Winner of the Chinese Film Media Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, among a number of other local and international awards, “Drug War” is the first Johnnie To action film to be shot entirely in Mainland China.
The story revolves around two men, Captain Zhang Lei, a police officer, and Timmy Choi, a middle level criminal. When the police, headed by Zhang, manage to capture a number of “mules” carrying drugs in their stomachs, they also stumble upon Choi, who has crashed his car a little before and is now hospitalized. It is quickly revealed that Choi is an essential cog in a drug-trafficking syndicate with connections to Japan and Korea. In order to avoid the death penalty, Choi decides to give up the rest of the gang to Zhang. This includes Haha, a constantly laughing owner of fishing boats that serves as administrator, “Uncle Bill”, the mastermind of the syndicate,...
The story revolves around two men, Captain Zhang Lei, a police officer, and Timmy Choi, a middle level criminal. When the police, headed by Zhang, manage to capture a number of “mules” carrying drugs in their stomachs, they also stumble upon Choi, who has crashed his car a little before and is now hospitalized. It is quickly revealed that Choi is an essential cog in a drug-trafficking syndicate with connections to Japan and Korea. In order to avoid the death penalty, Choi decides to give up the rest of the gang to Zhang. This includes Haha, a constantly laughing owner of fishing boats that serves as administrator, “Uncle Bill”, the mastermind of the syndicate,...
- 4/4/2017
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The Grand Bell Awards , also known as Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea.
About The Grand Bell AwardsAward Winners
The 52nd ceremony was held on November 20, 2015 in the Kbs Hall in Seoul and hosted by Shin Hyun Joon and Han Go Eun. To promote the awards beyond the borders of Korea, the show was also broadcasted live online in China and a new category was added, regarding foreign actors. Furthermore, the head of the steering committee announced that they were pressing for North Korean directors and actors to attend and compete.
Gao Yuanyuan
However, the ceremony was an utter disaster, chiefly due to a number of mishandling and much controversy. Roughly a month before the ceremony, the organizers announced that they would present awards only to the winners that attended the ceremony. Otherwise,...
- 11/30/2015
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Media Asia Films has signed a deal with South Korea’s Jong Film to remake Johnnie To’s Drug War into a Korean-language feature.
The Hong Kong-based studio has also sold Korean rights to action thriller Helios to Pan Cinema, following a bidding war among Korean buyers.
Released in Hong Kong and China in 2012, Drug War tells the story of a drug cartel boss who is arrested in a raid and coerced into betraying his former accomplices in an undercover operation. Louis Koo and Sun Honglei head the cast.
Media Asia is also in talks to sell the English-language remake rights to Drug War, and expects to close a deal soon.
Co-directed by Sunny Luk and Longman Leung (Cold War), Helios revolves around a criminal who uses uranium stolen from Korea to make a nuclear bomb, which is scheduled to change hands in Hong Kong. The cast includes Hong Kong’s Jacky Cheung and Nick Cheung and Korea...
The Hong Kong-based studio has also sold Korean rights to action thriller Helios to Pan Cinema, following a bidding war among Korean buyers.
Released in Hong Kong and China in 2012, Drug War tells the story of a drug cartel boss who is arrested in a raid and coerced into betraying his former accomplices in an undercover operation. Louis Koo and Sun Honglei head the cast.
Media Asia is also in talks to sell the English-language remake rights to Drug War, and expects to close a deal soon.
Co-directed by Sunny Luk and Longman Leung (Cold War), Helios revolves around a criminal who uses uranium stolen from Korea to make a nuclear bomb, which is scheduled to change hands in Hong Kong. The cast includes Hong Kong’s Jacky Cheung and Nick Cheung and Korea...
- 5/18/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Media Asia Films has signed a deal with South Korea’s Jong Film to remake Johnnie To’s Drug War into a Korean-language feature.
The Hong Kong-based studio has also sold Korean rights to action thriller Helios to Pan Cinema, following a bidding war among Korean buyers.
Released in Hong Kong and China in 2012, Drug War tells the story of a drug cartel boss who is arrested in a raid and coerced into betraying his former accomplices in an undercover operation. Louis Koo and Sun Honglei head the cast.
Media Asia is also in talks to sell the English-language remake rights to Drug War, and expects to close a deal soon.
Co-directed by Sunny Luk and Longman Leung (Cold War), Helios revolves around a criminal who uses uranium stolen from Korea to make a nuclear bomb, which is scheduled to change hands in Hong Kong. The cast includes Hong Kong’s Jacky Cheung and Nick Cheung and Korea...
The Hong Kong-based studio has also sold Korean rights to action thriller Helios to Pan Cinema, following a bidding war among Korean buyers.
Released in Hong Kong and China in 2012, Drug War tells the story of a drug cartel boss who is arrested in a raid and coerced into betraying his former accomplices in an undercover operation. Louis Koo and Sun Honglei head the cast.
Media Asia is also in talks to sell the English-language remake rights to Drug War, and expects to close a deal soon.
Co-directed by Sunny Luk and Longman Leung (Cold War), Helios revolves around a criminal who uses uranium stolen from Korea to make a nuclear bomb, which is scheduled to change hands in Hong Kong. The cast includes Hong Kong’s Jacky Cheung and Nick Cheung and Korea...
- 5/18/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Plot85% Acting78% Directing79% Music59% 75%Overall Score Reader Rating: (6 Votes)85%High Risk, High Return
“Drug War” or “Du Zhan” apparently marks the first time filmmaker Johnnie To directs a film directly on mainland China. As the title suggests, this is all about the good cops versus the bad drug traffickers. Here, you got drug mules to catch, drug dealers to follow and the occasional drug lord to apprehend ( or kill, depending on your mood ). Luckily, this type of material falls directly in Mr. To’s jurisdiction.
Of the two main characters, anti-drug unit captain Zhang Lei is played by Honglei Sun. He’s got the whole “deep voice” thing going on and has enough presence on-screen to keep you hooked. He’s got that “I’m-only-gonna-tell-you-once” kind of look on his face that makes him extremely enjoyable to watch.
His opposite, Timmy Choi ( played by Louis Koo ), starts the movie off...
“Drug War” or “Du Zhan” apparently marks the first time filmmaker Johnnie To directs a film directly on mainland China. As the title suggests, this is all about the good cops versus the bad drug traffickers. Here, you got drug mules to catch, drug dealers to follow and the occasional drug lord to apprehend ( or kill, depending on your mood ). Luckily, this type of material falls directly in Mr. To’s jurisdiction.
Of the two main characters, anti-drug unit captain Zhang Lei is played by Honglei Sun. He’s got the whole “deep voice” thing going on and has enough presence on-screen to keep you hooked. He’s got that “I’m-only-gonna-tell-you-once” kind of look on his face that makes him extremely enjoyable to watch.
His opposite, Timmy Choi ( played by Louis Koo ), starts the movie off...
- 11/2/2013
- by The0racle
- AsianMoviePulse
Plot85% Acting78% Directing79% Music59% 75%Overall Score Reader Rating: (4 Votes)81%High Risk, High Return
“Drug War” or “Du Zhan” apparently marks the first time filmmaker Johnnie To directs a film directly on mainland China. As the title suggests, this is all about the good cops versus the bad drug traffickers. Here, you got drug mules to catch, drug dealers to follow and the occasional drug lord to apprehend ( or kill, depending on your mood ). Luckily, this type of material falls directly in Mr. To’s jurisdiction.
Of the two main characters, anti-drug unit captain Zhang Lei is played by Honglei Sun. He’s got the whole “deep voice” thing going on and has enough presence on-screen to keep you hooked. He’s got that “I’m-only-gonna-tell-you-once” kind of look on his face that makes him extremely enjoyable to watch.
His opposite, Timmy Choi ( played by Louis Koo ), starts the movie off...
“Drug War” or “Du Zhan” apparently marks the first time filmmaker Johnnie To directs a film directly on mainland China. As the title suggests, this is all about the good cops versus the bad drug traffickers. Here, you got drug mules to catch, drug dealers to follow and the occasional drug lord to apprehend ( or kill, depending on your mood ). Luckily, this type of material falls directly in Mr. To’s jurisdiction.
Of the two main characters, anti-drug unit captain Zhang Lei is played by Honglei Sun. He’s got the whole “deep voice” thing going on and has enough presence on-screen to keep you hooked. He’s got that “I’m-only-gonna-tell-you-once” kind of look on his face that makes him extremely enjoyable to watch.
His opposite, Timmy Choi ( played by Louis Koo ), starts the movie off...
- 11/2/2013
- by The0racle
- AsianMoviePulse
★★★★☆ Prolific Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To's Drug War (2012) has sadly become yet another notable work from a respected auteur to go unceremoniously straight to DVD in the UK this year. Like Francis Ford Coppola's Twixt (2011) (also released this week) and Abel Ferrara's 4.44: The Last Day on Earth (2011), it's an undeservedly cruel fate, as Drug War is a lean, propulsive work of fiery intensity. Following a relatively straightforward heroes versus villains narrative, it's beaten and battered into the form of a winding procedural, suffused with intuitive character arcs and the director's customarily wiry intelligence.
Drug War follows single-minded police captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) in his pursuit of the leaders of a wide-ranging drug network. He enlists arrested cartel boss Ming (Louis Koo) to aid in the hunt, in exchange for a more lenient prison sentence. To presents the men as equals and opposites; two dedicated servants on either side of the law.
Drug War follows single-minded police captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) in his pursuit of the leaders of a wide-ranging drug network. He enlists arrested cartel boss Ming (Louis Koo) to aid in the hunt, in exchange for a more lenient prison sentence. To presents the men as equals and opposites; two dedicated servants on either side of the law.
- 10/28/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Check out what's new to rent and own this week on the various streaming services such as cable Movies On Demand, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, and, of course, Netflix. Cable Movies On Demand: Same-day-as-disc releases, older titles and pretheatrical exclusives for rent, priced from $3-$10, in 24- or 48-hour periods Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain (comedy documentary; Kevin Hart, Harry Ratchford; rated R) Pacific Rim (sci-fi action; Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman; also available in 3D; rated PG-13) Broadway Idiot (documentary; Green Day; rated PG) Drug War (action; Sun Honglei, Louis Koo; rated R) A Fierce Green Fire (documentary; Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Ashley Judd) Renoir (drama; Michel Bouquet, Christa Theret; rated R) Haunter (horror...
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- 10/16/2013
- by Robert B. DeSalvo
- Movies.com
Drug War Contest Giveaway Sweepstakes. This Drug War Blu-ray contest, giveaway, sweepstakes illustrates Drug War‘s release on DVD and Blu-ray on October 15, 2013. Johnny To‘s Drug War / Du zhan‘s stars Sun Honglei, Louis Koo, Honglei Sun, Michelle Ye, and Yi Huan. Drug War‘s plot synopsis: “Captain [...]
Continue reading: Contest: Drug War (2013) Blu-ray: Sun Honglei Tracks Drug Criminals...
Continue reading: Contest: Drug War (2013) Blu-ray: Sun Honglei Tracks Drug Criminals...
- 10/11/2013
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
From Johnnie To (Life Without Principle, Election), master of the Hong Kong crime thriller, comes the critically-acclaimed, action-packed drama Drug War, debuting on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD October 15th from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film stars Louis Koo (Triple Tap, Accident), Sun Honglei (A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop), Michelle Ye (Motorway, Once a Gangster), Huang Yi (Legendary, Romancing in Thin Air), Wallace Chung (Forever Young), and Li Guangjie (Motorway, Romancing in Thin Air). When our friends at Well Go asked if we wanted to give away a few copies of the new Drug War Blu-ray to our loyal readership, we were more than happy to jump on the opportunity. For your chance to win a Drug War Blu-ray: Follow @SLSS_Tweets on Twitter, then retweet any tweets that you see about this giveaway. We will randomly choose the winners from anyone who follows @SLSS_Tweets and retweets this giveaway on Twitter.
- 10/9/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Johnnie To takes his unique brand of action filmmaking to Mainland China with Drug War, his latest collaboration with writer Wai Ka Fai. A breathless game of cat and mouse between an elite anti-narcotics team and a conniving drug dealer trying to save his own skin, Drug War is a thrilling and surprisingly violent ride that offers an eye-opening look at China's drug trade and the methods Chinese law enforcement agencies use to bring it down. Starring Sun Honglei, Louis Koo, and an assortment of Milky Way regulars including Lam Suet, Eddie Cheung, Gordon Lam, Lo Hoi Pang, Michelle Ye, Philip Keung and Berg Ng, Drug War is available to buy in the U.K. from 28 October 2013. You can check out the trailer below, along with Chris Sawin's review of the movie. We're nice like that... Synopsis: After losing control of his car and crashing into a local restaurant, a...
- 9/4/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
Johnnie To takes his unique brand of action filmmaking to Mainland China with Drug War, his latest collaboration with writer Wai Ka Fai. A breathless game of cat and mouse between an elite anti-narcotics team and a conniving drug dealer trying to save his own skin, Drug War is a thrilling and surprisingly violent ride that offers an eye-opening look at China's drug trade and the methods Chinese law enforcement agencies use to bring it down. Starring Sun Honglei, Louis Koo, and an assortment of Milky Way regulars including Lam Suet, Eddie Cheung, Gordon Lam, Lo Hoi Pang, Michelle Ye, Philip Keung and Berg Ng, Drug War is available to buy in the U.K. from 28 October 2013. You can check out the trailer below, along with Chris Sawin's review of the movie. We're nice like that... Synopsis: After losing control of his car and crashing into a local restaurant, a...
- 9/4/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
Title: Drug War Director: Johnnie To Starring: Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Huang Yi, Li Jing “Breaking Bad” fans, foreign film cineastes and gangster flick aficionados should all find something worthwhile in Johnnie To’s taut, impeccably staged “Drug War,” an involving, atmospheric cops-and-criminals import. For years, To’s films struggled to find Stateside distribution, while lesser action filmmakers burnished their reputations ripping off his style. That changed by degrees with a stretch of films from 2005 to 2007, including “Triad Election,” “Exiled” and “Triangle,” which did mostly boutique box office in the United States but solid home video business for distributor Tartan. The 58-year-old, Hong Kong-born To (whose name rhymes with “row”) often [ Read More ]
The post Drug War Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Drug War Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/12/2013
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
Plot: Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) is a slick drug dealer operating out of Mainland China. His luck takes a turn for the worse when a meth lab explosion leaves him burnt, widowed, and in the custody of Captain Zhang Lei's (Sun Honglei) drug squad. With drug running a capital crime on the Mainland, Choi has no choice but to turn informer and help Zhang bust a drug ring that's connected to his own small time operation. Review: Police procedurals are nothing new to director Johnnie To's body of...
- 8/3/2013
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Don’t Say No: To Revitalizes Cops & Robbers Genre
There’s a strong possibility that Drug War may stand as (or at least be vying for) the best film of Johnnie To’s beloved filmography, and is evidence that he’s a master at the top of his game (even if he directly follows it with the schlocky Blind Detective). Shockingly simple, To gets down to the nitty-gritty in the film’s opening moments, and then jets off into a slickly paced ride of good guys vs. bad guys, culminating in a deliciously staged, delightfully prolonged show-stopping shoot out. Certainly, the film succinctly delivers on what its title implies, and is arguably neither more nor less. A high octane, yet overly familiar plot relies on charming performances and engagingly sketched characters, expertly using choreographed action sequences for perfect punctuations.
A young drug lord, Tommy Choi (Louis Khoo) speeds down a...
There’s a strong possibility that Drug War may stand as (or at least be vying for) the best film of Johnnie To’s beloved filmography, and is evidence that he’s a master at the top of his game (even if he directly follows it with the schlocky Blind Detective). Shockingly simple, To gets down to the nitty-gritty in the film’s opening moments, and then jets off into a slickly paced ride of good guys vs. bad guys, culminating in a deliciously staged, delightfully prolonged show-stopping shoot out. Certainly, the film succinctly delivers on what its title implies, and is arguably neither more nor less. A high octane, yet overly familiar plot relies on charming performances and engagingly sketched characters, expertly using choreographed action sequences for perfect punctuations.
A young drug lord, Tommy Choi (Louis Khoo) speeds down a...
- 8/1/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
With Johnnie To's Drug War now on the big screen in New York City with expansions to La coming this week and further markets to follow Twitch is happy to present an exclusive clip from the latest offering from the crime master.Manufacturing just fifty grams of meth in China will earn you a death sentence, and Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) has manufactured tons of it. After a violent lab accident, he's in the custody of Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei), and now he has only one chance to avoid execution: turn informant and help Zhang's undercover team take down the powerful cartel he's been cooking for. But as the uneasy allies are forced to compress months of police work into just 72 sleepless hours, the increasingly...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/30/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Rarely does a year go by without a new film from the prolific Hong Kong director Johnnie To, and while they may not always make their way stateside, when they do, it's likely worth tracking down. And one to keep on your radar is "Drug War," which is coming to theaters after a festival run last year that saw it hit Toronto, New York, Seattle, London, Rome, Rotterdam and more. Starring Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Huang Yi and Li Jing, the gritty crime thriller follows a drug manufacturer, who decides to turn informant and help take down the cartel he's been cooking for. But time is of the essence, and the cops only have 72 hours to put the plan in motion, and soon events reach a boiling point. In this exclusive scene, we see the cops and informant beginning to forge their uneasy alliance. It's a solid thriller, one that...
- 7/25/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
In a summer suffuse with the overblown abstractions of CGI blockbusters, one welcomes a return to concrete filmmaking, and Johnnie To's great Drug War served this purpose perfectly: firm lines, structural plotting, and geometric decoupage makes for a highly material formalism, all deeply tied to the director's first completely Mainland Chinese production.
Like 2011's romcom Don't Go Breaking My Heart, this film is powered by formal play, but the material here is a corrosive but ambiguous thriller about a Mainland Anti-Drug cop (Sun Honglei) chasing down suppliers, transporters, and the moneymen forming a curvilinear connection spanning Hong Kong, going through China to South Korea and ending in Japan. Louis Koo is a loyalty-hopping Hong Konger cooking meth on the Mainland; caught by the police, he is blackmailed under the threat of execution by the State into exposing factories and ratting out his workers, then forced to go undercover with...
Like 2011's romcom Don't Go Breaking My Heart, this film is powered by formal play, but the material here is a corrosive but ambiguous thriller about a Mainland Anti-Drug cop (Sun Honglei) chasing down suppliers, transporters, and the moneymen forming a curvilinear connection spanning Hong Kong, going through China to South Korea and ending in Japan. Louis Koo is a loyalty-hopping Hong Konger cooking meth on the Mainland; caught by the police, he is blackmailed under the threat of execution by the State into exposing factories and ratting out his workers, then forced to go undercover with...
- 7/23/2013
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
Drug War
Written by Wai Ka-Fai, Yau Nau-hoi, Ryker Chan and Yu Xi
Directed by Johnnie To
2012, Hong Kong/China
The name of Hong Kong director Johnnie To resonates strongly with fans of hard edged gangster films and cop stories. For years already he has delivered time and time again with some of the most vivid, gritty and viscerally charged films which populate the genre. His more recent output has occasionally diverged from the action dramas he built his name on, mainly with 2008′s cape flick Sparrow and 2011′s Don’t Go Breaking my Heart with which he branched out into romantic comedy.
Admirers clamoring for a return to the bolder crime films have their prayers answered with To’s latest, Drug War, starring Louis Koo as Timmy Choi, a mid level drug smuggler, and Sun Honglei as police captain Zhang Lei, the man trying to use Timmy’s intel...
Written by Wai Ka-Fai, Yau Nau-hoi, Ryker Chan and Yu Xi
Directed by Johnnie To
2012, Hong Kong/China
The name of Hong Kong director Johnnie To resonates strongly with fans of hard edged gangster films and cop stories. For years already he has delivered time and time again with some of the most vivid, gritty and viscerally charged films which populate the genre. His more recent output has occasionally diverged from the action dramas he built his name on, mainly with 2008′s cape flick Sparrow and 2011′s Don’t Go Breaking my Heart with which he branched out into romantic comedy.
Admirers clamoring for a return to the bolder crime films have their prayers answered with To’s latest, Drug War, starring Louis Koo as Timmy Choi, a mid level drug smuggler, and Sun Honglei as police captain Zhang Lei, the man trying to use Timmy’s intel...
- 7/20/2013
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Title: Drug War Well Go USA/Variance Films Director: Johnnie To Screenwriter: Wai Ka-fai, Johnnie To Cast: Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Crystal Huang, Wallace Chung, Gao Yunxiang, Li Guangjie, Guo Tao, Li Jing, Lo Hoi-pang, Eddie Cheung, Gordon Lam, Michelle Ye, Lam Suet Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 7/2/13 Opens: July 26, 2013 In China the penalty for selling more than 50 mg of methamphetamine is death, which may not be the best idea. If you’re about to be caught, what would stop you from trying to kill the cops? You can’t be executed twice! That idea fuels the “Drug War,” Johnnie To’s movie said to be the first actioner to [ Read More ]
The post Drug War Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Drug War Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/20/2013
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Director: Johnnie To. Review: Chris Sawin. Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) is a drug lord and amphetamines manufacturer who is caught and captured by the police. Facing the death penalty, Choi is forced to join an undercover operation and help take down his colleagues. Captain Zhang Lei (Sun Honglei) begins to question where Choi's loyalty lies as his leads slowly turn into dead ends. "Drug War" begins with Choi behind the wheel of a car, puking out of a window, driving recklessly, and crashing into a restaurant. That's a hell of a way to start a film. You're thrown into the drug operation in Jinhai currently run by Anti-Drug Squad leader Captain Zhang. Zhang's team is always going undercover with Sun Honglei portraying at least five different characters over the course of the film. Honglei is a chameleon and mimics body movements, facial expressions, voices, and stories of other characters in the film to near perfection.
- 7/18/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
Last week we dropped The U.S poster on you for Johnnie To’s uncompromising new gangland thriller Drug War so we thought it only fitting we follow it up with the equally good North American trailer that just landed at our door. Enjoy. Synopsis: Manufacturing just fifty grams of meth in China will earn you a death sentence, and Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) has manufactured tons of it. After a violent lab accident, he's in the custody of Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei), and now he has only one chance to avoid execution: turn informant and help Zhang’s undercover team take down the powerful cartel he’s been cooking for. But as the uneasy allies are forced to compress months of police work into just 72 sleepless hours, the increasingly desperate police are quickly stretched past their limits. As things spin wildly out of control, the line between duty and recklessness is blurred,...
- 7/9/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
Drug War
Directed by Johnnie To
Written by Ryker Chan, Ka-Fai Wai, Nai-Hoi Yau, Xi Yu
China/Hong Kong, 2012
Drug War begins on an impromptu note: a man foaming at the mouth and barely in control of his vehicle thunderously crashes into a local restaurant after fleeing from a drug house. This is followed by a highway sting where a few low level drug traffickers are caught; one man exchanges furious obscenities with his police captor, which are immediately closed off with a response of “I didn’t betray you; I busted you.” Drug War succeeds in never backing off this initial thrust and heightened interplay. The story of cops and criminals predates most, but master director Johnnie To’s latest plays out like an innovative trailblazer and modern spectacle all at once.
Equipped with a hardened zeal and a swift set of genre kinetics, Drug War is close to...
Directed by Johnnie To
Written by Ryker Chan, Ka-Fai Wai, Nai-Hoi Yau, Xi Yu
China/Hong Kong, 2012
Drug War begins on an impromptu note: a man foaming at the mouth and barely in control of his vehicle thunderously crashes into a local restaurant after fleeing from a drug house. This is followed by a highway sting where a few low level drug traffickers are caught; one man exchanges furious obscenities with his police captor, which are immediately closed off with a response of “I didn’t betray you; I busted you.” Drug War succeeds in never backing off this initial thrust and heightened interplay. The story of cops and criminals predates most, but master director Johnnie To’s latest plays out like an innovative trailblazer and modern spectacle all at once.
Equipped with a hardened zeal and a swift set of genre kinetics, Drug War is close to...
- 7/9/2013
- by Ty Landis
- SoundOnSight
WellGo USA is set to release Johnnie To’s latest crime thriller “Drug War” for Stateside fans this July 26th, 2013, so mark your calenders, kids. But until then, check out a new English-subtitled trailer for the movie below. It’s very action-packed and if you were looking to indulge in some stylized Chinese action, then “Drug War” looks like the film for you. But hey, don’t take my word for it, see for yourself below, see for yourselfers. And in case you missed it, you can read our review of the film here. Spoiler: We liked it. Manufacturing just fifty grams of meth in China will earn you a death sentence, and Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) has manufactured tons of it. After a violent lab accident, he’s in the custody of Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei), and now he has only one chance to avoid execution: turn informant and...
- 7/3/2013
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
We’ve just been dropped a first look at great new poster and it heralds great news. Johnnie To’s atmospheric, tightly wound and of course supremely (and as always impeccably choreographed) violent new movie Drug War is set to open in the U.S this month. July 26 is the date to note down, when it arrives in NY... followed by La on August 2nd and then selected cities across the Us in late Aug/Sept. Synopsis: Manufacturing just fifty grams of meth in China will earn you a death sentence, and Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) has manufactured tons of it. After a violent lab accident, he's in the custody of Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei), and now he has only one chance to avoid execution: turn informant and help Zhang’s undercover team take down the powerful cartel he’s been cooking for. But as the uneasy allies are forced...
- 7/3/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
Johnnie To's Drug War arrives in New York theaters July 26 before spreading to La August 2 and additional markets August 9th from WellGo USA and Variance Films, and Twitch is proud to debut the new Us poster for the latest from the Hong Kong action master.Manufacturing just fifty grams of meth in China will earn you a death sentence, and Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) has manufactured tons of it. After a violent lab accident, he's in the custody of Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei), and now he has only one chance to avoid execution: turn informant and help Zhang's undercover team take down the powerful cartel he's been cooking for. But as the uneasy allies are forced to compress months of police work into just...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/28/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Cult favourite and auteur Johnnie To joins the ranks of Hong Kong directors trying their luck on the Mainland with the thriller “Drug War”, following up on his co-produced “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and “Romancing in Thin Air”. Seeing him work again with regular partner and writer Wai Ka Fai, the Milkyway outing has To returning once more to the violent world of cops and crooks, with shifting loyalties and shootouts being the order of the day. Having played at Venice in competition and at other international festivals, the film has been eagerly awaited by fans and critics, in particular with regards to seeing how the director deals with the notoriously strict Mainland censors, who generally frown upon his usual brand of bloody moral grey areas. Sun Hong Lei (“Lethal Hostage”) stars as narcotics squad captain Zhang Lei, who gets a break in his case when drug dealer Timmy Choi (Louis Koo,...
- 6/12/2013
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
As is no doubt befits the ease of manipulation of film's past through contemporary consumer digital means, Rotterdam this year seems full of “video essays” and art pieces deconstructing or exploring cinema material and history. The proliferation alone prompts my skepticism; browse the festival catalog and see videos that engage with Psycho, Zabriskie Point, Eyes Wide Shut, Easy Rider, Freud's celluloid doppelgangers, Faces, and more.
From the spectral underground comes a real work of cinephilia, and by that I mean something that is neither fetishization of a film object nor an exploitation of the same for other means. Rather, Mary Helena Clark's 16mm Orpheus (Outtakes), which I had the pleasure of seeing at Tiff's Wavelengths program last September and revisiting again in Rotterdam, finds on the cutting room floor the facts, dreams, and possibilities of cinema history and future. Cinephilia as lucid consciousness of what lies beneath, behind, and beyond films.
From the spectral underground comes a real work of cinephilia, and by that I mean something that is neither fetishization of a film object nor an exploitation of the same for other means. Rather, Mary Helena Clark's 16mm Orpheus (Outtakes), which I had the pleasure of seeing at Tiff's Wavelengths program last September and revisiting again in Rotterdam, finds on the cutting room floor the facts, dreams, and possibilities of cinema history and future. Cinephilia as lucid consciousness of what lies beneath, behind, and beyond films.
- 2/2/2013
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
Drug War Trailer, Du Zhan Trailer. Johnny To‘s Drug War / Du zhan (2012) movie trailer stars Sun Honglei, Louis Koo, Honglei Sun, Michelle Ye, and Yi Huang. Drug War‘s plot synopsis: “Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) and his team will stop at nothing to track down drug criminals. When drug lord Timmy Choi (Louis [...]
Continue reading: Drug War / Du Zhan (2012) Movie Trailer: Johnny To, Sun Honglei...
Continue reading: Drug War / Du Zhan (2012) Movie Trailer: Johnny To, Sun Honglei...
- 11/29/2012
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
A solid, visceral action flick from Hong Kong maestro Johnnie To, "Du Zhan" ("Drug War") delivers on audience expectations. Confidently following a familiar route, the Chinese director brings his brand of muscular gangster movies to a new potential market. In fact, "Drug War" is the first of To's many films to be shot and set in mainland China -- specifically in the Jinshan district. Unfolding in a country right in the middle of an economic boom, where opportunities for rogue entrepreneurs are ripe, the film benefits from a topic that feels especially timely. The plot is meaty enough: After the inclement boss of a drug cartel Ming (Louis Koo) is arrested during a raid, he's persuaded by police captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) to take part in an undercover operation aimed at his own gang in exchange for a reduction of jail time. Setting up business meetings with powerful bosses in...
- 11/15/2012
- by Celluloid Liberation Front
- Indiewire
Synopsis:
Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) and his team will stop at nothing to track down drug criminals. When drug lord Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) is captured, he is offered a deal to help Zhang bust a major drug ring. But Captain Zhang doesn’t trust Timmy Choi is truly betraying his partners. He becomes more and more suspicious as steps are taken to raid the ironclad drug factory…
[via Beyond Hollywood & Twitch]...
Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) and his team will stop at nothing to track down drug criminals. When drug lord Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) is captured, he is offered a deal to help Zhang bust a major drug ring. But Captain Zhang doesn’t trust Timmy Choi is truly betraying his partners. He becomes more and more suspicious as steps are taken to raid the ironclad drug factory…
[via Beyond Hollywood & Twitch]...
- 11/15/2012
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
Johnnie To is carrying the mantel for Hong Kong action cinema like no one else in modern times. On obvious heir to the icons of the bullet opera, a Johnnie To flick is sure to be jam packed with quick, brutal violence, crime, and highly stylized action pieces. His latest offering is “Drug War”, and from the looks of this new trailer, he’s up to his old tricks. Gritty, full of rapid gunfire and slow-motion bullet wounds, and awash in ominous, villainous looking gentlemen, “Drug War” should be a good time for Asian action fans. Here’s a synopsis: Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) and his team will stop at nothing to track down drug criminals. When drug lord Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) is captured, he is offered a deal to help Zhang bust a major drug ring. But Captain Zhang doesn’t trust Timmy Choi is truly betraying his partners.
- 11/15/2012
- by Brent McKnight
- Beyond Hollywood
Spaghetti Western homage Django Unchained was rumored as the potential secret film at the now-in progress Rome Film Festival, but Quentin Tarantino was unable to complete the film in time, so it was announced Johnnie To‘s new thriller Du zhan (Drug War) was the second and final surprise selection added to the festival’s 15-film competition.
Gritty yet stylish action is billed as the famous Hong Kong director’s first actioner shot in the Chinese mainland, telling the story of a police captain’s efforts to break up a major cocaine ring with the help of an arrested drug lord..
The film stars Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Xiao Cong, Yin Zhusheng, Gao Yunxiang, Huang Yi and Wallace Chung.
The festival previously announced that Yi Wu Si Er (Back to 1942) from Chinese director Feng Xiaogang was the first surprise film in the main competition.
New and English subtitled trailer for the film has just arrived,...
Gritty yet stylish action is billed as the famous Hong Kong director’s first actioner shot in the Chinese mainland, telling the story of a police captain’s efforts to break up a major cocaine ring with the help of an arrested drug lord..
The film stars Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Xiao Cong, Yin Zhusheng, Gao Yunxiang, Huang Yi and Wallace Chung.
The festival previously announced that Yi Wu Si Er (Back to 1942) from Chinese director Feng Xiaogang was the first surprise film in the main competition.
New and English subtitled trailer for the film has just arrived,...
- 11/12/2012
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Okay, Asian action fans, here comes director Johnnie To doing what he does best: Gritty yet stylish action. To's Drug War is billed as the director's first action film shot in the Chinese mainland, a fact that had many wondering whether his signature style would make it through the strict regulations intact. And the answer to that appears to be a resounding yes.Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) and his team will stop at nothing to track down drug criminals. When drug lord Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) is captured, he is offered a deal to help Zhang bust a major drug ring. But Captain Zhang doesn't trust Timmy Choi is truly betraying his partners. He becomes more and more suspicious as steps are taken to raid the...
- 11/11/2012
- Screen Anarchy
My last Johnnie To movie was 2009′s “Vengeance”, which was good, but not great. And when a Johnnie To movie isn’t great, I’m always left feeling a little disappointed. It’s his fault, he’s done so many great films, I automatically expect good stuff when I sit down with a Johnnie To movie. He’s done plenty since then, including romance dramas “Romancing in Thin Air” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, with crime flick “Life Without Principle” squeezed in between them. His latest is “Drug War”, starring Louis Koo as some type of loopy drug lord who gets captured after a car accident. Or something like that. An official synopsis for the film is apparently a little hard to find, even though the movie itself already has a teaser trailer (see below) and is due out sometime later this year. But in case you missed it,...
- 9/17/2012
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
*full disclosure: a DVD screener of this film was provided by Indican Pictures for review.
Director/writer: Oscar L. Costo.
Cast: Vivian Wu, Richard Burgi and Honglei Sun.
Shanghai Mystery (originally titled Shanghai Red) is one of those hugely character driven films where, if director Oscar L. Costco ("Seaquest Dsv") was driving, he must be moving at 20 miles per hour. The type of film he developed may not be for everyone. What he creates is a slow mystery drama that starts with a lady in a slinky red dress.
She arrives at a penthouse in Shanghai, shoots a 'client,' and gets caught. The rest of the film bounces between her time in prison, talking to a lawyer, and revealing her life in flashback.
Mei Li's (Vivian Wu, Strange World) life is explored in exquisite detail. Viewers first learns that her husband was killed during a business trip that she urged him to take.
Director/writer: Oscar L. Costo.
Cast: Vivian Wu, Richard Burgi and Honglei Sun.
Shanghai Mystery (originally titled Shanghai Red) is one of those hugely character driven films where, if director Oscar L. Costco ("Seaquest Dsv") was driving, he must be moving at 20 miles per hour. The type of film he developed may not be for everyone. What he creates is a slow mystery drama that starts with a lady in a slinky red dress.
She arrives at a penthouse in Shanghai, shoots a 'client,' and gets caught. The rest of the film bounces between her time in prison, talking to a lawyer, and revealing her life in flashback.
Mei Li's (Vivian Wu, Strange World) life is explored in exquisite detail. Viewers first learns that her husband was killed during a business trip that she urged him to take.
- 11/10/2011
- by noreply@blogger.com (Ed Sum)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
A week doesn’t seem to pass these days without an ill-conceived Western remake of an Eastern classic, hell with it; they don’t even have to be classics anymore. Zhang Yimou is best known for martial arts period dramas like Hero and House of Flying Daggers, but here he turns the tables on Hollywood with a loose remake of the Coen Brothers cult classic Blood Simple. A strange choice on paper perhaps, and there’s not a lot of evidence on screen to suggest otherwise. Honglei Sun, Xiao Shen-Yang and Ni Yan star in the aptly named A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop, available to own for the first time on R2 DVD. Wang (Dahong Ni) is a miserable noodle shop owner in a desert town, but considering the dim-witted company he keeps it’s hardly surprising. His wife (Ni Yan) feels neglected and finds comfort in...
- 4/25/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Zhang Yimou’S Blood Simple
Stars: Sun Honglei, Xiao Shenyang, Yan Ni | Written by Jianquan Shi, Jing Shang | Directed by Zhang Yimou
What a fantastic film! I’m not really a fan of films with subtitles, however Zhang Yimou’s Blood Simple was a rare pleasure. The visual imagery, location scenery, and camera work are all on par with other great films from this amazing director.
The story is set around a handful of characters who work in, and run a noodle shop (‘Wangs Noodle Shop’) somewhere in China. As the film begins, we find the leading lady (wife of the noodle shop owner, Wang) being shown various forms of weaponry to hopefully purchase, by a travelling (Persian) salesman. The salesman demonstrates a sword, (with his swordsmanship and movement choreography within the scene clearly reminiscent of the directors work on House Of Flying Daggers) cylinder revolver, and a canon. However,...
Stars: Sun Honglei, Xiao Shenyang, Yan Ni | Written by Jianquan Shi, Jing Shang | Directed by Zhang Yimou
What a fantastic film! I’m not really a fan of films with subtitles, however Zhang Yimou’s Blood Simple was a rare pleasure. The visual imagery, location scenery, and camera work are all on par with other great films from this amazing director.
The story is set around a handful of characters who work in, and run a noodle shop (‘Wangs Noodle Shop’) somewhere in China. As the film begins, we find the leading lady (wife of the noodle shop owner, Wang) being shown various forms of weaponry to hopefully purchase, by a travelling (Persian) salesman. The salesman demonstrates a sword, (with his swordsmanship and movement choreography within the scene clearly reminiscent of the directors work on House Of Flying Daggers) cylinder revolver, and a canon. However,...
- 4/18/2011
- by Abid Gangat
- Nerdly
The next film on the China Lion slate for release in North America on the same day it's released in China is Jin Chen's period epic The Warring States. On April 22nd, it will hit over 20 screens in North American markets with large Chinese populations. No theatrical details have been announced as of yet, but keep your eye on China Lion's homepage for those locations when they're announced. The film stars Sun Honglei, Francis Ng, Jing Tian, and South Korean actress Kim Hee-seon. The film is named after a period of time between 475 BC and the founding of the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC in China, and revolves around the confrontation of then military strategists Sun Bin and Pang Juan.
- 4/4/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Say what you will about Zhang Yimou, the man can build a beautiful extreme long-shot. Otherwise not fit to make their trailers, Yimou’s vast landscapes are as moody as Antonioni’s or Andersen’s, his sprawling back streets as mazelike as Welles’ or Mellville’s, Hero’s grand palace as foreboding as Kubrick’s Overlook Hotel. In A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop, Yimou shoots mountainous desert ranges with an eloquence evoking equal parts Sergio Leone and Ansel Adams. It’s just too bad he can’t tell a story as well as he can shoot a panorama.
Based on the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple, A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop is a well needed step back from the bloated, increasingly nonsensical Kung-Fu epics Yimou produced last decade. It’s also good for him to be on such solid storytelling ground: even his best films (Red Sorghum,...
Based on the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple, A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop is a well needed step back from the bloated, increasingly nonsensical Kung-Fu epics Yimou produced last decade. It’s also good for him to be on such solid storytelling ground: even his best films (Red Sorghum,...
- 2/4/2011
- by Willie Osterweil
- JustPressPlay.net
There’s new lush Chinese epic-ness on the horizon with the big budget movie The Warring States - directed by Jin Chen and starring Sun Honglei, Kim Hee-Sun and Francis Ng - and first trailer has dropped online. More on exact plotline of the movie when we get it, but in the mean time you can read about the The Warring States period of China over on Wiki here. Warring States teaser...
- 12/17/2010
- 24framespersecond.net
As regular readers know, foreign films are among my favorites. They provide mirror images of life and societal nuances we experience in our country, with a view of the same life perspectives as it applies to other cultures. In filmmaker Zhang Yimou's Chinese-language film "A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop," which is based on the Coen brothers' 1984 film "Blood Simple," actor Honglei Sun portrays a policeman who receives a bribe from the owner (Dahong Ni) of a Chinese noodle shop as part of a plan to kill his wife (Ni Yan) and her adulterous lover ...
- 9/25/2010
- by Stan Robinson, Phoenix Film Industry Examiner
- Examiner Movies Channel
A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop, the new film by Zhang Yimou, is an exciting and unique take on the 1984 Coen Bros. film Blood Simple. We here at Criterion Cast got to chat with Zhang Yimou for an exclusive conversation about the film.
James McCormick: How are you doing today?
Zhang Yimou: Not bad. (laughs)
Jm: First off I wanted to let you know I just saw the film, this past Monday. I can’t stop thinking about it. It will not leave my mind. Which is a good thing, of course.
Zy: Thank you so much.
Jm: I wanted to ask you, while watching it, I knew I was in for something different and special. What made you pick a Coen Bros. movie to remake in the first place, let alone Blood Simple which was their first film, which I found to be a very interesting choice.
James McCormick: How are you doing today?
Zhang Yimou: Not bad. (laughs)
Jm: First off I wanted to let you know I just saw the film, this past Monday. I can’t stop thinking about it. It will not leave my mind. Which is a good thing, of course.
Zy: Thank you so much.
Jm: I wanted to ask you, while watching it, I knew I was in for something different and special. What made you pick a Coen Bros. movie to remake in the first place, let alone Blood Simple which was their first film, which I found to be a very interesting choice.
- 9/8/2010
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
The eleventh and last part (W-z) of my extensive 2010 preview guide I'm still at work on and should be hitting the site either Tuesday or Wednesday. Before that though it is time to plug a few holes.
With release dates always in flux, there is no true definitive list of films opening this year as the number of titles change day-by-day and many aren't really locked in yet. As a result, there's definitely been some guesswork assembling this list, albeit carefully considered and researched to try and fit in what will come out, what's important enough, and what can be reasonably done.
However, there are always titles that slip through the cracks. Thankfully some ever vigilant readers have been keeping an eye out and sent in some suggestions of key projects I've missed. Not everything can be included of course, otherwise this list would take forever, but there are fourteen...
With release dates always in flux, there is no true definitive list of films opening this year as the number of titles change day-by-day and many aren't really locked in yet. As a result, there's definitely been some guesswork assembling this list, albeit carefully considered and researched to try and fit in what will come out, what's important enough, and what can be reasonably done.
However, there are always titles that slip through the cracks. Thankfully some ever vigilant readers have been keeping an eye out and sent in some suggestions of key projects I've missed. Not everything can be included of course, otherwise this list would take forever, but there are fourteen...
- 1/11/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
A trailer for Zhang Yimou’s “Amazing Tales: Three Guns” has popped up online, and it looks … interesting. Adapted by Jianquan Shi and Jing Shang, the Chinese remake of the Brothers Coens’ “Blood Simple” transplants the story into a period film set in a Chinese noodle shop, where the owner schemes to murder his adulterous wife and her lover, but things go awry, as they invariably always do in these type of situations. The comedy-crime thriller stars Honglei Sun, Dahong Ni, Ni Yan, Xiao Shen-Yang, Xiaojuan Wang, and is directed by Zhang Yimou of “The Curse of the Golden Flower” and “The House of Flying Daggers” fame. Plus, he also did some commie stuff recently.
- 11/2/2009
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
This trailer is only for hardcore fans of Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) and those who don't need any English subtitles! Twitch has dug up the first trailer for Zhang Yimou's Amazing Tales: Three Guns, his remake of the Coen Brothers' first film Blood Simple. It may not have subtitles yet, but it looks quite fun anyway. And its got everything you'd expect from a Coen Brothers remake - double-crossings, cheating, lying, death, and plenty of good humor. I'm actually looking forward to this, even if it looks a bit wacky, primarily because it's Zhang Yimou and he always delivers very visually stunning films. Check it out! Watch the first trailer for Zhang Yimou's Amazing Tales: Three Guns (in Mandarin): [flv:http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/amazingtales-threeguns-chinese.flv http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/amazingtales-threeguns-chinese.jpg 560 420] Set at a noodle shop in the middle of the desert in Gansu Province, Ni Dahong plays a stingy tavern owner who hires Sun Honglei's character...
- 11/1/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Twitch’s X has spotted the first trailer for Zhang Yimou’s reinterpretation of the Coen Brother’s Blood Simple., Amazing Tales: Three Guns over at Sina. The film is set in a desert town in China where a neglected owner of a noodle shop (Dahong Ni) hires a corrupt patrol officer (Honglei Sun) to kill his wife (Ni Yan) and her secret lover (Xiao Shen-Yang).
While the trailer looks quite nice (at least from the visual standpoint), I can’t quite get my head around a comedy from the director of “serious” works like Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower.
[See post to watch Flash video]...
While the trailer looks quite nice (at least from the visual standpoint), I can’t quite get my head around a comedy from the director of “serious” works like Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower.
[See post to watch Flash video]...
- 10/30/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
Chicago – Horror, action, drama, and comedy - HollywoodChicago.com’s DVD Round-Up has it all. Where else can you read about the latest from internationally acclaimed auteur Peter Greenaway and the newest Mos Def comedy in one column? These are the recently released titles that you might have missed when you last updated your Netflix queue. See if any of them grab you enough to deal with “Very Long Wait”.
All four titles - “Deadgirl,” “Next Day Air,” “Nightwatching,” and “Triangle” - were released on September 15th, 2009.
“Deadgirl”
Photo credit: Mpi Synopsis: “Daringly original and genre-busting, Deadgirl is an odyssey into the soul of our alienated youth that takes the conventions of the horror and coming-of-age movies and turns them on their heads.
When high school misfits Rickie and Jt decide to ditch school and find themselves lost in the crumbling facility of a nearby abandoned hospital, they come face-to-face...
All four titles - “Deadgirl,” “Next Day Air,” “Nightwatching,” and “Triangle” - were released on September 15th, 2009.
“Deadgirl”
Photo credit: Mpi Synopsis: “Daringly original and genre-busting, Deadgirl is an odyssey into the soul of our alienated youth that takes the conventions of the horror and coming-of-age movies and turns them on their heads.
When high school misfits Rickie and Jt decide to ditch school and find themselves lost in the crumbling facility of a nearby abandoned hospital, they come face-to-face...
- 9/29/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The DVD cover for Triangle says “Three Masters. One Masterpiece.” Triangle does not in fact live up to the hype its cover hopes to generate, but I understand the desire to make a little-known (to Americans anyway) film’s cover eye-catching. This Hong Kong import did pique my interest with its distinction of bringing together three innovative and influential Hk directors: Tsui Hark (Zu Warriors, Once Upon a Time in China), Ringo Lam (City on Fire, which inspired Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, the underrated twin Jackie Chan comedy Twin Dragons, and Chow Yun Fat vehicle Full Contact), Johnnie To (Ptu, Election, and Breaking News).
The primary cinematic appeal of Triangle is invested in the collaboration between these three “masters.” Each director takes the reins on one 30-minute section of this 90-minute film. The trio maintains the same editor and cinematography to ensure continuity but bring their own stylistic choices and cinematic flair to their third.
The primary cinematic appeal of Triangle is invested in the collaboration between these three “masters.” Each director takes the reins on one 30-minute section of this 90-minute film. The trio maintains the same editor and cinematography to ensure continuity but bring their own stylistic choices and cinematic flair to their third.
- 9/24/2009
- by Mark Zhuravsky
- JustPressPlay.net
The Coen Brothers are no strangers to remakes, having remade Alexander Mackendrick's The Ladykillers back in 2004, and currently planning a remake of the John Wayne western True Grit in the near future, but what if someone else was to remake one of their films? Does that make any sense to you? Well, it seems that acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) is doing exactly that with his new movie San Qiang Pai An Jing Qi aka The Stunning Case of the Three Gun Shots, which is being billed as a remake of the very first Coen Brothers feature length film, Blood Simple. There were some initial rumours about this project last month I believe, but it all seemed a bit sketchy. Now, The Hollywood Reporter [1] has confirmed that production on the film started earlier this month and that it is indeed a remake, although how...
- 6/25/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
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