Chor Lau Heung

Cast:
Chor Lau Heung - Richie Ren
So Yung Yung - Gigi Lai
Si Hung Sing Yee - Ruby Lin
Wu Tip Fa - Lai Yiu Cheung
Lei Hung Jau - Cheung Sai
Song Yim Yee - Yang Rui
Seh Yee Yan - Mark Cheng
Seh Siu Yan - Tsui Siu Keung

Guest Stars:
Lei Chum Foon - Ekin Cheng
Sung Sai Wu - Anita Yuen
Yu Chan - Dicky Cheung
Si Hung Jat Sing - Ng Man Tat
Emporer - Daniel Chan
Seh Hor Yan - Kristy Yang
Si Fung Wong - Angie Cheung
Ming Chu - Lin Xi Lei
Fung Nam Yin - Monica Chan

I've been a huge fan of Chor Lau Heung ever since I saw Adam Cheng's 1979 version back 15 years ago. Since then, I've seen just about every adaptation on this legendary character and read all the books ever written about him. When I heard the news that they were going to film a Chor Lau Heung 2001, I was excited. When I heard that my favorite singer Richie Ren was to play the role, I was even more excited. But also with a bit of nervousness. When I was waiting for my copy of Chor Lau Heung 2001 VCDs to arrive, I suffered insomnia from anxiety.

Richie Ren as Chor Lau Heung:
It is not a secret that Richie doesn't have the average person's definition of a pretty face. I was nervous about the fact that he was to play Chor Lau Heung because I knew he'd be critisized very badly for it. Since I've read all the legitimate Chor Lau Heung novels written by Gu Long, I got the impression that Chor is supposed to be more charismatic than anything else. He supposedly have this special air that surrounds him, making him irresistable to women. Richie has that air. Even though he's not your typical pretty boy, he is very attractive in his own unique way. About his acting, it has improved significantly from his previous roles (Yeung Gor and Ling Wu Chong). Even though I can't get used to his dubbed voice, I still have to admit that it was easier to feel the ancient atmosphere without listening to his Taiwanese accent. Richie has always struck me as one of the more natural actors. His acting is a lot less theatrical and pretentious than most others. For this reason, some people may feel that he's not well suited for these ancient dramas. Richie's Chor Lau Heung started off as a regular street rat. As the story progresses, he slowly matures into the more heroic Chor from the books. I thought Richie gave a pretty good portrayal of this character developement.

Female Leads:
Gigi Lai's So Yung Yung was a huge surprise. Instead of the sweet little girl that she used to be, now we have a sharp, hot tempered woman who's determined and argumental. I don't know if I like this new version of Yung Yung better, but Gigi did do a wonderful job playing the role given to her. I really like her costume and hair too. Very refreshing. On the other hand, Ruby Lin's Si Hung Sing Yee felt a little extra. Even though some of the story circled around the love between her and Chor, those were during boring and dragging parts. Most of the time I felt she was just tagging along and didn't really feel that her presence was all that necessary. I guess that's what happens when the script writers were forced into creating a new role on the spot. As for her acting, I don't think she could do much besides opening her eyes really wide and looking cute.

Supporting Roles:
Cheung Sai's Lei Hung Jau has got to be the best. She nailed the smart, resourceful character down to the bones. I enjoyed watching scenes of her with Chor Lau Heung more than him with any other girl, and they are not even lovers! Yeung Rui's Sung Tim Yee was very cute and not nearly as annoying as the Tim Yee from other adaptations. I do have to complain about Lai Yiu Cheung's Wu Tip Fa. I felt the director took him for granted. Not only did he have a sucky minor role, he also managed to be killed off for no reason. What a waste on such a talented actor.

Guest Appearances:
Probably one of the biggest highlights of this series is the appearance of many guest stars. However, this also created a weakness in the overall show. Because these people don't have time to stick around for long, the director, Wong Jing, had them all drop like flies. It was exciting to see new faces constantly, but it also felt a little too much. They come and go, and the audience was given no time to grow attached to their presence at all. A series can't be as enjoyable when most of the characters are forgotten by the viewer the moment they disappear.

The Plot and Script:
The overall story was pretty good. I like how they stringed up a bunch of little stories by one major thread, which is the conflict between the good guys and the assassin's clan. However, the script did cause the biggest downfall. The very thought of fighting monsters made of wood, mircle fruits that put people into a coma while they heal from life-threatening injuries, all that hypnotizing of people's minds... what can I say, quite absurd. Also, there was way too much talking going on. Less talk and more action would've greatly increased the entertainment value of the series. There were too many unnecessary scenes and dialogue that made it almost unbearable to watch at times. But if you manage to suffer through these parts, it'll get exciting and interesting again. Had they made the show more consistant throughout, they probably wouldn've encountered the problem of trying to jam everything into those last few episodes, which were way too rushed (especially that last major combat with the leader of Heaven's Net).

Overall I give this series 3.5 stars out of 5. It may not be faithful to the novel in terms of story and characters, and it may not be perfect in any way, but it is definitely a grand production worthy of watching.