** FREE SCREENING AS PART OF THE DIVERSITY WEEK FILM FESTIVAL. CLICK http://www.anufg.org.au/read/7585/diversity-week-film-festival-2012-august.html[HERE] FOR MORE DETAILS. **

The Great Magician is an action / fantasy / romance / comedy / mystery / political thriller / Chinese period piece. Surely that's the epitome of 'something for everyone' isn't it?

In case you need more, the film is set in early 20th century China, a tumultuous time following the fall of the Empire. The local warlord Bully Lei (Lau) is doing all he can to maintain control against the forces rising against him from all directions. Not to mention attempting to woo his potential 7th wife, Yin (Zhou).

Into this mess returns magician Chang Hsien (Leung), looking to rescue his mentor from the warlord and reclaim the affections of his former fiancée - who just happens to be the object of Bully's affections too. So begins a twisting tale of double-crosses, double agents and doublespeak as everyone does whatever it takes to get their way. The perfect place for a skilled magician to ply his trade...

This is an undeniably fun ride, especially the interplay between Leung and Lau who have a lot of fun with their shifting characters. Just trying to keep up with the constantly changing allegiances is enough to make the time pass quickly. Definitely something here for everyone... which I'm confident includes you, so come along!

** FREE SCREENING AS PART OF THE DIVERSITY WEEK FILM FESTIVAL. CLICK http://www.anufg.org.au/read/7585/diversity-week-film-festival-2012-august.html[HERE] FOR MORE DETAILS. **

It's not so much life without principle: most of the characters, I think, have principles, somewhere, deep down. But I suppose 'Life with Badly Compromised Principles' lacks punch. The original Cantonese translates as 'Lethal Gold': certainly punchy, but since this is not a Jason Statham heist movie, perhaps misleading. Or perhaps not: despite the fact that this is a movie about the effects of the 2008 financial market crash - and it's a multi-plotline character study drama - it's also got some of the flavour of an action movie, with people desperately running for their lives. The director is a legend in Hong Kong (although I'm embarrassed to admit I hadn't heard of him), who grinds out up to three mostly action movies a year: this is his fifty-somethingth feature and, while I'm sure he can direct something this polished in his sleep by now, he somehow manages to keep it feeling fresh.

There are three main stories: a junior gang member, fiercely loyal to his uncle boss, finds to his surprise that naïve enthusiasm is not enough to make it in the criminal underworld; a weary homicide detective struggles to make time for his fiancée; and a young bank officer finds herself pushing risky stock options on guileless pensioners, against her better judgement (and better nature). Soon a global financial crisis will strike all three. Some will be literally struck, by objects both blunt and sharp.