Slim 'Til Dead (2005)

Dir: Wong Jing/Marco Mak

Sporadically gruesome, occasionally sardonic and undeniably slick thriller from the ever-dependable Wong Jing production line (with help from his protege Mak). "Slim 'Til Dead" (aka "Sul Sun") stars Anthony Wong as an ineffectual cop tracking down a serial killer. The victims are all glamour idols who promote a slimming centre called Friends of Fitness and regularly appear on a TV Show, "Slim Queen". Their bodies are found either horribly starved or mutilated until they weigh exactly 70lb (at which point they're stamped with a delicatessen barcode proclaiming this). This isn't exactly top-drawer filmmaking but it's solid enough entertainment, moves along at a good pace, is loaded with quality actors and has a decent enough twist at the end to have made it worth your while. There's also a wonderfully shot scene in a room of mirrors that, whilst an overdone trick, looks fantastic. Good popcorn fodder. Would work inappropriately well on a double bill with Brett Leonard's "Feed". **1/2