Chan is Missing is an incredible film. I have personally seen it at least a dozen times theatrically and on VHS. The fist four times I saw it it was like a completely different movie each time: so many subtle details I had missed before. It was on the fourth viewing that I found Chan. He was right there plain as day all along. Jeez. I took the late director Howard Brookner ("Bloodhounds of Broadway" and "Burroughs") to a theatrical viewing and told him to watch the sceen very carefully but not telling what to watch for -- and he missed it. Shot in black and white with incredible visual set-ups -- i.e. we hear a German Sheppard barking ferociously but have absolutely no idea what we are looking at. Then, it turns out we are just looking at Woody's desk with a single light as he returns home, the "dog" barking being a recording he's using for security. Lots of hand-held camera work give the film a fast-paced documentary feel: it's as if all these people are in the middle of going about their fast-paced lives and the movie walks in, spends a little time, and goes on its way. Absolutely mind-blowing cinematography throughout: exquisite use of refections, shadows, stillness and movement. Shot in one week on an AFI grant, Wang was forced to leave nothing to waste and he did a marvelous job -- as well as all his actors, much of the dialogue and action improvised magnificently. A true masterpiece.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12