Rated: PG
Distributor: Scorpio East Entertainment

Hong Kong gangster movies are known for their brash, in-your-face style. Infernal Affairs and New Police Story were action-packed thrillers teeming with intricacies, but Sparrow is a bird of a different feather. It's almost like a Hong Kong movie made by a Frenchman lingeringly romantic, and so light as a feather we can't even be sure it really exists. In this lightness of being lies the best and worst of Sparrow it's like a gondola ride through the fascinating city of Hong Kong, but the boat stops there. Its story is so sparse, it's practically invisible.

Sparrow, titled after the Cantonese slang for "pickpocket", revolves around a group of rogue pickpockets led by Kei (Simon Yam), a dashing dude who can really pull off beige suits. Riding around town as four-men-on-a-bicycle, they make pickpocketing look like performance art (the scene where they tag-team their victims is filmed in one long, impressive shot), and live enviably carefree lives.

Then a mysterious woman Chun Lei (Kelly Lin), who flirts with all of them, tasks the gang to steal a key for her. But who is this other sparrow, and why has she chosen them?

It's true that Sparrow is no Election; in fact, it bears more of a resemblance to Johnny To's Throwdown. While you won't get many answers to life (or even the plot!) in Sparrow, its cinematography is the stuff of dreams. Even the simple act of Chun Lei and Kei descending a triangular staircase becomes an eloquent story in itself; and the final showdown that's fought with umbrellas is absolutely breathtaking.

This is one of Johnny To's best movies to date, thanks to its evocative, visually arresting style. For extras, there's just a trailer. -Lisa Twang