Taiwanese performer Alan Kuo plays A-Tai, the wayward son of the leader of a Din Tai troupe, which specialises in accompanying Taoist processions and ceremonies. The emotional crux of the movie stems from the conflict that A-Tai has with his father (Chen Bo Zheng), with the latter writing his son off as a flighty, irreverent ne` er do well. Circumstance and rivalry with an opposing group leads A-Tai to take over his father as the leader of the motley individuals that make up his troupe.
Din Tao is not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination. Alan Kuo comes across as petulant and generally unsympathetic in the first half of the movie, and the film relies heavily on deus ex machina circumstance to catapult his troupe to fame. Thankfully, the film manages to leverage on the acting chops of veteran performer Chen Bo Zheng, and a handful of emotionally heartfelt and genuinely amusing moments. Director Fung Kai takes a leisurely amount of time to get the film`s narrative up and running, with several extraneous scenes that would have served the movie better if they had been left on the cutting room floor.
That being said, Din Tao: Leader of the Parade is an emotionally sincere endeavour that highlights the importance of family and perseverance, and is likely to be a crowd favourite despite its slightly obscure subject matter.
Summary: Imperfect but enjoyable.
Rating: 3/5 stars