CJ Entertainment has just released Choi Kook-Hee’s South Korean drama Default on Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.
Read the official details below:
Default, takes a look back at a difficult time for South Korea – the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. It is directed by Choi Kook-hee, who was awarded the Best Debut award at the Fantasia International Film Festival for his feature debut in 2016, Split. Choi presents us with an enthralling storyline and a sense of emotional connection to a time when the country was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Default begins with Si-hyun (Kim Hye-soo), the monetary policy manager at the Bank of Korea, predicting a massive national financial crisis and reporting it to the Director. The Director doesn’t schedule an emergency summit until 10 days later but does it without notifying the public of the situation. Si-hyun urges for the crisis to be announced in order to warn people of the looming disaster, but her plea is ignored. The summit is held behind closed doors.
Jung-hak (Yoo Ah-in), a financial consultant, notices Korea is suddenly hemorrhaging foreign funds, and he learns the reason is that international finance firms have ordered an all-out investment withdrawal from the country, which has caused the credit rating to plummet. He hands in his resignation and decides to play the odds on what he’s sure is a coming crisis. He secretly starts gathering investors willing to do the same.
Gap-su (Huh Joon-ho), a family man who runs a small tableware factory, has a big break and wins a contract with a department store. The fact that the price settlement terms equal to little more than a promissory note concerns him only briefly, and oblivious to the looming financial upheaval, Gap-su signs the contract. The Managing Director of IMF (Vincent Cassel) comes to Korea just one week before the country goes bust, and that is when those who try to prevent the crisis, those who seek to take advantage of it, and those only trying to protect their livelihood are caught in the wake of a national bankruptcy.
Default stars Kim Hye-soo (Tazza: The High Rollers), You Ah-in (Veteran), Huh Joon-ho (Silmido), Jo Woo-jin (The King), and Vincent Cassel (Jason Bourne).
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Stanley Tong’s Kung Fu Yoga (read our review), starring Jackie Chan (Rumble in the Bronx), Lay Zhang (of the K-pop group EXO), Miya Muqi (Tomb Robber), Aarif Rahman (Bruce Lee, My Brother) and Indian film stars Sonu Sood (Arundhati) and Ileana D’Cruz (Happy Ending).
Jack (Chan), a world-renowned archaeology professor, and his team set out on a grand quest to locate the lost ancient Indian treasure of Magadha when they are ambushed by a team of mercenaries and left for dead. Using his vast knowledge of history and kung fu, Jack leads his team on a race around the world to beat the mercenaries to the treasure and prevent an ancient culture from being lost forever.
Director: Kim Tae-Yong Writer: Kim Tae-Yong Cast: Kim Ha-Neul, Yu In-Young, Lee Won-Geun, Lee Hee-Joon, Lee Ki-Woo, Gi Ju-Bong, Jung Suk-Yong, Hong Ahn-Pyo, Lim Hwa-Young, Kwon Soo-Hyun Running Time: 96 min.
By Paul Bramhall
There can be no more tried and tested plot device within the world of Korean drama’s than the love triangle. In a way it’s understandable, the kind of relationship dynamic it invokes provides a framework in which it’s possible to explore a multitude of genres. Romance, revenge, murder, thriller, mystery – you name it, with a smart script the mileage filmmakers can get is almost unlimited. That’s why for every conventional story that hits the screens, with no further ambition than to pull on our heartstrings, movies like Yoo Ha’s A Frozen Flower and Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden prove that it’s still possible to do amazing things when done right.
The latest spin on the trope comes in the form of director Kim Tae-yong’s Misbehavior. After working on a number of short films, Misbehavior marks Tae-yong’s sophomore full length feature, following 2014’s semi-autobiographical Set Me Free. The dark themes he explored in his debut are also apparent in his latest, however Misbehavior feels much more accessible than his previous work, thanks to a more linear plot and performances from a stellar cast.
Taking place in a boys only high school, Kim Ha-neul (My Girlfriend is an Agent) plays an aloof but competent contract teacher, who’s next in line to be offered a permanent position once the new school year starts. However a spanner is thrown in the works, when the principal of the school hires a fresh faced young teacher straight into a permanent position, despite her lack of experience. Played by Yoo In-young (Veteran), it soon becomes apparent that the reason behind her fast-track to tenure has to do with her father being the chairman of the board. Ha-neul’s frustration is escalated further when In-young recognizes her as a senior from the same college they used to attend, which leads to her constantly trying to strike up an unwanted friendship, much to Ha-neul’s chagrin.
The stress of contract workers seeking job security through being made permanent is a pertinent one in Korean society, and has most recently also been explored in Hong Won-chan’s Office, which as the name suggests, transposes the scenario to an office environment. There are similarities to be found between Misbehavior andOffice, particularly the usage of a newly hired staff member posing a threat to the long-term temporary employee, however thankfully that’s where the comparisons end. While Office took shape as a murder-mystery, Tae-yong takes the narrative in an interestingly different direction, thanks to the introduction of a hard-up but handsome student in the form of Lee Won-geun (The Net).
An aspiring dancer, Won-geun spends his nights practicing, and often sleeping, in the school sports hall. When Ha-neul finds him there one evening, as much as his story is a sympathetic one, it also becomes clear that he’s very much aware of his good looks, and isn’t afraid to use them. A fact which is reinforced when she discovers In-young and Won-geun are using the late evenings for some extra-curricular activities, the sort that definitely aren’t related to dancing. The discovery leads to a series of increasingly tense and dangerous liaisons between the two teachers, while it remains intentionally hazy to if Won-geun is an unwitting pawn to their games, reaping the benefits of them, or perhaps a combination of both.
It’s the dynamics that the revelation triggers that serve to drive the momentum in Misbehavior, and Tae-yong keeps things simmering with a skilled hand. Once Ha-neul knows she has the upper hand on In-young, the choices her character makes may be unpleasant ones, but the sense of unfairness she feels means that as an audience we understand them, and perhaps even relate to them. It’s this element which makes Misbehavior equal parts rewarding and painful to watch, as the fact that it’s so easy to relate to Ha-neul’s actions speak to the basest of human emotions. She’s soon berating In-young in front of the other teachers for the shortness of her dress, and openly stating she has no recollection of going to college with her, spoken with an underlying smugness of someone that knows there’ll be no comeback.
The fact is none of the trio of protagonists are particularly likeable, but to varying degrees they remain relatable. In-young represents everything Ha-neul doesn’t have. Born into financial security, with youth on her side and a trophy husband (Lee Ki-woo, Time Renegades) on her arm, in comparison Ha-neul feels the burden of being in her late-30s, trapped in an apartment with her penniless writer boyfriend (Lee Hee-joon, Sea Fog), who’s suffering from an extended period of writer’s block. Ultimately the pressure she faces both inside and outside the workplace send her down a path which proves difficult to turn back from.
As the linchpin between the pair, Won-geun delivers an effective performance. In the grand scheme of things he has the least to lose, and although he doesn’t show it, gradually a side begins to show reflecting someone far more manipulative than he first seems. Where Won-geun’s performance falters slightly, is in the selling of his sexuality. In an interview, Tae-yong explained that initially the script had more explicit sex scenes, however Ha-neul expressed the opinion that they’d detract from the story, so should be toned down. It’s speculation on my part, however I’d say that having an established star like Ha-neul onboard was a big draw for Tae-yong, so he was likely reluctant to disagree.
In reality, the narrative would have benefitted by putting a little more impact into the couple of scenes Ha-neul was referring to. Much like Ang Lee’s masterpiece Lust, Caution, Misbehavior is a tale in which sex is used both to manipulate and gain the upper hand. Won-geun stated that this production was his first time to be involved in such scenes, and unfortunately it shows, with the crucial moments coming across as rather flat and awkward, rather than the pulse racing moments of intensity they’re supposed to be. While these scenes belie the confidence of his character when he’s fully clothed, the damage they do overall is minimal, but ultimately you can’t help but feel that a potentially great movie has come out as just a good one.
Thankfully Tae-yong doesn’t compromise on the outcome that events lead up to, delivering a finale that’s as surprising as it is shocking. By the end of Misbehavior the audience may not have sided with any one of the main characters over the others, however there’s a good chance that opinions will be divided as to where their sympathy lies. Indeed despite it being basic human emotions that serve as the driver behind everything, the underlying enemy is the ruthless Korean hierarchy system that exists in the workplace, a culture which consistently places influence over capability. It’s easy to argue that if Misbehavior had taken place anywhere else, perhaps Ha-neul and In-young would have been friends.
Tae-yong’s latest continues to show his talent for capturing the darker nuances of the human psyche, and is by far his most accomplished work to date, in some ways representing the antithesis of the kind of scenarios found in a Hong Sang-soo movie. These type of mid-budget productions frequently get lost in the mix when it comes to Korean cinema, so here’s hoping we see more movies like Misbehavior, that show it’s still possible to pack a punch and not be derivative of a more popular larger production. It may not involve any hammers or frantic stabbing, but when you’re dealing with a teacher scorned, the outcome is certainly no less brutal. For those looking for something a little different from Korean cinema, Misbehavior comes strongly recommended.
On May 14th, 2019, Arrow Video will be releasing the Blu-ray for 1969’s Yakuza Law (aka Yakuza’s Law: Lynching), a super-violent gangster classic from director Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman’s Curse) and star Bunta Sugawara (Cops vs. Thugs).
Read the official details below:
Director Teruo Ishii (Horrors of Malformed Men), the Godfather of J-sploitation, presents Yakuza Law – a gruelling anthology of torture, spanning three district periods of Japanese history and bringing to the screen some of the most brutal methods of torment ever devised.
In this deep dive into the world of the Yakuza, meet the violent men who rule the Japanese underworld and the cruel punishments inflicted on those who transgress them. The carnage begins in the Edo Period with a violent tale of samurai vengeance starring Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honour and Humanity), before shifting to the Meiji Period as the exiled Ogata (Minoru Oki, Shogun Assassin) returns to face punishment for his past transgressions… and, ultimately, to take his revenge. Finally, the action is brought right up to date with a tale of gang warfare set in then-present-day 60s Japan and headlined by Teruo Yoshida (Ishii’s Orgies of Edo), as a powerful crime syndicate seeks bloody vengeance for the theft of one hundred thousand yen.
Brutal, bewildering and definitely not for the faint-hearted, Yakuza Law represents Japanese popular cinema at its most extreme… and most thrilling.
Blu-ray Features:
High Definition Blu-ray™ (1080p) presentation
Original lossless mono Japanese soundtrack
Optional English subtitles
New audio commentary by author and critic Jasper Sharp
Erotic-Grotesque and Genre Hopping: Teruo Ishii Speaks, a rare vintage interview with the elusive director on his varied career, newly edited for this release
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips
First Pressing Only: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Tom Mes
Vertical Entertainment will be releasing the action-thriller film Message Man (aka Kill Vengeance) in U.S. digital platforms on February 26. Premiere Entertainment Group had licensed the revenge film to Vertical last September during TIFF.
Read the official details below:
The film, which stars Paul O’Brien and Verdi Solaiman, follows an ex-hitman (O’Brien) whose violent brutality resurfaces when his past catches up to him, leading the assassin on one final killing spree to make things right.
Message Man (read our review) is written and directed by Corey Pearson who makes his feature directorial debut. Pearson and his company Rhythmic Films produced the film. Henry Ambarita and Arya Widharta from HJ Productions, and Head Gear Films’ Compton Ross and Phil Hunt are executive producers.
The film was shot in Indonesia and Australia and showcases some of the spectacular settings throughout the Indonesian region.
“I wanted to make an action film that was honest and character driven and I think Message Man offers that. From the talented performances of both the eastern and western cast through to the truthful depiction of the brutality and fighting, Message Man has a unique edge to it. It definitely isn’t for the faint hearted but does have a whole lot of heart,” says Corey Pearson.
“Message Man is a very well-produced film and we’re confident it will do well in the market place. It’s great to see this kind of quality genre film coming out of Australian and South East Asia,” says Vertical’s Josh Spector.
Premiere Entertainment represents remaining worldwide rights to the film. Click on the link below to watch the film’s Newest Trailer:
On April 9th, 2019, Well Go USA will be releasing the Blu-ray for Golden Job (read our review), a heist-action film directed by and co-starring Chin Kar Lok (Kung Fu Jungle).
The cast of Young and Dangerous – Ekin Cheng, Jordan Chan, Michael Tse and Jerry Lamb – reunite for Golden Job, which tells story of five brothers who take part of a top secret robbery that’s not what it seems. Once the brothers realize they’ve been misappropriately used, they take action!
The film also stars Eric Tsang (The Adventurers), Charmaine Sheh (72 Tenants of Prosperity) and Kaki Sham (Frozen).
We love Netflix. In fact, we love it a lot. Why? Because it brings us a lot of original content! Furthermore, it also has a few acquired shows in its library, like the classic but timeless Friends. We just had to do a little digging to find out what to expect this year. Below, we list the movies and TV shows coming to Netflix in 2019. Enjoy.
Netflix Movies and TV Shows 2019
If you’re like us, you love watching movies as you play best online slots. The combination of the two is just perfect as it helps to relax and excite you. Check out the short list of movies and TV shows that you should definitely watch on Netflix.
Dear Ex (Film)
This is a Taiwanese drama. In the drama, a woman finds out after her ex-husband dies that he re-evaluated his life insurance policy to benefit someone she didn’t know and not her or her son. She sets out to find out who this person is and decides to confront him. When she does, her life, as well as the relationship with her family, is changed forever.
Russian Doll (New series)
This is a comedy starring Natasha Lyonne. In the comedy, a woman dies and wakes up repeatedly in the bathroom of a wild party in lower Manhattan. Did you know “Russian Doll” is one of the top 12 Gambling Movies on Netflix visit website and see the games these movies normal play.
Siempre Bruja (New series)
In this foreign series, a witch escapes being burned by time travelling. Now, she must adjust her lifestyle to live in contemporary Colombia while staying safe.
Velvet Buzzsaw (Film)
This star-studded, satirical thriller stars Jake Gyllenhaal. In the film, collectors of art and artists get a hold of a series of paintings which turn their luxurious lives upside down.
Bordertown (Season 2)
The series looks into a series of crimes related to Russia as detective Kari Sorjonen continues solving disturbing cases in the Finnish police drama.
Romance is a Bonus Book (New series)
This is a Korean rom-com. It shows a whirlwind relationship between a young editor-in-chief at a magazine and a copy editor in pursuit of his job.
It is the year 2077 and a terrorist organization now dominates the Earth. The fate of humankind now rests in the hands of “The New Model” (Schuylar Craig). Trained under the wing of Alex Sinclair (Sue Price of Nemesis 2-4), she must form an army to take down the regime and regain control.
Nemesis 5: The New Model releases on DVD on June 11, 2019. If you can’t wait, watch the film now with Amazon’s VOD service.
Director: Alan Mak Writer: Alan Mak Cast: Lau Ching-Wan, Nick Cheung Ka-fai, Karena Lam, Anita Yuen, Alex Fong, Deep Ng Running Time: 114 min.
By Martin Sandison
Alan Mak’s Extraordinary Mission really slipped under the radar a couple of years ago; for me it was one of the best action films of 2017, with the ending reaching insane heights of over-the-top action. Unfortunately, the film under-performed in all territories, and Mak’s new film Integrity is a complete left turn. An anomalous Hong Kong thriller, Integrity features no action and concentrates on a complex plot and star turns from Lau Ching-Wan (Call of Heroes) and Nick Cheung (The Trough). While the film should be applauded for this approach, the end result falls flat, despite there being some aspects to enjoy.
King (Lau) is a member the ICAC (The Independent Commission Against Corruption) and is investigating a case involving cigarette manufacturing, which Jack Hui (Cheung) is involved in as a witness. Multiple characters and plot lines pile up as the case becomes much more complex than King realised, with little respite for his perpetually gurning mug.
As an advert for the ICAC, the film certainly pushes all the right buttons to please the Mainland Chinese Government. Ten years ago, shlock-meister Wong Jing made I Corrupt All Cops, a seeming history of the ICAC. Having not seen the film I can’t pass much comment, but by one account it pleased the Chinese Government, while also serving up lashings of Hong Kong film-style violence and corrupt cops. Oh, how times have changed. In Integrity, all of the members of the ICAC are seen as clean-cut, obedient, government-serving folk who will do anything to solve the case with the minimum of violence. Perhaps this is one reason why there is such a dearth of action in the film. The only car chase is over before it begins – not a punch is thrown or a clip emptied. Certainly a bold approach, and those who like to use their brains to work out mounting plot strands and complex plotting will have a field day. Until the ending.
The ending is very weak, and despite tidying up the plot, is a complete anti-climax. While I like a tangled-web plot as much as the next person, there was little to hold my interest here. I guess it’s because I love aesthetics in movies, and when there is a combination of style and substance we get classics like Mak’s co-directed masterpiece Infernal Affairs. The style of Integrity is beyond bland. Without Lau and Cheung, the screen would go dead for the majority of the running time. Most of the film is taken up by people talking in rooms, with little dramatic emphasis or visual interest. At times the over-egged soundtrack, which attempted to punctuate scenes with drama, was laughable; as they were about as dramatic as watching an egg boil.
While these aspects bug the sh*t out of me because of Mak’s track record, it’s great to see Lau and Cheung cut loose with their performances, as both get to play characters with some depth. It’s interesting to observe how they develop throughout, with Lau realising by the end he can’t take on the world and must accept his place. Cheung’s character is intriguingly two-faced, who at first seems as if he wants to help the cops and is a decent man, by the end is a different beast all together.
One of the highlights of the film is a pair of flashbacks showing Lau and Cheung in college. Yes, they are computer enhanced to de-age them. And… it’s actually surprisingly decent. It looks as if the Chinese have finally realised they were far behind Hollywood in effects, and if advance word of The Wandering Earth is anything to go by, they have learned this lesson.
The less said about peripheral characters and the actors performances in Integrity the better. Especially Karena Lam (Dragon Blade), whose flatness in her role as King’s wife and colleague would make a flat-earther blush. Only the perennially great Alex Fong (Drink, Drank, Drunk, one of my favourite movie titles of all time) comes away with anything approaching credence in a token part as King’s colleague.
While not a complete turd, Integrity doesn’t do enough to hold the viewers attention, and serves as a blip in Lau’s otherwise mostly wonderful filmography. The mullet he sported in Police Story 2 gives Van Damme a run for his money, as an afterthought. Those who like their movies cerebral will find something to enjoy; those who love their Hong Kong movies of the Golden Age will again have their head in their hands. The remedy: search out a classic, in that seemingly neverending supply, and avoid new HK cinema, unless the films are getting uniformly good reviews. It’s interesting to note that the best Hong Kong cinema by new voices recently takes the form of low key drama, especially my favourite Mad World. And it’s lucky I like that genre, or my misery would be complete.
For movie lovers around the world, 2018 was a very good year! Think Black Panther, Aquaman, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War and many others that were real hits. We had a mixed bag of everything, including horror, thrillers and mainly superhero movies. In fact, there was something for everyone.
And trust us, 2019 is actually an awesome year. In this article, we feature the top 5 movie releases of 2019. We promise you’re going to be blown away this year!
Top 5 Movie Releases of 2019
Below, we list a few movies that you can expect to watch whenever you take a break from kiwibetting sports betting. So, now that we’ve got you excited, let’s get right into it.
Avengers 4
This 3 May release is anticipated badly by fans all over the world. For some reason, the creators of this movie have kept the title under the covers but we don’t care. In this instalment, Thanos will wipe half the universe out of existence and it is up to the remaining heroes to pick up the pieces and restore the world.
Star Wars: Episode IX
This movie is due for release on the 20th of December. For this, it’s a sort of disappointment as this is the finale to the trilogy. We will see what happens to Rey and Kylo Ren after Luke Skywalker dies. The last JEDI provoked a lot of strong opinions from all angles – the best online casino America sequence is a segment even the film’s cheerleaders have taken issue with.
It: Chapter 2
6 September is the release date of this horror flick. We really do not know much about this movie except that the clown will come back again, only this time, its a few years later. This means those cute little kids won’t feature in this one. However, we do know that Pennywise is coming back again to haunt their behinds.
Lion King
Lion King is scheduled for release on the 19th of July and I know a lot of us will be sad to see Mufasa die. However, the cast in this one will really impress you. We have Donald Glover playing Simba, Nala being played by Beyoncé, Seth Rogen playing Pumba and John Oliver is Zazu. Now that’s some cast! Simply can’t wait!
Aladdin
This will be released on the 24th of May. We don’t know anything else about this movie except that Will Smith will be playing the Genie. It’s going to be awesome I tell you, we really don’t care about anything else at this point.
Director: Nick Cheung Cast: Nick Cheung, Xu Jing-Lei, He Jiong, Yu Nan, Michael Miu Kiu-Wai, Yuen Wah, Lam Suet, Louis Cheung, Maggie Cheung Hoh-Yee, Li Hai-Tao, Chris Collins Running Time: 112 min.
By Paul Bramhall
It’s been 3 years since Nick Cheung last sat in the director’s chair for his sophomore feature Keeper of Darkness, which saw him sticking to the horror tropes of his directorial debut. For his third outing though, titled The Trough, the horror genre has been cast aside, and in its place is a neo-noir styled slice of pulpy crime fiction. Like his previous two outings as director, Cheung also casts himself as the star, and if anything it proves that the HK thespians directorial trajectory is certainly an interesting one.
While Hungry Ghost Ritual was a relatively low-key outing that received lukewarm reviews, one thing that it did achieve is to give Cheung the confidence to go all out for his sophomore feature. Keeper of Darkness employed an ‘everything and the kitchen sink’ approach to its narrative, bouncing from horror to romance to comedy to dark drama with reckless abandon. It may sound unwieldy on paper, but Cheung’s yellow hair dyed ghost negotiator anchored proceedings in such a way, that it never felt as schizophrenic as it arguably was.
The Trough shows that his ambitions aren’t likely to see a return to the low-key any time soon, with a plot that sees him cast as an undercover cop in an underworld gang. At this point it’d be fair to think that this was a plot which has been done in HK and Chinese cinema plenty of times before – from Infernal Affairs to Extraordinary Mission – there’s plenty to choose from. However The Trough sets itself apart by not being set in Hong Kong or China, instead, Cheung has opted to create a completely fictional setting called Solo City. A kind of Sin City-esque landscape of low lives and lawlessness, its pulpy aesthetic is one that becomes more immersive the deeper we progress into his characters murky world.
Before that though, things get off to a rocky start. Kicking off in the desert, we find Cheung living a life of solitude, with nothing but a bluesy electric guitar driven soundtrack and an awful CGI hyena for company. Yes, even worse that those CGI hyena’s in Kung Fu Yoga. Tired of the undercover life, and indeed life in general, he doesn’t think twice about staring the hyena down. He may have hit rock bottom, but even at rock bottom you can be a bad ass. Upon returning to Solo City, he’s tasked with taking down ‘The Boss’, the mastermind behind the criminal activity plaguing the city. The key to taking down this mysterious unseen figure lies with a little girl, who’s been kidnapped from the orphanage she was in the care of, and ends up being reluctantly taken under Cheung’s wing. Every dirty cop and gangster seem to be after the girl, but for what reason nobody knows.
While the plot may sound relatively straight forward on paper, onscreen it frequently comes across as muddled. Cheung desperately wants us to empathize with his undercover cop, and his attempts to create that empathy range from the bizarre to the bombastic, sometimes both at the same time. One shot of him strolling moodily down a street, abruptly cuts to him plummeting through the air in a wingsuit, yelling at the top of his voice as the ground rapidly approaches. It’s a jarring shift, and while I appreciate such scenes are supposed to show he has a death wish (playing Russian roulette in your trailer is so 80’s), his placement of them is the equivalent of inserting a death metal track into the middle of a Michael Bublé number.
Indeed Cheung’s lofty ambitions, more so than either of his previous directorial efforts, are here restricted with the budget he has to work with. Most of the first half hour is made up of sets that look too sparsely decorated to give the illusion of reality, and random moments such as the wingsuit scene only serve to make it easy to declare The Trough an early write off. However as events progress, so it begins to find its footing, and both his character and direction begin to feel more assured. A gun fight in a dusty out of the way laundromat, presided over by the ever reliable Lam Suet, serves as a loud alarm to announce that things are going to get bloody and bullet riddled. Yes it may be CGI blood, however with the almost monochromatic washed out palette (think Once Upon a Time in Shanghai), the bursts of red still deliver the desired impact.
Much like Keeper of Darkness, as a viewer you eventually find yourself willing to go along with the jarring tonal shifts, and enjoy his overly ambitious tale of crooked cops and hidden villains. From the moody opening scenes, which aim to establish his characters devil may care attitude, once the plot actually kicks in, the action comes thick and fast. Interestingly, The Trough’s action direction duties go to Korean’s Bak Ju-cheon and Yu Sang-seob, and they have the desired effect of bringing a more down and dirty style of action to the table. There are gun fights aplenty, with Cheung using the opportunity to indulge in some double fisted handgun action (who can blame him?), and we even get a nicely staged knife fight with Philip Ng, clocking in a cameo appearance.
It’s safe to say that by the time talk turns to neurologically enhancing children with mental disabilities, and we’ve witnessed a car crashing from one high-rise floor across the street into another (think the exact same scene in Transporter 2), then the only sign left of the brooding opening is the ever present rain. As unwieldy as his narrative is, The Trough arguably owes a debt to its impressive supporting cast, who all commit to their roles regardless of how slight or bizarre they may be. The legendary Yuen Wah has an entertainingly violent role, as a gangster that leads an assault which goes all kinds of wrong. Needless to say, his fans will get a kick out of his role here far more than his rather thankless appearance in the same years Master Z: Ip Man Legacy.
The aforementioned Philip Ng and Lam Suet also play their parts, with He Jiong being an effective counterpoint as Cheung’s dry (and incorruptible) police contact, along with his tech expert sidekick played by Yun Nan (here’s hoping she turns up in Wolf Warrior 3!). Fans of Hong Kong cinema will no doubt enjoy the presence of the likes of Louis Cheung (watch out for the nod to Election), a particularly effective Michael Miu as a world weary gangster, Maggie Cheung Hoh-Yee as a crooked cop, and plenty more. Although, for those wondering, no Louis Koo (that’s a positive). Xu Jing-Lei, from the likes of The Warlords and Shinjuku Incident plays a pivotal role that it would be a spoiler to reveal here, however I can’t help but feel it would have been more effective if we’d spent more time with her character.
Cheung’s smartest move is perhaps the one he saves for when the credits are rolling. For those wondering how such a tale could ever get passed for Mainland distribution, he smartly stages a scene that plays alongside the end credits. Visiting a drug lord in Thailand, Cheung explains in no uncertain terms that he’s to stop the supply of drugs being sent to China (I mean Solo City) or else he’ll face the consequences. There we go – despite the murkiness of the character, the fact that he’s against drugs was obviously enough to give it a big fat tick of approval from our friends in the SARFT.
It’s true that The Trough falls short of its lofty ambitions, restricted perhaps equally by the regulations it has to adhere to as much as its budget. However Cheung’s voice as a director is still one that comes through loud and clear, and it’s a voice that’s worth paying attention to. A mess of style over substance it may be, but it’s a good looking one, and for that it’s worth checking out.
Chow said Kung Fu Hustle 2 will be a modern-day kung fu tale in a foreign country that will stand independent from the first film (via JS). The original took place in Shanghai, China in the 1940s, and followed a wannabe gangster (Chow) who aspires to join the notorious “Axe Gang” while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
Hong Kong superstar Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) is back with a sequel to his 1999 seminal comedy hit, The King of Comedy, which he co-directed with Lee Lik-chi (God of Cookery).
Men Suddenly in Black and Dream Home filmmaker Pang Ho-Cheung is taking a stab at the martial arts genre with the popular wuxia series, Deer and Cauldron, which he’ll produce and direct.
According to Variety (via AFS), the film will be set in the Qing Dynasty era, and ranging widely in a fashion comparable to Harry Potter or the Game of Thrones series, the books were written some 70 years ago by Louis Cha (aka Jin Rong), the father of the wu xia chivalric martial arts literary genre, who died last year. Cha’s novels have been previously adapted by Stephen Chow and others, and were shot as a Hong Kong TV series more than 20 years ago.
Production for Deer and Cauldron begins in mid-2019. Pang plans to shoot all three movies back-to-back, with the first arriving in 2021. Casting is currently underway.
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