Michele Reis

A hitman resigns from his job after realizing that he and his boss are beginning to fall in love with each other.

Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michiko Hada, and Michelle Reis, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s gorgeous period reverie is an intoxicating, time-bending experience that traces the romantic intrigue, jealousies, and tensions swirling around four late-nineteenth-century Shanghai “flower houses,” where courtesans live confined to a gilded cage.

Ray is a prominent gambler respectfully referred to as “the Supreme” by the American Chinese. A renowned gambler from Taiwan, Cheung San Ho, covets his title of the Supreme, so he invites Ray to have a showdown of the gamblers in Macau. On his way Macau, Ray swings by Hong Kong to visit his cousin. There, Ray somehow gets swindled by Leslie Mo and Big Dee, and loses all his belongings. Fortunately, his cousin’s friend, Jane Tseng helps him out and he gets to Macau in time. Leslie Mo and Big Dee use Ray’s ID to attend the game in Macau but they get exposed instead. Ray however forgives them and even works with them. Eventually, Ray defeats Cheung San Ho and wins the latter’s respect. The two even become best friends.