Brother Of Darkness (1994) (Remastered)

Directed by Billy Tang Hin Shing

Produced by Kimmy Suen King On

Starring Hugo Ng Toi Yung, Lily Chung Suk Wai, William Ho Kar Kui, Money Lo Man Yee, Anthony Wong Chau Sang, Tsang Kin Wing, Lai Yee, Chan Pui Kei

In what would go on to become the coda piece to Ivan Lai's superbly grisly "Daughter Of Darkness" films, encoring producer Kimmy Suen enlisted the expertise of (the man some wankers have termed "Bloody") Billy Tang to fill the director's chair on this final brutal blow out of an already shockingly graphic series. Tang shifts gender for this installment, detailing the appalling barrage of domestic violence, physical and verbal abuse thrust upon a male protagonist that eventually lead to the same "pushed-past-the-limits" gory retribution of the previous entries. Per the previous films in the series, this is a tough, uncompromising work of cinema that is best left overlooked by genre fans that do not wish to have their faces pushed into the horrors of domestic abuse and psychological terrorization. For the staunch of stomach, read on…

To (Ng) is the adopted brother of familial black sheep Wah (Ho), a violently abusive sibling who has seemingly spent more time in prison than on the streets. To's adopted parents live in the shadow of pure terror of their tyrannical, criminally inclined son. Each hammering on the family's door, accompanied by the coarse recital of "the King is home", signals the return of a monster and the peaceful solitude of their existence shattered to hell. Wah is a demon in human guise, violently abusing his younger brother, forcing his wife into sex acts before the family's horrified eyes, extorting money from his financially challenged parents, and meting out punishment to To with cigarettes and sexual abuse. His family can only cower in fear at the very mention of his name.

As To matures to adulthood, he schools himself in the martial arts to protect himself, and his family, from his monstrous brother's sadistic advances. He finds a sense of purpose and escape from his torturous home life in the love of long-time partner Jenny (Chung). But even in adulthood, Wah's regime of urban terror continues to plague To and his parents. Unable to consummate his relationship with Jenny due to an injury inflicted by Wah that has left him impotent, To becomes despondent and distant in his involvement with her. His life in tatters, when Wah attempts to rape Jenny, To can no longer contain years of pent up rage and, fury unleashed, the consequences will leave a devastating aftermath for all around him.

Told in flashback from the courtroom hearing of the murder case brought against To, Tang's film is a brutal, unflinching tale of the animal that dwells within a violent sector of human society. Be warned, Tang pulls no punches per his usual excursions into the Category III level of Hong Kong filmmaking, making "Brother Of Darkness" an (at times) extremely unpleasant viewing experience. It is also, during its second act thanks to John Wong's evocative score and Tang's masterful direction, a heart-wrenchingly-emotional work of cinema. The scenes between real-life husband and wife team Ng and Chung in this passage are tender, touching moments that fuel a passionate empathy for Ng's character. Although there are scenes, inclusive of the explosively violent finale, which descend into standard exploitation fare, Tang's film is seldom less than thoroughly gripping adult drama. It is raw, unapologetic Eastern filmmaking that addresses some serious societal issues, redressing itself as a genre piece in an attempt to hammer home its message to a broader audience. Don't expect to walk away unscathed, just bite the bullet and face as confrontational a piece of cinema as you are likely to see. Face the animal that is the human psyche at its life destroying worst. It is not fantasy nor fiction, it is an all too grim reality that some face every day.

Universe's DVD re-issue of this former Ocean Shores title (copyright had expired), looks simultaneously excellent AND a tad worse for wear, but as with its predecessor for similar reasons. Universe appear to have gone back to source materials and done the best job they could, with materials available, to restore Tang's film to something resembling its uncut glory. Although missing a small detail from an oral sex scene (the fleeting shot of pre-seminal fluid dripping from Lily Chung's mouth), Universe's remastered edition is slightly more complete than the theatrical version I witnessed back in '95! Shifts between film materials are noticeable, but completely bearable in context. By and large, image quality is uniformly exceptional, with crisp detail, strong colours and a distinct lack of the usual anomalies of Hong Kong discs. Audio is what you'd expect for a low budget adult thriller, clear and distortion free mono, but is a pleasant presentation of John Wong's best score since his work on "To Live & Die In Tsim Sha Tsui" and "Man Wanted". Collectively, this is a valiant effort by Universe and a vastly superior disc rendition than Ocean Shores godawful original release. There are no extra materials present whatsoever, as this is a bare-bones budget re-release.

At the height of his Category III output, Billy Tang held no peer in Hong Kong as the region's premiere reigning adult-horror master. This and the equally confrontational "Red To Kill" are the best current examples of why he held that accolade available on DVD from Hong Kong. Until some enterprising distributor releases his similarly disturbing "Doctor Lam" and "Run & Kill", these will remain to be clear evidence of a true genre auteur at the peak of his creative output. Neither entertaining in the true sense of the word, or an acceptably "safe" exercise in horror cinema, Tang's "Brother Of Darkness" challenges its viewer to delve into the darkest recesses of the violent criminal human psyche. If this is not territory you feel comfortable traversing, then I implore you please, please do not view this film. It is a brutally frank dissection of a subject that many viewers would prefer to leave behind locked doors. But there's some things we can't hide from forever. Tang challenges us to face our own worst fear. Ourselves.

Review by M.C.Thomason