Taiwanese comedy-drama Night Market Hero was the third homegrown-hit (after Cape No. 7 in 2009 and Menga in 2010) to net a box office take of more than $100 million NT (25 million yuan).

It centers on the tale of the 888 Night Market, home to vendors who have toiled there for decades. Director Ye Tianlun portrays the vendors as people who are sincere, optimistic and warm-hearted, even though they are also street-smart and competitive.

The conflict comes when the area is targeted for redevelopment. The market's young leader Ah Hua (Lan Zhenglong) takes on the fight to keep the market open and the struggle against a corrupt government official.

The melodrama boasts a strong flavor of Taiwanese culture and its urban life, but perhaps the acting style is over-influenced by current trends in Taiwanese TV dramas. As a result, the performance of the cast appears so neurotic and overly dramatic that it eventually becomes another trademark of Taiwan culture, though the acting may look a little clumsy in a different cultural context. There may be a Chinese mainland cinema release in mid-July.
On my 1 to 10 movie scale, I give Night Market Hero a seven.

CRI