Italian Premiere | In Competition | ONLINE
Taiwan, 2024, 131’, Mandarin, Taiwanese
Directed by: Yao Hung-i, Ray Jiang
Screenplay: Red Chang, Joyce Liu, Chiang Hsi-wen, Shih Cheng-yu
Cinematography (color): Yao Hung-i
Editing: Stone Ho
Production Design: Marcus Zheng
Music: Armo Huang
Action Choreography: Hong Eui-jung, Hung Shih-hao
Producers: Red Chang, Simon Chang, Michael Chang
Cast: Tsai Chen Nan (Yung), Lung Tien-hsiang (Ko), Jason King (Hee), Jack Kao (Kuei), Tai Bo (Hada), Hsia Ching-ting (Wen-cheng), Edward Sun (Feng), Wang Shih-hsien (Ren), Sunny Wang (Michael), Harry Chang (Scorpion), Shih Ming-shuai (Meng), Rexen Cheng (Qing), Chang Tsai-hsing (Bao), Huang Shang-Ho (Chao), Panda Wu (Panda), Gary Tang (Pan), Chen Wan-hao (Chun)
Date of First Release in Territory: August 16th, 2024
Like many other film industries in the world, Taiwan’s film business has been struggling to lure audiences into cinemas. However, the Gatao franchise has provided one of the few bright spots that the industry desperately needs, becoming a rare surefire hit with local audiences. What started out as a throwback to old-school gangster films has blossomed into a full-blown cinematic universe with a large ensemble cast of Taiwan’s toughest-looking male actors.
After the third instalment, The Last Stray (2021), showed a softer side of the crime world with an affecting love story at its core, series producer Red Chang and returning director Ray Jiang replace romance with bromance for Like Father Like Son, which takes the franchise back to its roots in multiple ways.
Like previous entries, Like Father Like Son depicts the never-ending feud between warring gangs in an unnamed northern Taiwanese metropolis. Once again taking the Memento playbook and moving further backwards in time, Like Father Like Son is set several years before third instalment The Last Stray and focuses once again on the Mongrels, a group of small-time thugs who later become the members of the North Fort Five Tigers, who are prominently featured in second film Rise of the King.
I won’t recount every major character and faction of the Gatao universe, but the feud at the centre of this instalment is the one between North Fort (renamed Beiguan in the subtitles this time) and Daqiaotou, with the Mongrels caught in the middle. For fans, the biggest reason for them to catch Like Father Like Son is the return of Michael (Sunny Wang), the arrogant Daqiaotou princeling who returned to Taiwan from the US to take over his late father’s throne in the original Gatao.
The other big name returning is actor Wang Shih-hsien, who had the spotlight in Rise of the King as North Fort boss Ren, but didn’t take part in The Last Stray. Despite taking a supporting role this time around, Ren plays an integral role in the second half of the film as the conflict between the Mongrels and Michael escalates. Wang exudes the gravitas of an elder statesman, commanding every scene he is in with dominating presence. Wang’s charismatic performance makes it easy to understand why Ren has always been a fan favourite.
However, those entering the Gatao universe for the first time will be happy to know that much of the film is focused on two new characters: Meng (Shih Ming-shuai), the de facto Mongrels leader who is looking for a fresh start after his release from prison, and Scorpion (Harry Chang), the ruthless Daqiaotou lieutenant who becomes jealous of the Mongrels after they pull off a bold heist for Michael. The most impressive feat that writers Chiang Hsi-wen and Shih Cheng-yu achieve is finding a narrative that will keep newcomers interested while giving enough references to reward fans who have followed the series all along.
While there isn’t any action sequence on the scale of the street brawl in Rise of the King, the action choreography – credited to Korea’s Hong Eui-jung and Taiwan’s Hung Shih-hao – remains rough and impressive as ever, especially a one-on-one rumble that results in possibly the franchise’s most gruesome death. However, the primary reason why this franchise’s fan base has only grown bigger over the years is the compelling characters and the great actors embodying them. The gangster genre will always earn the curiosity of audiences who want to peek into the dangerous and forbidden world of organised crime, but it’s ultimately storytelling and characters that keep audiences coming back. Fortunately for the franchise, Like Father Like Son should persuade plenty of people to catch the forthcoming Gatao TV series that will extend this vast gangster universe even further.
Yao Hung-i
Yao started his film career as an assistant on Hou Hsiao-hsien’s
Good Men, Good Women (1995) and participated on many of Hou’s subsequent films. Under Hou’s encouragement, Hung also ventured into directing. His 2011 documentary
Hometown Boy won the Golden Horse for Best Documentary.
FILMOGRAPHY
2006 – Reflections
2011 – Hometown Boy
2022 – Salute
2024 – Gatao: Like Father Like Son
Ray Jiang
Ray Jiang began his career as an assistant director and production planner. In 2018, he won Best Directing in a Television Series at the Golden Bell Awards for his work on
Age of Rebellion.
Gatao: Like Father Like Son is his latest directorial effort.
FILMOGRAPHY
2021 – Gatao: The Last Stray
2024 – Gatao: Like Father Like Son