Evil Instinct

As the title would imply, EVIL INSTINCT is a Hong Kong rip-off of the Hollywood thriller BASIC INSTINCT, albeit one made in a distinctive Hong Kong style. That is, the film is full of weird editing, offbeat camera angles, and bizarre characters that could only appear in Chinese cinema.

The film is one that's content to parade the starlets around in their form-fitting attire for the most part, although most of the thing is a tease with both Carrie Ng and Diana Pang leaving the nudity to lesser-known actresses. For much of the running time you'll be scratching your head and wondering what on earth's going on, because there's so much weirdness in this that it all gets a bit confusing.

I'll admit right now that I love Hong Kong cinema mainly for its action, so to discover that there's none in this was a bit of a disappointment. The acting isn't too great either, with the male cast members giving particularly stilted performances (I'm looking at you, Bowie Lam), although Diana Pang was my favourite performer and seems to be giving it her all. There are some amusing moments involving S&M antics and the like, but for the most part EVIL INSTINCT seems oddly shy about showing anything too explicit, either in terms of sex or violence.