanks to Peter Pau), and Jeff Lau delivers a decent directing. Obviously, Chow Yun-Fat is super cool, and Wu Chien-Lien super cute. Gordon Liu and Philip Kwok deliver nice supporting roles. So if you are looking for a very easy to define movie, with a very well written if not original plot, forget about Treasure Hunt. If you hesitate between romance, action, Shaolin, comedy and fantastic, I think you have found your solution. Totally bullshit, totally HK.
