Doctor Mack/Mack The Knife Movie

My Score: 7/10

★★★★☆

Director: Lee Chi-Ngai

Cast: Tony Leung Chiu Wai Jordan Chan Andy Hui Chi-On

Genre: Comedy/Slice-of-Life

Summary: Based on the manga Dr. Kumahige by Sho Fumimura and Takumi Nagayasu.
 One doctor works in the red light district while his friend, who is also a doctor, basks in fame and fortune at a well-known hospital.

Review: From the description and promo picture, I thought this movie was going to be more raunchy. However, it was pretty noble.
Dr. Mack reminded me of Great Teacher Onizuka. No, it’s nothing like that story, but the characters were alike as rough and simple characters with a heart of gold. I could imagine Dr. Mack as Onizuka’s older brother.

Calm and self-assured, his main credo is to help a patient no matter what. He doesn’t care about money or fame in the slightest. Just as an artist can’t help but doodle or draw on a blank paper, he can’t help but fix injured people and he doesn’t care about any consequences that may arise in doing so. It may make him look ignorant, but he’s just a really carefree guy.

On the other hand, his doctor friend Dr. Jaw, uses Dr. Mack’s genius ideas as his own to get even more fame. Once he gets jealous enough, he turns on Dr. Mack and tries to get him kicked out of the medical field.
It’s a nice contrast of the types of doctors out there.

I thought the acting was great. The main storyline was entertaining as well as the side character’s stories.
The way the film explored heavy topics such as life and death in a witty and matter-of-fact way gave the movie a feel-good ambiance, which was interesting. There were also some funny parts that really made it worth watching.

Warning: Talk about prostitutes. A passing, mild sex scene in the opening (hardly noticeable). A racial joke is made near the end of the movie.