Jeremy’s Review: Livi Zheng’s ‘Brush with Danger’ Misses the Mark

Brush With Danger posterSometimes when you see a film, from the outset you know it’s one you want to see – maybe because you like the lead actor, it’s the passion project of a director you respect or it has a message that is missing in other films. Livi Zheng‘s Brush with Danger is one of these films. Her first feature as a director that was written by her brother and co-star Ken Zheng, Brush with Danger tackles a hot-button topic in illegal immigration to the US from Asia. There are a million ways to approach a subject like thisgoing the character study route a la Cary Fukunaga‘s gorgeous Sin Nombre or showing the dark side of the immigrant experience like Stephen FrearsDirty Pretty Things or even the battle-infused experience of Scorsese‘s The Gangs of New York, all of which were incredibly successful in telling their tales and engaging their audiences. It is unfortunate that Brush with Danger falls flat almost from the opening shot and doesn’t live up to the promise of an interesting premise. Read More →