Have a Nice Day

A youthful driver's theft from his criminal boss prompts sundry eager opportunists and a ruthless hitman to join the chase for the missing cash in this animated Chinese feature which nods to the post-Tarantino school of criss-crossing modern film noir. Running just over an hour and a quarter, this offering from Chinese indie director Liu Jian builds simmering tension from the promise of looming carnage in this quiet rural backwater, and has a way of delivering cruel punishment when the characters least expect it. It's certainly cartoonish in its bloody excess, and indeed the superficiality of numerous individuals driven solely by the prospect of getting rich quick. Yet there's a strong point being made here about the failings of the Chinese capitalist dream and the sheer desperation of those left behind. Notable are the vivid background visuals highlighting the dismal living and working environments created by unfinished development, all set against the ironic contrast of a breezy electro-pop score by the (Brooklyn-based!) Shanghai Restoration Project.