Director: Han Shuai
Cast: Fan Bingbing, Lee Joo-young, Kim Young-ho, Kim Min-gwi, Yun Ki-chang, Yoo Byung-sun, Eom Ji-man
Screenplay: Han Shuai
92 mins. Not Rated.

Green Night has been hailed as a welcome return for actress Fan Bingbing (X-Men: Days of Future Past). It’s been several years since the notable actress has taken a new role. I, for one, was very excited for her triumphant return, and while she does solid work in Green Night, this film is a not-so-triumphant experience that wastes Bingbing’s talent and loses the excitement that a new starring vehicle should promise.

Jin Xia (Bingbing) is stuck in an oppressive, unloving marriage to her husband. When she meets a mysterious green-haired woman at work, she ends up on an overnight adventure through the city with her, seeing opportunities to finally change her life for the better.

Directed by Han Shuai (Summer Blur), Green Night feels like a filmmaker trying to emulate Wong Kar-wai, succeeding visually but not emotionally. The movie looks gorgeous, expertly colored frames of city nightlife that just pop off the screen. The lead actresses have tremendous chemistry, and they look beautiful in the colorfully lit city lights.

That cinematography and chemistry can only extend so far, though, and Green Night suffers from a very uninteresting screenplay with plodding plotting and terribly unlikable characters that aren’t interesting enough to make up for these flaws. I feel like Bingbing and Lee Joo-young (Broker), who plays the green haired woman, are putting their best effort into their characters and dialogue, but it’s not enough when the screenplay gives them nothing of value to do with their 92 minutes. These characters are seemingly written to be contradictory but instead come off as unpleasant to be around. There’s a scene where they rob a passed out person in the bar, break into their home, and then make fun of them. Up until then, I was curious about the character interplay, but why should I connect with Jin Xia’s plight if they are seemingly fine with these decisions. I’m not trying to be moral police on this, but I can only put up with unlikable characters if they are interesting enough to follow, which is not the case here.

Green Night is a lovely-looking film that copies its visuals from a legendary director, with unlikable characters and dull writing throughout. I was really hoping to crown a triumphant win for a returning actress who I quite enjoy, but this isn’t it. Bingbing and the rest of the cast deserve better writing here.

2/5
-Kyle A. Goethe