Made on an incredibly low budget (under $20,000), this charming maiden effort from Wayne Wang (Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, Slamdance) is set in the Chinatown of San Francisco, and features an all Chinese-American cast (and sensibility). When Chan, a friend of cabbie Jo (Wood Moy) and his nephew Steve (Marc Hayashi), disappears with their $4,000, the two amateur sleuths take to the streets of San Francisco to solve the mystery. But locating the slippery Chan is a bit of a red herring, as viewers are instead treated to life Chinese-American style: the political differences between the Taiwanese and the People's Republic partisans, the struggle to reconcile traditional Chinese customs with American culture, and the generational gaps between the young and old in Chinatown. A clever comedy/cultural introduction that benefits greatly from the synchronous performances of Moy and Hayashi, who mesh wonderfully as the relative (in both senses of the word) detectives. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)
[DVD Review—Feb. 7, 2006—Koch Lorber, 80 min., in Cantonese & English w/English subtitles, not rated, $29.98—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1982's Chan is Missing sports a nice black-and-white transfer and Dolby Digital surround sound. DVD extras include a 29-minute 'Is Chan Missing?' 'making-of' documentary, interviews with costars Wood Moy (10 min.) and Marc Hayashi (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a winning film.]
[Blu-ray Review—May 25, 2022—Criterion, 75 min., in English, Cantonese & Mandarin w/English subtitles, not rated, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, “Chan Is Missing”(1982) is presented with a fine high-definition transfer and extras including Debbie Lum’s“making-of” documentary Is Chan Still Missing?, new conversations between director WayneWang and critic Hua Hsu and Wang and filmmaker Ang Lee, a conversation between Wang and film programmer Dennis Lim, and a leaflet with an essay by critic Oliver Wang. Bottom line: Wang’s indie first film makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]