“Never Say Never” Theatrical Poster
On December 26, 2023, China Lion/Bayview is releasing the Blu-ray for Never Say Never, starring Wang Bao Qiang (A Touch of Sin, Monks Comes Down the Mountain).
When a down-on-his-luck former fighter is accosted by a gang of young bandits, he recruits them for his second shot of glory at his upstart training facility. But after his past shady dealings and get-rich-quick schemes come to life, he’s forced to figure out how to lead his students without passing along the stigma of his troubled past.
Wang Bao Qiang, who is perhaps best known for battling it out against Donnie Yen in both 2014’s Iceman 3D and Kung Fu Jungle, returns with his 2nd directorial debut, Never Say Never, a film that broke box office records in China – even beating out Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One this past weekend.
The actor had previously headlined his own martial arts films in 2015’s Monk Comes Down the Mountain and 2021’s Rising Shaolin: The Protector, but now he’s back in a true story of a disgraced fighter putting together a youth fight team from a group of bandits he encounters.
Look for it at retail outlets everywhere on December 26th.
It looks like the film is well meaning, but it seems too sappy. I know that’s a staple of Chinese language films, but some do it better than others. I hope the US audience doesn’t mind that.
Youth unemployment in China hit a mind boggling 21.3% last month (and is predicted to continue rising), so this could be the NRTA’s subtle way of promoting a new career path that those about to start their working life hadn’t thought about. 😛
So true. How many films are based on the noble working class hero now. At what point wil the middle class in China be the new Japanese for Mainland China cinema
I was expecting a Bieber joke somewhere. Or maybe Bieber is the final boss in the cage match that one of the kids has to beat.
Coincidentally having recently watched Come Drink With Me, this movie reminded of the drunken character who takes care of a group of orphans.
It’s a big success (Wang Bao Qiang is a huge star in China, and the two films youmentioned are flops compared to his roles in the Detective Chinatown trilogy, Lost in Thailand, Buddies in India, The island,…), but Never say never hasn’t broken any record in China. It’s still going to grow more than 300M$ at the Chinese box- office.