Rebels of the Neon God (1992) User Reviews (11)

Taipei -- through a glass darkly

[jeremy23 · 7/10 · 21 December 1998]

Tsai Ming-Liang doesn't make movies per se. He takes slices out of people's lives and puts them up on the screen for people to see.

This movie is an example of this style of film-making seen through the eyes of a group of teens in the city.

The meaning of the movie is open to discussion. My take is that the dark tone of this movie reflects the dark tone of its characters lives. For them Taipei is the beginning and the end. Where else have they ever seen, where else would they go? No careers, no connections, no future, no love, no hope. Nothing but work, study, drinking, failed relationships and ennui.

I don't share Tsai's bleak appraisal of the city. It is every bit as bad and grungy as he paints it (I _lived_ in the apartment with sandals floating across the floor!) but it is also much brighter, much better, and much more hopeful at the same time.

The most powerful thing about this movie is the extent to which it draws you in. I first saw this at the Seattle film festival. I was pulled in to the movie so completely I expected to smell Chinese sausages and _chou dofu_ when I left the theatre.

Rebel with a cause

[arnemyklestad · 7/10 · 9 April 2007]

On a more obvious level of multiple layers, a crucial, cultural point of significance seems lost in translation. As Rebels of the neon god comprise the sense of urban alienation, tradition and cultural adaptation, secularization, the decaying city and loss of identity, the original title translates literally Teenage Nezha. And as implied by his frustrated mother, the main character of Hsiao Kang bares resembling "qualities" to that of the rebel god, born into a human family and in constant opposition. While most reincarnations of Nezha grow additional limbs for the purpose of eradicating their father, Hsiao's idle hands become the playground for the prankster god. Sparked by an act of force, the two main plots of the film intertwine, and are further fueled by the returning violence. After their encounter in the arcade, Hsiao can be seen playing the same shoot-em-up as the one Ah Tze played while sitting next to him, symbolizing a change in character and the unraveling of the revenge. The directors returning use of water as ever-present, controlling element of nature, suppressing spaces of confined and human, primal behavior sets up a hierarchy of command in the metropolitan chaos of Taipei.

Commendable directorial debut; an intriguing story about youthful rebellion.

[akash_sebastian · 7/10 · 26 August 2015]

Acclaimed director Tsai Ming-liang's directorial debut is a fascinating and intriguing story about the rebellious nature of youth, and the emptiness and meaninglessness felt by them. It's also the first of many collaborations between the director and actor Lee Kang-sheng.

Water, water everywhere. Just with regular places like malls, arcades, hotel rooms and houses, Tsai creates a recognizable urban environment, where the rebellious actions of few individuals form a complete cycle. From the James Dean poster to the mention of reincarnation of a rebellious God, and even the Mandarin and English titles of the film, the movie doesn't shy away from telling what it's about. And in its subtle way, it also tries to explore the reasons behind it. Like the cram school one of the protagonists (Hsiao Kang) is sent to, cities are crammed with people in the same way, but despite that, people feel more disconnected than ever. From the phone dating thing service in the story to our present-day social networking sites, the story tries to emphasize that with urbanization, humans have lost touch with direct interactions and brotherhood.

The bleak tone may put some people off, but it actually adds to the tone of the story. Tsai here gives us a slice of these young lives, and asks us to contemplate on 'Why do we do the things we do?' All the actors are cast well, and they do a commendable job.

NOTE: It's preferable if one watches Tsai Ming-liang's films in order because the character Hsiao-kang (Lee Kang-sheng) appears in most of his films, this being the first. The order might help in exploring and understanding the character much better.

an atmospheric masterpiece

[vince4953529 · 10/10 · 30 June 2008]

Having lived in Taiwan from the mid eighties to the late nineties, this film showed how Taipei was like during the early nineties. That was when the MRT was still under construction, and everything looks a little bit old, filthy, run down, and crowded. This film accurately portrayed the lives of the youth living at that time, such as hanging out all day in the arcade, obsession with motorbike racing, and for some going to the after school tutor seminars. when watching this film a wave of nostalgia hit me as I realized that Taiwan now is a lot more polished and modernized, and not as gritty as before, which I have dearly missed.

The film showed the "little people" of a big city. They are often ignored, alienated, and living day by day in the fringe of a faceless and monolithic society.

oedipus at Taiwan

[gyges03 · 6 April 2006]

From the beginning of the film we are aware of the conflict between father and son. When the handsome motorcyclist breaks his father's taxi mirror Hsiao Kang (Kang-sheng Lee) is fascinated by him in a love/hate way. His overwhelming mother who conceives of him as a reincarnation of the God Norcha drives him out of the house by her ranting and effects the necessary break with his father. He redeems his school tuition dives into the nightlife of the luminous,illusionary city.. He follows Ah Tze (Chao-jung Chen) and his brother Ah Bing (Chang-bin Jen) in their nightly decadent rounds and plans revenge. When he finally achieves this revenge, by trashing Ah Tze's motorcycle he is not quite satisfied. Ah Tze and his brother are beaten up. They are plunged into misery and despair. Hsiao Kang goes to a brothel but cannot bring himself to meet with a prostitute. The castration resulting from his break with his father is at least temporarily in effect.

What is so great about this film is precisely its rich imagery and the fascinating performances. It is mesmeric and moving. In the later films many of the actors/characters will have further more developed existences, but in Rebel of the Neon Gods we are introduced to a trope on the James Dean "Rebel Without a Cause" film in a compelling series of images. A fine, perhaps a great film.

A new filmic language

[jvanhuys1988 · 8/10 · 5 February 2017]

The best film about the ironic alienation and loneliness in mega-cities ever made. There is no comparison to Rebels of a Neon God. It is unlike anything you've ever seen or will ever see. Upon careful analysis, it is almost impossible to discern even the basic foundations of a three/five act structure, like the classic act 1, plot point1, act 2 pt1, mid-point, act 2 pt2, plot point 2, act 3... all nowhere to be found.

Tsai Ming-Liang has created A NEW LANGUAGE of film making here.

An essential study for anyone willing to explore a radically different approach to film making. The only film I can think of comparing it to – in terms of creating a new language – is 'Persona' by Ingmar Bergman.

Bravo Tsai! Bravo

The difference between a scooter and a motorbike

[frankde-jong · 7/10 · 10 June 2019]

The story of "Rebels of the Neon God" looks quite simple. The main characters are a student with a scooter and a petty thief with a motorbike. The student is jealous of the petty thief, because he has beautiful girls on his luggage rack. Behind this simple story there are however a couple of more generic themes.

In the first place there is the conflict between the generation of the parents (who beieve in traditional Gods) and the generation of the main characters (who believe in the Neon God). This generation conflict is not unlike that in the classical movie "Rebel without a cause" (1955, Nicholas Ray).

In the second place there is a striking difference between "Rebels of the Neon God" and the films of the fifth generation of directors in China (including Zhang Yimou). In the Chinese films there is a longing for more freedom (after 1989). In "Rebels of a Neon God" the main characters just don't know what to do with their freedom in the prospering economies of the Asian tigers.

Finally the ugliness and coldness of the city of Taipei is notable. It resembles the coldness of Berlin in "Christiane F" (1981, Uli Edel). Where the main characters in 1981 were additcted to drugs, in "Rebels of the Neon God" the gambling halls and gambling addiction are more prominent. In this respect "Rebels of the Neon God" is definitely modern, not to say ahead of its time.

So real, so cool

[xuck · 10/10 · 19 November 1998]

Anyone who has ever visited Taipei would agree that this movie is so real by picturing out the decadent city. The city is getting more terrible with people who deeply believe in fake democracy but ignore their environmental improving. Our young heroes are victims like all the living victims one will easily find in streets of Taipei.

Rain, disengagement, and failure to communicate in Taipei

[netwallah · 7/10 · 2 February 2006]

Young disaffected people in Taipei—two friends steal a lot of coins from telephones and other things. They also play a lot of videogames, and ride motorbikes and drink. One of them lives in an apartment that is always inexplicably flooded. A pretty girl, Ah Kuei (Yu-Wen Wang) takes up with one of them, and there is engagement and disengagement and anomie and sadness, though at the end they don't seem to give up on each other. Another boy drops out of school and follows the crooks, and sabotages a motorcycle, and other such things—his father drives a taxi, and his mother worries because she's been told he's a reincarnation of the god Norcha. The city itself is incredibly busy, cars and motorcycles and crowds everywhere. There's a lot of rain in this movie, too. It's a melancholy scene

An aesthetically pleasing period study

[Saif_Hindawy · 7/10 · 7 March 2024]

A cool exploration of youth culture, disillusionment, and identity formation in this fascinating period study of Taiwan in the 90s. The narrative has a slow burn to it that adds a feeling of realism. The acting is nuanced, and the characters are mostly well written, showing many layers of personality as the drama unfolds. The movie delves into the urban streets, showing intergenerational relations, motorcycles, and arcade shops. I think the movie's attempt to capture the alienation, loneliness and spectacle of the nineties was subtle yet compelling. The soundtrack is also quite nice and very catchy. However, the movie's ending was a bit disappointing, however, and left me feeling unfulfilled. I couldn't help but feeling like there was something missing at the end there.

Strangers in the night

[cwx · 4 August 2006]

In his first film, international "arty" director Tsai Ming-liang tells what is apparently, for him, a fairly accessible tale about two fake thugs, the sometimes-girlfriend of one of them, and a younger teenager who has a strange preoccupation with the three of them. He does so largely with long, one-take, unmoving shots (when the action moves into the background, the camera usually doesn't follow). It's not always easy to understand the relationship between these various characters, which is just as well, as it is pretty languid and obscure in general; teasing out the nuances of these relationships was my main source of interest while watching this film. Overall, it seems to be worth a try, but not worth a recommendation. I got a generally positive impression from it (meaning that it didn't just totally irritate me), but it didn't provoke a strong visceral aesthetic appreciation (that's a little paradoxical I guess) that I get from my favorite "art films." I'm tempted to watch one of Tsai's later, "better-known" (relatively speaking) films, but I'm not sure that I'm that enamored with his visual style or his style of storytelling (as opposed to, say, that of Wong Kar-Wai).