Writer: Elaine Ewe

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As a general rule of thumb, local films are given a lot of leverage. No one is really sure why, but part of the reason may be their directors' and actors' never-say-die attitude and unwavering support for their own films. In the case of "Taikun", all the praise heaped upon it by fans of the director, cast, or Malaysians in general is not enough to save it from its racist and pretentious self.

Local comedy kings Along Raja Lawak and Angah Raja Lawak star as two best friends who call themselves Tai and Kun respectively, as a play on the word which means gangster boss. Of course, it stands to reason that the duo are not white collar workers themselves, and have a penchant for fighting. After being released from jail due to their inability to produce their identification cards, the two proceed to sell pirated DVDs on other gangs' areas, namely two rival gangs known as King Cobra and Black Rose. After beating up members from both gangs, they are then approached by each of the gang's leaders, both of which are eager to recruit the pair into their gangs for their expertise. Tai and Kun, who are only after the money, decide that they could have it all by working for both gangs simultaneously in secret, but complications arise when both gang leaders find out that they have a mole in each of their gangs and begin a man hunt of their own.

Let me kick this review off by saying that the premise of "Taikun" bears similarity with Hollywood's recently well-received "21 Jump Street" feature film adaptation starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. Both have a buddy thing going on and both involve gangs, which is why "Taikun" incompetence in pulling it off is teeth-grinding and hair-pulling. First of all, Angah Raja Lawak has decided that his character is better off talking in a grating Chinese accent, which renders his speech almost incomprehensible, not to mention offensive. To add insult to the injury, Tai also has a washable tattoo of a panda on his chest, which, coupled with his Chinese accent, makes him seem more menacing.

Meanwhile, the female characters are relegated to cheap roles with singular names such as Cinta and Shasha (for almost the whole of the film, Kun calls her Mama instead), while the extras are clubbers, prostitutes and porn actresses. All of them speak in a high-pitched and overly affectionate manner, as if Malaysian men are made for coddling. If the aim of "Taikun" is to emphasize that all Malay girls are shallow and cheap, then congratulations, they have succeeded very well. In that same manner, it is very difficult to determine whether the cast's acting is good, but they certainly do not lack enthusiasm.

Throughout the film's progression, director Ismail 'Bob' Hasim has a difficult time with the pacing and figuring out a way to develop the relationships in any meaningful way, especially between the two leads. He also chooses to pepper the script with plenty of moralistic teachings, which all comes out hollow. Manan, King Cobra's gang leader, declares that he will not be responsible for the downfall of his race by selling drugs, which is why he chooses to stick with selling pirated DVDs instead. However, when it is inserted in a narrative that is anxious to get Tai and Kun into the next fight as soon as they come out of one, it lacks the punch needed.

This is because the selling point of the action comedy was meant to be the action scenes, which are done without wires or the help of computer-generated imagery (CGI), a huge feat considering the two leads' lack of martial arts background. Perhaps the cinematographer should have used CGI and wires after all, for after the surprisingly decent stunts and commendable cinematography in the beginning, they resorted to recycling the stunts over and over again, making the gimmick stale while the script forces our two protagonists continue beating people up. It becomes tedious to the point that you begin to wish for a reprieve, and not in that tense, edge-of-your-seat kind of way, but from sheer boredom.

Overall, "Taikun" is a film that not only thinks its audience dumb, but tries its hardest to dumb any intelligent signs of life down to its level. Some may try to justify it by saying that it is a low-budget production or with its status as an action comedy or its purposeful intentions to be offensive, but since "Taikun" is not marketed as such like Sacha Baron Cohen's "The Dictator", its racist and sexist overtones are merely hypocritical.

Cinema Online, 02 October 2012