Life Without Principle / Dyut Meng Gam
Hong Kong, China / 2011 / 107 min.
Director: Johnnie TO
[Introduction]
The principle characters are three people living ordinary lives. Teresa, a banker ordered to sell high risk securities by her boss, engages in sales day and night. Panther, a small time gangster who takes routine jobs for the triads, is conceiving of a plan to help a friend with his impending bankruptcy. Detective Cheung is wracking his brain to cope with the family problems brought up by his wife and father. One day, Teresa's moneylending client withdraws a large sum of money from the bank. Immediately afterward, he is assaulted in the parking lot and the money is stolen. The fates of these 3 individuals are intertwined by this incident, the situation unfolding in an unexpected manner amid the abruptly triggered financial crisis.... Johnny TO devoted a number of years to producing "Life Without Principle," a masterpiece ensemble film severely critical of modern society realized as breathtaking entertainment. The structure by which the complex threads of the first half unravel all at once toward the ending in the second half can only be described as impressive. Screened in the competition section of the Venice International Film Festival.
Johnnie TO
Born in 1955 in Hong Kong. After directing many television dramas for TVB, he made his directorial debut in 1980 with "The Enigmatic Case." Worked on many kinds of entertainment films from action to comedies to romance. Established his own production company, Milkyway Image, in 1996 and became an active producer. Directed "The Mission" in 1999 which was enthusiastically received abroad, thereafter many of his films were screened at international film festivals. Other major works include "Running Out of Time" (99), "Throw Down" (04), "Election" (05), "Exiled" (06), and "Vengeance" (09) among others.
