Inseparable (2011) User Reviews

Could've been great but ended

[bobbyxie1984 · 6/10 · 7 June 2012]

This movie would be great if it's concepts were original. The script is basically a mash up of several Hollywood concepts/twists which are by the way, very apparent to the viewer. The film felt dragged out a lot of the time.

Kevin Spacey does what he does best. He's a well trained actor and it shows in his work. I think Daniel Wu did alright considering who his supporting actor was.

There are ways to answer questions clearly and ways to answer them subtly (something the show 'Mad Men' does very well). This movie went for the latter and didn't do a very good job of it. It was confusing in a bad way, especially with how Daniel Wu's wife was portrayed.

I will give a kudos to Spacey for stepping into the Chinese market before the rest of Hollywood's actors realize what early exposure there now could do for their global careers in the future.

" When the heart is empty, so too is the mind "

[thinker1691 · 5/10 · 7 September 2013]

The writer and director of this film was Dayyan Eng. His story relates the unusual experiences of Li (Daniel Wu) a design engineer at an up and coming industrial firm which makes human prosthetic limbs. He is good at his job, but now comes under tremendous pressure to hurry up and finish his latest design, which seems to have a flaw in it. At the same time, his marriage is falling apart and he seeks desperately to save it. However, he finds life difficult and far too demanding to deal with and decides to commit suicide. However, like everything else in his crumbling situation he is interrupted by Chuck (Kevin Spacey) a very noisy neighbor, who offers to help. Having tried medicinal drugs, Li discovers they create more problems for him and Chuck's advice only turns him into a Superhero. The movie is briefly comical, but it is not sustained. Indeed, with the likes of Kevin Spacey and with character actor (Armagoddon) Peter Stormare this audience member expected much, much more. As it is, Spacey's exceptional talents are wasted and the movie submerges into deep waters where it is relegated to sink on it's own. ***

Mixing two unoriginal ideas and it turned out mediocre

[KineticSeoul · 5/10 · 19 January 2013]

This is far from being a original flick which is alright if the progressions and development is good. But that isn't really the case here, it's kind of a "Fight Club" meets "Kick-Ass" mash up that isn't all that fun or thrilling. It's watchable but pretty darn mediocre at best. Instead it just comes off mediocre. Putting 2 different concept into one movie can work and in this case it does to some degree. But those 2 concepts or ideas has been done much better individually. The editing is also poorly done and just seem all over the place sometimes. It's like a group of people got together and was like dude "Fight Club" is a cool movie or other movies that has to do with some dude hallucinating and lets put vigilante superheroes in it cause that is always cool. For a straight to DVD movie the production is decent and the cinematography is good for a straight to DVD movie. The thought of a guy that is down on his luck so breaks down and hallucinates and becomes a vigilante superhero with no powers may seem like a coherent movie that would be cool to watch. And I will say it's watchable but nothing special.

5.8/10

A Choppy Blend of Genres that tried to be 'KickAss' and then some.

[perseusathenian · 3/10 · 6 December 2013]

Daniel Wu plays a mild mannered, affluent, urban professional in Guangzhou who is faced with a few personal problems which the film generalizes as the consequence of modern China's capitalist system.

He works at a seemingly unscrupulous corporation which is rushing to market with an unsafe prosthetic product despite his objections. He is 'asked' by a supervisor to lie about the product's safety at an upcoming public securities exchange hearing. Daniel is also bypassed for a promotion which is given to the son of the company's owner.

At home, he struggles to maintain his marriage after his wife who had recently suffered the miscarriage of a deformed fetus. It is revealed later that the wife was taking folic supplements from a company that had been using fillers in their products. This part is based on a true story.

Unable to cope with these pressures, Daniel's character attempts suicide but is foiled by a mysterious, nosy expat neighbor, Kevin Spacey who has some unconventional ideas for Daniel's catharsis. They include vandalism and costumed vigilantism.

Daniel's bilingual character is unconvincing as is the washed up looking Spacey who appeared awkward and out of place. Perhaps that was intentional when we learn towards the end that Spacey's character and the version of the 'wife' who accompanied them on their escapades are not who they seem.

This was an unoriginal, choppy genre blend of 'KickAss','Breaking Bad' and some sophomoric social commentary about China's post-marxist economic boom.

East meets West... nah - but we get a great film

[zootalaws · 7/10 · 14 August 2012]

I'm afraid I can't agree with some of the other reviewers on here. I really liked this film - for a number of reasons.

It was fast-paced, funny, while highlighting some of the issues facing an increasingly commercialising China. Mental illness, cultural erosion, love, loss, crime - this story has it all.

Living in Asia, I watch a lot of movies of various ethnicities - it's nice to see some 'serious' film- making that doesn't have a cast of tens of thousands, a music score with 200 dancers, or based on a folk story from a thousand years ago, etc.

The reviewers that derided this film as being derivative are missing the point - as well as being factually incorrect, IMHO - this is a modern, urban tale of an emerging China and as such is almost impossible to compare with something from the West. While the sub-plot of the buddy movie that allows Spacey his role, the more pervasive story line is the modernisation of China.

I think a lot of Western audiences, given the opportunity to see this film, will be surprised at the way life is heading in Asia - the old stereotypes are falling daily.

The impact this film has had around Asia is indicative of the scarcity of quality home-grown drama. While on a storytelling level this film was a little uneven, what it does is breaks ground for other directors and sets the stage for audiences to expect a level and content of Chinese film-making previously unseen.

For years now China has been making technically superior films - beautiful scenery and cinematography, massive sets and casts of thousands along with stunning design and costuming, but nearly always the subject was historical stories or epic fiction.

Seeing a new wave of Chinese directors making films for an increasingly cosmopolitan middle-class is heartening as this pushes further the maturation of China as a modern, democratic country.

Once you start to see films such as this exposing some of the foibles in society, you know that acceptance is not far behind, and acceptance breeds an egalitarian society.

I love visiting the new China and I look forward with relish to Mr Eng's next work.

Not what I expected! 2/10

[leonblackwood · 2/10 · 25 August 2013]

Review: I really didn't enjoy this movie because I found it quite boring and uninteresting. I worked out the whole plot from the beginning, without knowing the storyline, so I just tried to concentrate on the annoying subtitles which spoiled the movie for me. I liked Kevin Spacey's character but he wasn't that involves in the whole movie. It was more about Li who whose losing the plot. I got tricked by the poster because I thought that it was going to be like Kick Ass, but it ended up being a drama which moved at a slow pace and was quite disappointing.

Round-Up: Kevin Spacey seems to be doing any and everything nowadays. He will never hit the form that he did in movies like Seven or Usual Suspects because they just don't make movies like them anymore, which is a shame. He will always be well respected in Hollywood, but I find his mannerisms and gestures repetitive. All of the other actors couldn't have done that much more with there roles and I haven't seen them in anything else to compare there performance to.

I recommend this movie to people who like there dramas about how people deal with stress. 2/10

Silly, predictable, but also quite fun

[bowmanblue · 7/10 · 31 July 2014]

Kevin Spacey. Do you like him? If so, you should probably like this film because, like so many of his films of late, he basically carries the whole affair. That's not saying the other actors are bad (they're all quite good, actually), but it's just that Spacey has the best part, therefore all the best lines to go with it.

It's about a young man who's basically having a bit of a breakdown - his job and marriage are both in turmoil, but things start looking up when he meets his neighbour, Spacey, who gives him some radical advice on taking charge of his life. Before long, the pair are donning costumes and looking for trouble.

It's also a bit of a mind-bender. Don't expect it to be an easy ride when it comes to near the end and the frequent use of subtitles will mean you have to pay attention at all times.

It's not the most original of films (in fact there's a very famous film starring Brad Pitt that it - loosely - reminded me of, but I won't say which as it might give away important plot points). However, Spacey is as good as ever and it's a watchable way of spending an hour and a half. It's not a classic, but you shouldn't feel too disappointed.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Guardian Angel Kevin Spacey

[Genkinchan · 4/10 · 8 May 2022]

Ok the reason I rated this movie quite low because Kevin Spacey get top billing and his appearance was not that much in the movie although his acting is funny and on point.. the story line is a bit confusing towards the end..

Daniel Wu play li who recently lost both of his parents in an accident while four months ago his unborn baby died while his workplace was unhealthy too.. thinking of ending his life Chuck came out and pull him out of his misery.. both of them embark in a superheroes journey type yet silly but still entertaining until the middle part kicks in... the scene I hated the most was the restaurant scene where his wife is an illusion... not much explanation

Although towards the end like all China movie all must.end well.

Average movie, not so original either

[SuperMah · 6/10 · 8 August 2012]

The movie tells the story of a man who has encountered a series of misfortunate events that has made him lose hope. This certainly isn't the first time seeing this kind of story line. What the writers have done is combine a few story lines together to make something "new".

The first 20 minutes of the movie lays down the ground very nicely but from their it seems to go down and then back up due to the many twists that happen right to the end.

The acting was awful. Kevin Spacey didn't seem at the top of his game and Daniel Wu's was just average. The rest of the cast didn't do much in terms of acting to help make the viewer feel the emotions of the characters.

Directing was also average nothing special.

Although there are many down sides to this movie it seems to have a charm about it that kind of makes it enjoyable. I don't think it is a must see but if you like to be surprised when watching movies this could be a good option.

brilliant

[expansivethinking · 9/10 · 2 March 2012]

finally a film that is not some epic warlord/kung fu waste of cash. This story thoughtfully told with humor and wit is a breath of fresh air. This is so much better than flowers of war by Zhang Yi Mou. That film failed to move me at all and left me cold. Amazing because it seems china is favoring stylish fluff over substance, which is Director Eng's film really is unique. Kevin Spacey and Daniel Wu work really well together as a crime fighting duo. Layered with subtleties , the film has the ability to make you laugh and understand that todays china is filled with some major problems for everyday citizens. Here is hoping this will be released stateside for others to be able to watch.

When endings are beginnings

[draciron · 7/10 · 20 April 2015]

You can look at this as the ultimate redemption movie. Chuck saves Li while Li is literally at the end of his rope and hilarity ensues from there. The thing about this movie that some reviewers missed is that this movie isn't about comedy, that's a by product. Sure some of the plots have been reused, then again it's SOOO difficult to find a movie that isn't a rehash of other movies today that it's easy to forgive the light borrowing in this one. The movie is stitched together with a purpose, with meaning. THAT is the point of this movie.

On the downside the movie has lulls which are a distraction rather than help move the story or tell the story. Some of the gags do not come off quite like the writer probably envisioned. Overall though this is a good movie and carries a strong message.

Chinese Superhero

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 1 February 2014]

Some things shouldn't be separated. And this "Tag Team" that forms here is one of those "things". Over 50 % of the movie is in Chinese (unless you watch a dubbed version in your country), but that shouldn't make this movie less appealing to you. The dreams, desires and ambitions portrayed here do not feel far removed to anyone (well some of them and the others are at least understandable).

For those of you who have been watching movies from China from time to time, you will notice the main actor in this. You might see a few things coming (it's right there ... or not), but that doesn't take the fun away from things. Nicely played and executed with much gusto. A superhero movie that isn't just that

Like Mulholland Drive but less vulgar

[ablewuzi · 7/10 · 6 March 2013]

Figure this for a spoiler.

The film is basically another Mulholland Dr. but without the gratuitous and shocking sex scenes. This director lets the audience in on the secret, that the point of view is from an unreliable character, a bit sooner.

There seem to be two subtexts. One about modern white collar life in China. They other about the United States lecturing China. There are even a few flashes of the surreal to remind me of Fellini.

For me there were two disappointments. The first is the flabby Kevin Spacey. It is not flattering to America, but I guess its deliberate and part of the "lecturing" subtext. The other is the fairy tale blitz out. You go the whole film thinking "this is going to end bad" but at the last moment the fairy godmother steps in and clears everything up. I think that is deliberate too because the director makes it so obvious. So there might be some hidden subversive third subtext lying underneath it all.

Anyway, not having Chinese sensibilities, I am sure I missed a lot, and have to give it only a 7 out of my own inability to understand well enough.

Surprisingly Inspirational

[kodilane-450-539730 · 9/10 · 15 August 2012]

In the same depth as Inception and Shutter Island. A Tragedy and Recovery. Thoughtful journey and emotional struggle. Very Enjoyable, subtly comedic, well planned and insightful. Good Character Development, Wonderful Acting, and enjoyable soundtrack. Good Storytelling, and is deeply insightful. Certain scenes left me curious, and questioning, progressive content, and great locations. Defiantly Worth a Watch. I don't really want to talk to much more about the story, as you need to just see this movie. If you love getting lost in the story, and connecting with the main character, this gives you a chance to feel his thoughts and to think as he would, to really sympathize with the character, and question your own thought process and existence.