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Review | The Sparring Partner movie review: Hong Kong true-crime drama based on 2013 double homicide blends grisly murder mystery with courtroom musings
- Produced by Philip Yung, this film recounts the gruesome 2013 case of a man, aided by a friend, who murdered and cooked his parents; and the ensuing court case
- Although well acted, the convoluted portrayal of court proceedings ends up bogging the movie down too much to allow for any convincing characters
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3.5/5 stars
A 2013 double murder that shocked Hong Kong when its ghastly details came to light during the trial is the inspiration for The Sparring Partner.
The film is notably produced by critic-turned-director Philip Yung Tsz-kwong, whose own award-winning true-crime murder drama Port of Call (2015) informs many of the artistic directions taken in this new project.
Marking the directorial debut of Ho Cheuk-tin – the assistant director of Yung’s recent film Where the Wind Blows – The Sparring Partner mixes murder mystery and courtroom drama with sprawling meditations on human nature, truth and the state of the city’s law enforcement environment.
Local residents who followed the news in 2014 – when the particulars of the shocking case unravelled – will recall the story of a young man speaking publicly about the “disappearance” of his elderly parents, only to be arrested – along with a friend – for murdering, dismembering and cooking them. This turned out to be the first phase in the twisted duo’s plan to become serial killers.
In its faithful attempt to reconstruct the case, Ho’s film inevitably serves as an acting showcase for its leads.
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