Wayne Wang

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Strange, Small & Forgotten Films: Chan Is Missing (1982)

September 13, 2010 in Film | Permalink

Marc Hayashi, far left in baseball cap, later played a doctor on one 1984 episode of Falcon Crest. (Photo by Nancy Wong.)

Wayne Wang’s black-and-white indie comedy is as much a shaggy dog story about the frustrating quest for authentic ethnic identity as it is a mystery that follows two Chinese-American cabbies searching for a man who has mysteriously absconded with their $4000. The title is a play on the name of the Charlie Chan character and the type of stereotypes that are missing from this charming if choppy film.

Jo (Wood Moy) and Steve (Marc Hayashi) are more curious than furious when an elderly man named Chan disappears with their hard-earned cash. They resolve to find him and begin pounding the San Francisco pavement, politely asking questions and following leads. But the pair can’t get anywhere because everyone they talk to has a different take on who the mystery man is: He may be a simpleton who can’t get out of his own way or a genius who invented the Chinese word-processing system. Or maybe he’s something else entirely. As they forge ahead with diminishing hope of seeing their money returned, Chinatown is gradually revealed in its many and surprising complexities.

In one scene, fast-talking Steve jokingly refers to himself as being like both Richard Pryor and Charlie Chan’s Number One Son. He’s come to realize that the missing man isn’t the only one who’s too complicated to easily define. (Available from Netflix and other outlets.)

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