"Were Those Cops?"

It did not seem strange to find our favorite video store with the gate only half open when we approached. After all, we had arrived before 6pm. The strange part was the odd green ribbon draped across the doorway and the man loitering out front. Assuming the loiterer to be in the know, we asked when the shop would open today but the man said nothing. A discreet smile found its way to a corner of his mouth as he pointed over his shoulder at the dodgy looking green ribbon. Fluttering in the wind as we approached, the words on the ribbon had been hidden from us, but they soon gave away the inside joke the man had enjoyed: “Customs and Excise Department.”

Reader, Hong Kong is a great place to live and this is one more reason why. Allow me to set the stage. When I lived in the US I knew a lot of people (too numerous to count, let alone mention here) who downloaded music, movies, and programs from the smorgasbord that is the Internet, but I only knew a few who bought their pirated items from an actual physical vendor. Only on street corners in New York’s East Village and LA’s Chinatown did I encounter the stereotypical guy with DVD’s laid out on a blanket. Even there, the proprietors were shifty-eyed, and vigilant for a thief or a cop. For me, I enjoyed watching movies for free, but I just couldn’t get past the whole breaking the law.

Fast-forward two years to an after dinner walk in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay area. Seemingly by chance, as all well-chosen retail shops are, we found a video store, selling entire seasons of American TV shows as well as classic movies. This was a gem because we had searched high and low these and not only did we find them, we found them for cheap. You could by the first four seasons of House for $300 HKD, all of 24 for $350, and the complete works of Akira Kurosawa for $200. This must be too good to be true, we thought, as we hurried home to pop in 24. But it was not; the DVD’s played fine.

The next time we were in Causeway, we made sure to stop by the store only to find it under investigation by Hong Kong Customs and their little green ribbons. As we hurriedly walked away, I kind of felt like a junkie sent away by the undercover drug dealer. Nothing like asking a cop when they will leave so I can go back to purchasing my counterfeit items. Needless to say, we were a bit embarrassed but mostly amused.

The best part of the story is that after spending the morning walking through the Hong Kong Park, we found ourselves in Causeway, so we thought we would check to see what ever happened to that shop. We rounded the corner, passed the guy selling roasted chestnuts and there it was, bustling and humming as if nothing had happened. When we stepped inside, I wondered if the seemingly bootleg copies of shows would have been replaced by more expensive and likely more legitimate movies, but their selection had not changed one iota. I was still able to buy 18 films for just $248 HKD.

I realize the legal theorist in me may ache at the thought of this, but the citizen in me rejoices that the authorities have seen fit to allow this establishment to stay open. So if you’re ever in Hong Kong and you would like to borrow a movie, just give me a call. I have every movie Will Smith has made since Bad Boys.