the laserman : somehow the title of writer-director-producer peter wang’s film conjures up images of superheroes , like ultraman and spiderman .
you kind of expect an adventure flick about a crime fighter who can shoot laser beams from his fingertips .
as it turns out , the laserman _is_ about crime and about laser beams , but there aren’t any superheroes .
instead , wang’s film is populated by a group of refreshingly off-beat characters living in the ultimate cultural melting pot : new york city .
the laserman is a comic brew which celebrates ethnicity , eccentricity , and electricity .
the film tells the bizarre story of arthur weiss ( marc hayashi ) , a chinese-american laser scientist whose life becomes incredibly hectic after he accidentally kills his lab assistant in an experiment .
he loses his job but finds work with a mysterious company which secretly plans to use laser technology to commit dastardly deeds .
arthur’s professional life is cluttered with moral dilemmas .
his personal life , on the other hand , is cluttered with colorful friends and quirky relatives .
in fact , arthur is by far the blandest character in the film , despite a charismatic performance by hayashi ( the san francisco-based actor whose films include chan is missing and the karate kid ii ) .
it’s the auxiliary characters who give the laserman its unique spark .
arthur’s not-so-typical jewish mother , ruth , for example , is convinced that a chinese soul is trapped in her jewish body .
she has dyed her red hair black , she takes herbal medicine daily , and she is perpetually cooking up strange delicacies , such as matzo balls in soy sauce–the ultimate fusion of jewish and chinese cuisine .
veteran stage actress joan copeland takes the part and runs with it , almost stealing the movie in the process .
she plays ruth as a driven woman , determined to overcome her genetic heritage by immersing herself in chinese culture .
arthur’s girlfriend janet ( maryann urbano ) is a kooky free-spirit who would rather meditate than copulate ; her ultimate goal is orgasm through zen meditation .
arthur’s best friend , joey ( tony leung ) , is a small time thief who hustles everything from microwave ovens to machine guns .
joey is married to arthur’s jewish sister , but he is also having an affair with a chinese immigrant who works in a whore house .
arthur’s 11-year-old son , jimmy , played by the amazingly adorable david chan , is–horror of horrors–bad at math !
he finds it impossible to meet his father’s lofty expectations .
the various people in arthur’s life come together to form a rich tapestry of humanity .
like wang’s earlier film , a great wall ( about a san francisco family visiting relatives in china ) , the laserman revolves around cultural differences .
every character in the film is , in some way or another , trying to find his identity–struggling to negotiate a balance between his native culture and the american way .
the movie also offers a provocative look at technology .
wang appears in the movie as lieutenant lu , a detective who is fed up with machines , even though he relies on them to do his job .
the film views technology with a wary eye , acknowledging its necessity while at the same time realizing its potential dangers .
wang raises the time-honored question of whether scientists should be held responsible for their inventions .
was einstein responsible for the a-bomb ?
is arthur weiss responsible for his lasers ?
the movie pits spirituality against technology , man against machine , and the result is a draw .
according to the film , technology has its place , but we must employ it with great forethought and caution .
ironically , by its very nature , the laserman is a triumph of technology–the technology of filmmaking .
wang’s direction is exquisite , especially during the tense finale in which the director frantically cross-cuts between the various subplots , perhaps in homage to d . w .
griffith .
cinematographer ernest dickerson , who has worked on all of spike lee’s films , gives the laserman a distinctive , artistic look .
mason daring’s score , which includes a send-up of bach , is right on target .
the laserman is an ambitious endeavor , which is to be applauded , but it’s sometimes ambitious to a fault .
wang serves up so many slices of life in the film that it’s hard to digest them all .
for instance , one character ( arthur’s sister ) has negligible screen time , and consequently we just don’t care about her marital problems .
in weaving his web , wang has included a few too many strands .
overall , however , the laserman is a charmingly eclectic concoction .
on the surface , the film is a light and bouncy comedy-thriller , overflowing with whimsical humor and visual style .
the heavier issues emerge only when you take a deeper look at the film .
you can ponder the moral questions or you can just sit back and enjoy the absurdity of life in china town .