Long suppressed by efforts to reach the all-ages mainland market and, until recently, a reluctance to turn away under-18s at the local box office, Hong Kong sex comedy makes a high-profile return in Lee Kung-lok’s 3D Naked Ambition.
Chapman To stars as Wyman Chan, a writer of erotic fiction who finds himself unemployed when the newspaper he works for scraps its adult section. After checking in with a porn-selling pal (Derek Tsang) and another mate (Tyson Chak), a plan is hatched to head to Japan and start a new type of AV (adult video) operation in which investors can ogle stars during set visits.
Things don’t go to plan at the first film shoot, however. The visitors quickly get bored and start calling out requests, prompting the lead actor to quit and the Hongkongers’ fixer Shodaiko (Josie Ho) to request a new actor on the spot. When Chan becomes a reluctant stand-in, his feisty co-star (Tatsumi Yui) seizes the moment and takes charge of the bedroom romp. And once the film hits the shops, the expected mosaic to hide Chan’s identity doesn’t turn up.
The video quickly causes a sensation in Japan – women are aflutter over the new Cantonese-speaking actor who lets himself be dominated – and a search for Chan’s identity by video companies ensues. When his girlfriend (Candy Yuen) and even his mum find out, Chan sees nothing left for him in Hong Kong and returns to Japan to make it in the skin-flick biz. Soon dubbed Mario Ozawa and managed by Shodaiko, the unlikely star embarks on training and AV success.
Hong Kong’s earlier high-profile stereoscopic sleaze film, 3D Sex and Zen in 2011, didn’t win many admirers with its onslaught of screen sadism. So it’s a big plus that Lee’s name-only follow-up to Naked Ambition (2003) simply aims for easygoing sex-fuelled entertainment with the 3D twist. As Mario Ozawa gains fame, a string of perky AV parodies hit the screen with titles like Pervettes in Train – Push of Okita's L Cup and Come for a Body Check, Mario, each eager to please with goofy comic acting and porn-star cameos. And when Ozawa later competes with flamboyant actor Nagasaki Naoki (Louis Koo) for the title of King of AV, the spoofs escalate into outlandish mini-epics spiked with silly effects and pop culture references. Quieter scenes meanwhile consider what qualities make women so drawn to Ozawa’s charms, offer a touch of romance when the actor meets a nervous newbie (Aoi Tsukasa), and even throw in an encouraging message for Hongkongers too.
Lead actor Chapman To tackles the quirky comedy with gusto, going so far as having buffed up for 3D Naked Ambition’s many displays of flesh. Josie Ho extends the offbeat performances and adds a touch of melancholy too, while Candy Yuen impresses in a side role as Chan’s suffering girlfriend. Adding more Hong Kong-focused touches are fun showings from Sandra Ng, who turns up in an apparent cameo exchange with Golden Chickensss, as well as from Louis Koo, who’s terrific as an Ozawa clone, and the cast-against-type Charlene Choi and Wong Jing. Connoisseurs of the AV scene are meanwhile offered a series of saucy setups with actresses including Tatsumi Yui, Aoi Tsukasa, Aso Nozomi and Okita Anri. Veteran Yuki Maiko, a starlet who built a large Hong Kong fan base in the late 1990s, turns up too. And funniest of all the Japanese talent is “Hand of God” Kato Taka, playing an AV ace who can bring pretty much anything to climax. Sure, roles like Kato’s don’t scream classy cinema. But just having spicy fare like 3D Naked Ambition pump up the diversity of Hong Kong film is already enough to celebrate.
Tim Youngs