In 1985 Cheung Yau Ming (David Lee) was involved in a brutal rape/murder of tho british youths. Because of his young age he was senteced to 'Detention under Her Majesty's Pleasure' while waiting for a definite judgement. Cut to 1997, 6 months before Great Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China, and Ming is still under the same detention, together with 22 other prisoners, waiting for his sentence. The fear of what's going to happen to them after the handover grows and they desperately write letters to people who may help them but no one bothers. That is until Cheung Yue Ling (Ai Jing) visits Ming in the prison after mail corresponding with him. She wants to help him and she enlist human rights activist Leung Cheung Kan (Stephen Tang) to organize it all. Together with the prisoners families the struggle begins to get the definite sentences carried out...

Director Herman Yau's behind some of the more talked about Category III movies out of Hong Kong (The Untold Story for example) and after seeing those, who would've thought he was capable of bringing to the screen, a poignant drama like this. It shines through in the direction that he himself was very interested in the topic and that he really put his heart and soul into this film. He also acts as cinematographer on films but that trait rarely carries over to his directed movies. What I mean by that is that he rightly seems focused on story when directing and the look of a film when shooting one. This story is told very straightforward and Herman really makes sure that the plot is completely understandable for the audience. Almost every scene is infused with a great attention to detail from everything in the surroundings to the dialogue and acting. Nothing is hard to follow despite the, at times, political dialogue and that's so important to achieve. If you want the audience to pay attention and feel this kind of story in their hearts, you can't rush things. That doesn't mean the movie is boring though. It's paced just right and we've understood all plus created an opinion on the subject after the movie is over.

There's only small glimpses of a very stylized camera language but it's well applied in moments like the highly disturbing rape/murder scene that's seen in flashback from time to time. Here Herman combines frenetic camera work with hard hitting sounds that just creates the mood of disgust at the meaningless act commited. Also scattered throughout is a few character moments where Herman pushes in the camera really close and it's something that, remarkably enough, doesn't take you out of the movie. That's signs of a competent director that's also blessed with a well defined Elsa Chan script. The three main characters all have their similarities in some ways and they all get their moments outside of the struggle, which just makes them alive and much more human. This is hardly a Hong Kong film were everything was made up as the shooting progressed.

Activist Leung Cheung Kan is so dedicated to whatever cause he fights that his relationship with his wife and son are falling apart. Cheung Yue Ling left her mother as a teenager (after an act which I will not disclose here) and prisoner Ming is an orphan. So they all share problems in their family situations in a way. That may, here in writing, sound cliché but it comes full circle in the hands of these actors. Much of that has to do with the fact that they're all newcomers to films (David Lee have appeared in smaller parts in such films as Bullets Over Summer). Not having the familiarity factor there makes this true story as real as you can get on film. They're all in tune with their character and aside from some slight overacting in sentimental scenes, they're all memorable in their roles.

As mentioned, From The Queen To The Chief Executive is based on a true story and it's themes must be conveyed without having to speak to the audience all the time. Herman knows this and gets us interested right from the start. The movies does take side but not against the british rule who initiated the use of the 'Detention under Her Majesty's Pleasure'. It's against the violation of human rights and it's the meaning of the law that the movie criticizes. At the same time, there lies an aura of opposition against the activists from the people in Hong Kong. The movie shows that and the audience may also disagree without the film being ruined. After all, it's youths who have commited serious crimes and they should be punished. They should not be kept waiting for that though. If they know what they were facing they could either better their lives inside for the preparation when they go outside again. To sit and wait without knowing like that must be torture and one prioner even says he would prefer to be shot by a chinese execution squad than endure any more of what he's in. Herman does this way create sympathy in the prisoners but importantly not in the crimes they committed.

From The Queen To The Chief Executive is a real eye opener for a grave injustice. Even if you feel like you can't do anything about it, do yourself a favour and learn of it. For Hong Kong movie fans this is a real powerful movie that needs to be watched, just to see if it's really true that Herman Yau is capable of this. It's definitly one of stronger movies of 2001.

What sets From the Queen to the Chief Executive apart from similar films about prisioners like The Shawshank Redemption or Prison on Fire is that nothing is black or white. Everything is painted in shades of grey. At first, this might prove off-putting to the viewer, as it seems hard to find a sympathetic character in the movie. For instance, even though Ai Ching's character seems sweet and naive, she tried to kill her aunt as a teenager. Tang is dedicated to his job, but ignores or is abusive to his own family. And the brutality of Lee's crime (participating in a rape/murder case) cannot be underestimated. Even though the movie is really not all that violent (especially in the world of prison films), the flashback segements which show the crime definitely have Yau's horror influence on them and are genuinely unsettling. Despite this, Yau manages to create characters which the viewer can develop attachments to, if they allow themselves to do so.

From the Queen to the Chief Executive is a film that rewards multiple viewings, not because of splashy special effects or twisted story lines, but because of characterization. This is a relatively simple part of film that many directors choose to ignore, and From the Queen to the Chief Executive is a refreshing return to a time when a good story was the cornerstone of a film, not its' budget or star. As Hong Kong tries to find its' place in the new global movie market, perhaps they should look more to films like this -- ones that take on Chinese issues while still having a universal message -- instead of big-budget Hollywood wannabes.

While it seems most anyone can slap some special effects and good-looking actors together, it takes something else to create a film which sticks in your mind afterwards. Even though I found myself on the opposite side of many of the characters, From the Queen to the Chief Executive still was a thought-provoking a moving film that warrants a viewing even if serious dramatic movies aren't your cup of tea.