SCHEMES IN ANTIQUES – A Review by John Strange
I love action films with characters like those brought to life by Harrison Ford and Jackie Chan. I don’t know what I expected from Schemes in Antiques. The description given by the distributor sounded interesting, but it didn’t lead me to expect a great adventure film!
The premise is that a member of the five-family consortium that oversees antiquities, was executed for giving the Japanese a valuable artifact. The Japanese are now offering to return the artifact.
The last living scion of the disgraced family, Xu Yuan, is now a drunk who repairs appliances. He is given the chance to redeem his honor and locate the real artifact when he proves the one in Japanese hands is fake.
The film has a good flow as the man continually astounds us with his knowledge of his family’s trade. He has rivals and contenders vying for the prize and has the assistance from a young lady whose talents, while slightly different than those of our hero, complements his very well. And then there is the man, a friend of Yuan’s father, whose background is shady at best. You can’t be sure whose side he is really working for.
Schemes in Antiques is well-written and flows well. The acting talent is excellent. The action sequences are tightly choreographed but believable. I really enjoyed this film. I give it 4.5-stars, well worth your time!
Director: Derek Kwok
Cast: Lei Jiayin, Li Xian, Xin Zhilei, Ge You
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Selig Rating: 4.5 Stars
Runtime: 123 Min.
Release Date: 12/17/2021
Local Theaters: Cinemark Legacy and XD (Plano)
Language: Mandarin
Subtitles: Chinese, English
Movie Site: SCHEMES IN ANTIQUES Official Site
Trailer: SCHEMES IN ANTIQUES Trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
