One Night Only (2016)

Aaron Kwok stars as hardcore gambler who just can't win. When a hooker pushes her way into his room he convinces her to let him use her money for a night of gambling. They do well but there are complications.

A great looking film with some killer performance, Kwok kicks ass as a man seemingly out of luck man as does Yang Zishan as Momo the girl who came to stay for a night. Its a neon drenched romance with  a sting in the tail. Yea it takes some well worn melodramatic turns but at the same time it has some kick ass set pieces (The blindfolded race) and an emotional punch in the chest that will bring a tear to your eye.  Once this film gets going and settles in this film is a winning emotional rollercoaster. Trust me it gets better and better.

And why the hell haven't I heard of it?

ONE NIGHT ONLY is one of those films that makes you wonder where it sprung from. Why hadn't I heard about this film before getting a cryptic email at 2am? While I understand that with NYAFF, Japan Cuts and The Asian American International Film Festival all taking over the New York film scene this month, and Fantasia burning up the international scene it's understandable that some films are going to get lost if they are being released at this time outside of the fray. However ONE NIGHT ONLY is good enough that I can't believe that someone didn't snap it up for a big New York festival push.

What a wonderful surprise.

This is one of those films you watch and you instantly fall in love with it. Its one of those films that feels like an old friend, partly because it cobbles together bits of plot and characters that seem you to know so can't not help, but also because what it does with the bits is just so damn cool that it fashions something new out of them.

This is a super little gem that you shouldn't let get away. Search this one out.

ONE NIGHT ONLY opens in New York Friday and you must see it.