Search - Koma on DVD

You Can Harvest My Organs, But You'll Never Win My Heart--"K

K. Harris | Las Vegas, NV | 03/05/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Having seen so many Asian horror films recently with a supernatural bent, I feared "Koma" might be more of the same. I have nothing against supernatural horror, per se, I was just in the mood for some variety. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by the very real, yet delightfully over-the-top, world of "Koma" by Hong Kong filmmaker Chi-Leung Law. This lurid revenge film about illegal organ harvesting may not qualify as "art," but it embraces its delirious plot and brings a classic urban legend to life. And while I loved the macabre silliness of the film's central plot, its gruesome treats are somewhat hampered by inconsistent pacing and far-fetched story twists.



"Koma" begins innocently enough with Kar Yan Lam, as the film's meek heroine, attending a wedding reception. Stumbling drunkenly through a hotel, she happens upon a grisly scene. A young woman, bleeding profusely, has just awoken in a tub of ice with her kidney removed. While the victim is flailing on the floor for help, Lam herself narrowly escapes being murdered. We flash forward to the police station, Lam identifies another woman who she saw suspiciously lurking around the scene of the crime. This lady, played by Angelica Lee, may or may not be involved in the amateur surgery--but one thing is for sure, she has had an affair with Lam's fiance. This coincidence propels the remainder of the film as the ladies engage in some psychological headgames.



Without spoiling too much of the plot, it does evolve in rather unexpected ways. The relationship between the women (and the fiance, for that matter) is complicated. It changes in ways that I will not mention as the film does attempt some level of clever character development. The women may have more in common than it first appears. However, the film's "clever" revelations sometimes strain credibility. This is not an insurmountable problem for a briskly paced thriller, though--but "Koma," while always interesting, is not what I'd call fast paced. Therefore, the plot inconsistencies can be glaringly apparent. For example, there is a dream within a dream sequence that results in a real life tooth extraction--but it doesn't pan out logically and nor is it ever mentioned again. Our heroine is also in the stages of renal failure, but that doesn't stop her from partaking in excessive drink (a medical improbability).



Anyway, I enjoyed seeing this particular urban legend come to life. The more graphic scenes are well staged, and the actors are appropriately malleable to the largely unbelievable plot twists. "Koma" is still a lot of fun and I'd recommend it to fans of the genre. Ultimately, though, the film asks you to suspend disbelief and stick with it--even, when at times, I don't think it earns it. Not a total failure, "Koma" is an interesting film worth a look--but maybe not repeated viewing. KGHarris, 03/07."