Rebels of the Neon God (rewatch)
Posted by martinteller on February 28, 2008
This was the only Ming-liang Tsai film that didn’t strike a chord with me or linger in my memory, so seeing it again was a bit like watching it for the first time. Parts of it felt familiar, of course, because many of Tsai’s usual elements (which I don’t think I need to go into again) are present. Still, this is the least Tsai-esque of his films, especially in how it avoids his trademark minimalism. You could easily lump it in with other “restless youth” movies by Wong Kar-Wai, Hsaio-hsien Hou or Edward Yang. So it’s not that distinctive, but it’s done very well and lays the groundwork for his future films. Rating: 8
