Tropical Fish (1995)

This lively Taiwanese children's comedy follows the exploits of two kidnapped children who must study for the crucial Joint Entrance Exam while their captor makes repeated bungled attempts to collect their ransom. Much of the story centers on lazy middle-school student Zhi-Qiang who is more interested in video games and his cute schoolmate than passing the test that will determine his future. As the film begins, Zhi-Qiang is being beaten by his teacher for being lazy. His life changes when a local boy is abducted and he ... Read More

This lively Taiwanese children's comedy follows the exploits of two kidnapped children who must study for the crucial Joint Entrance Exam while their captor makes repeated bungled attempts to collect their ransom. Much of the story centers on lazy middle-school student Zhi-Qiang who is more interested in video games and his cute schoolmate than passing the test that will determine his future. As the film begins, Zhi-Qiang is being beaten by his teacher for being lazy. His life changes when a local boy is abducted and he runs across the captor and ends up a captive himself. The man behind the plot is a cruel ex-cop, but he is killed during a motorcycle accident and the children are left in the hands of his dim-bulbed but amiable assistant, Ah-Ching. He takes the kids to a small coastal village to stay with his clan of eccentric relatives while he heads back to Taipei to collect the ransoms. On the television, newscasters are more upset by the fact that Zhi-Qiang may miss his chance to take the JEE than by the fact that he has been kidnapped. Fortunately, Ah-Ching keeps bringing the boy school books to study after each failed attempt to get the ransoms. Sandra Brennan, Rovi Read Less