Passionate Nights (1997) | Hong Kong Movie World film review

Passionate Nights (1997)

Italconcepts Fashion Inc. | Congrad Company Limited | Vision Production Studio

Cast: Pauline Chan, Fennie Yuen, Edmond Leung, Ada Choi, Wong Wai, Kung Suet Fa,

Ha Ping, Suki Chan, Bowie Lam, Ha Chi Chun, Convoy Chan, Sonia Wu

Cameo: Bobby Yip, Spencer Lam

Producer: Joe Hau Director: Joe Hau

Genre: Drama | Comedy Rating: IIB

"Some guys wear a mask and do evil deeds, but people take them as good guys."

Passionate Nights movie poster

One night Liu Siu Suen's (Pauline Chan) rich hubby Ma Joe Fai (Wong Wai) is driving as he

quarrels with his wife. Then their car plummets into the sea. Ma drowns but Liu survives, and

without any evidence of wrondoing, she is set to inherit his belongings and collect $30 million

from an insurance policy.

Liu becomes owner of the mansion where she cohabitates with Ma's mother (Ha Ping) and

his 2 daughters (Suki Kwan and Ada Choi). The whole family despises Liu and blames her for

Ma's death. Liu shows no remorse for his death and flaunts her newfound power shamelessly.
Insurance solicitor (Fennie Yuen) is instructed to investigate Liu because if she murdered

her husband then they won't have to pay her the millions. After repeated threats to her

life from an unknown assailant, Liu hires a loyal bodyguard (played by Edmond Leung).

Plot twists ensue.

Passionate Nights not only stretches credulity but deliberately misleads the audience to think

one way about certain characters, then does a switcheroo. No one is exactly what they seem.

This makes the film essentially a mystery, with the puzzle of whether Liu killed her husband and

who is trying to kill Liu. Yet it is also a comedy. Spencer Lam has an amusing cameo as a

security company owner with an excessive sales pitch. The Wong Fei Hong theme plays when

dutiful bodyguard Edmond Leung enters (his character is named "Lee Lin Kit", Jet Li's

Chinese name).
Despite the misleading title and casting of sexpot Pauline Chan, Passionate Nights is not an erotic

film in any respect. Chan appears in a bathing suit and numerous other outfits, but there is no

nudity and few sexual situations. Pauline's role is especially convincing, as she was known to

have a rich sugar daddy in real life. Her performance as a world-weary former bargirl seems

almost effortless.
Despite everything, Passionate Nights is entertaining and is a good vehicle for Pauline Chan,

an actress with a certain charisma.

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Related viewing: Boy's? (1996) Pauline Chan, Fennie Yuen, Edmond Leung