Perth (2004)

Director: Djinn

Starring: Lim Kay Tong

For those familiar with Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic Taxi Driver, Djinn's movie homage strikes a chord. Like Scorsese's protagonist Travis Bickle, Harry Lee (the irony in the name is almost self-evident) is a part-time security guard, and then a taxi driver ferrying call girls. As a marginal character in society, Lee's ambition is to save enough money to emigrate to Perth, his idealized retirement utopia. However, like Bickle, he becomes increasingly involved with one of his prostitute passengers and attempts to buy her freedom--it doesn't end well at all. (the full title of the movie is, tellingly--Perth: the Geylang Massacre)

It is perhaps unfortunate to tout the film as "Singapore's answer to Taxi Driver," as the DVD box boldly quotes one particularly impressed reviewer. It sets very high expectations for the film--and while it is a homage, Perth is arguably a very different creature from Scorsese's creation.

In Djinn's movie for example, Lee might be angry and lonely, but he isn't a friendless misfit (at least--not friendless). He has a wife (albeit with a strained relationship), and the coffeeshop scenes in which he bitches with others about the moral decay in Singapore develops the (few) friendships he has very well.

There is also the issue of context--while the Vietnam War was good fodder for quite a few alienation movies in the US (the first Rambo is a very good example), it is hard to imagine Lee's situation playing out here--would the recession and working class unhappiness be sufficient to push someone over the edge? As an exercise in style, however, the gritty cinematography beautifully captures the seedy reality of Lee that, to my mind, wasn't so much present amongst the neon lights and colours of last week's feature, Pleasure Factory--which really is a modern adaptation of classic whore romances. But perhaps you will have thoughts on this, after Friday.

PS: there is FoodZ. if you're early--movie starts strictly at 7.30.