Zhang Zhiyong is a soap salesman just like Ryan O'Neal who sold Bibles in “Paper Moon” and Robert Preston who sold musical instruments in “The Music Man,” except his con is even more predatory. The blighted Northern provincial town in China is no River City, but trouble is coming just the same in “Free and Easy,” by Hong Kong director Jun Geng.
Here is how it works: Zhang Zhiyong blows into town and introduces himself to a bystander, offering him a free sample of a bar of scented soap. When the mark sniffs it, he falls unconscious, allowing Zhang to lift his wallet and valuables. At least that is how it is supposed to work.
'Free and Easy' is still smart and archly funny.
