Veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Ching Siu-tung (The Raid, Duel to the Death, Belly of the Beast) is returning to the director’s chair with Jade Dynasty, his first film since 2011’s The Sorcerer and the White Snake.
Into the Badlands: Complete Collection | Blu-ray (Lionsgate)
RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2019
On October 8th, 2019, Lionsgate will be releasing the Blu-ray for AMC’s Into the Badlands: The Complete Collection, which contains all three seasons that ran between 2015 and 2019.
In a land controlled by feudal barons, Into the Badlands tells the story of a great warrior and a young boy who embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment.
Into the Badlands stars Daniel Wu (Sky on Fire, Shinjuku Incident), Aramis Knight (Ender’s Game), Emily Beecham (28 Weeks Later), Orla Brady (The Foreigner), Lorraine Toussaint (Fast Color) and Nick Frost (Spaced).
Considering the project’s impressive line up and the respective characters they’re playing, Kung Fu League is essentially “The Expendables of kung fu legends and myths.”
Vincent Zhao will once again portray Wong Fei Hung, as he did in Once Upon a Time in China IV-V and the 1996 TV Wong Fei Hung Series; Dennis To will once again portray Ip Man, as he did in The Legend is Born – Ip Man; frequent “Bruce Lee” actor, Danny Chan, will portray Chen Zhen (made famous by Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury); and Andy On will portray Huo Yuan Jia (previously portrayed by Jet Li in Fearless).
Cold blooded killer Zhang Ning sneaks back into China to blend in. He is quickly pursued by two fierce and brutal bounty hunters. A grisly battle ensues between the killer, bounty hunters and cops. After a flurry of gunfights, martial arts combats, car chases, equestrian acrobatics, and pyrotechnic extravaganza, many a life will be lost and much honor and glory won in this grimly exciting Chinese “martial arts Western” that should not be missed.
On October 15th, 2019, Universal is releasing the Blu-ray for Riley Stearns’ The Art of Self-Defense, a “Certified Fresh” dark comedy set in the crazy world of karate.
In The Art of Self-Defense, Casey (Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland) just can’t seem to win. Attacked on the street, humiliated at his job and even emasculated by his dog, he joins a local karate dojo led by the enigmatic Sensei (Alessandro Nivola, Face/Off) to learn how to defend himself. In the midst of his training, Casey becomes friendly with a female instructor (Imogen Poots, Green Room) and soon realizes he is caught in a bizarre world of outcasts, fraternal rituals and hilarious hyper-masculinity.
If you’re at all interested in movies, celebrities, or strip clubs, you’ve probably heard about the upcoming Hustlers movie, which beautifully ties together all three. It’s slated for a September 2019 release, and its star-focused promotion has brought in many people who have never even heard of the story before.
Whether you’ve been invested in this movie since the beginning or this is the first time you’re really hearing about it, there’s one thing you probably haven’t thought about. Where does the title of the movie even come from? You’ve likely heard the term and maybe even used it before, but what does it mean to be a hustler? Here’s everything you need to know about Hustlers — the movie and the term.
What Is the Hustlers Movie About?
The 2019 Hustlers movie is based on a 2015 article in the New York Times profiling one specific woman who at the time was pending felony charges. This woman was the alleged ringleader of a group of former strippers who decided to go further in order to make more money. Rather than just relying on tips, these woman had a complicated system through which they would lure in men, wine and dine them, then drug them — either literally or metaphorically — and take as much of their money as possible.
It’s a wild story, and it incorporates so many nuances that it was almost inevitable that there would eventually be a movie about it. It’s a star-studded cast, too: Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, Keke Palmer, and Constance Wu, among others. The movie’s shaping up to be at the very least an incredible ride.
Where Did the Term Hustler Come From?
You’ve probably taken the term “hustler” for granted. The original New York Times article was actually called “The Hustlers at Scores,” referring to the strip club that the women used as a hub for their work. Nobody really had to ask what it meant; most people know that “hustling” is a term regularly used for making money, no matter how you have to do it.
But where did it come from?
It’s a word that’s been used for centuries — it has its roots in 17th-century Dutch and spread to American English by the late 1800s. But the concept was introduced to the American public through pool. Ironically, it was really cemented in the American lexicon through another movie named The Hustler, a classic from 1961. In the movie, a pool player hustles his way through a number of games, leading to its widespread use as a reference to cheating someone else.
The word’s usage in hip-hop then led to a definition that had more to do with making money, regardless of how that money was made. Over time, it’s morphed into a variety of meanings. You can use it to refer to someone aggressively making money, to illicit means of making money, to prostitutes searching for clients, or to generally moving quickly.
Essentially, being a hustler can mean being a lot of things.
What Does HUSTLER® Have to Do With It?
For many people, the concept of hustling makes them think of HUSTLER® the brand. Although HUSTLER® was created nearly a decade after the movie The Hustler came out, it played a big part in linking the term to prostitution and stripping. As the first major US publication to really lean into the sexual aspects of the magazine, it made quite the splash.
In 1998, HUSTLER® Hollywood was first opened in West Hollywood, and its legacy continues even today. Although there are still physical stores, the online HUSTLER® Hollywood store makes it easy to buy sex toys and other gear from anywhere, even if you don’t live near a physical store. That’s one of the biggest associations with the term for many Americans, and its ubiquity is 40 years in the making.
Conclusion
Lots of people are interested in the upcoming Hustlers movie for lots of reasons. You might be interested in seeing a movie maker’s take on the situation, getting more information on everything that happened, or just watching your favorite celebrities on the big screen. One thing’s for sure, however: being a hustler has seemingly always been in style. From its roots in pool sharking to its existence as HUSTLER® Hollywood to the 2019 movie, being a hustler has never been this good.
A sequel to the martial arts actioner BuyBust (read our review) is currently in-the-works from returning filmmaker Erik Matti (On the Job).
The first film, which starred Anne Curtis (Blood Ransom),Brandon Vera (Kamandag) and Victor Neri (Citizen Jake), told the story of cop (Curtis) who finds herself trapped inside a dangerous slum area in Manila after a poorly planned buy-bust operation goes awry.
On October 29th, 2019, HBO Home Entertainment will be releasing the Blu-ray & DVD for the First Season of Cinemax’s Warrior, a 10-episode crime series, based on unpublished writings by the late Bruce Lee.
Warrior stars Andrew Koji (Finding Akira), Olivia Cheng (Marco Polo), Jason Tobin (Pound of Flesh), Dianne Doan (Descendants 2), Kieran Bew (Green Street Hooligans) and Dean Jagger (Game of Thrones).
The series follows Ah Sahm (Koji), a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs (Chinese organized crime family).
Other cast members include Joanna Vanderham (What Maisie Knew), Tom Weston-Jones (Copper), Hoon Lee (Outcast), Joe Taslim (The Raid), Dustin Nguyen (Zero Tolerance), Langley Kirkwood (Dredd), Christian McKay (The Young Messiah) and Perry Yung (John Wick: Chapter 2).
Assaf Bernstein (Netflix’s Fauda) is directs the series’ pilot. Justin Lin (Star Trek Beyond, Finishing the Game) is producing along with Jonathan Tropper, co-creator of Banshee.
After barely surviving an attack by an elusive serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su (Lee) finds himself forming an unlikely partnership with local detective Jung Tae-seok (Kim Moo Yul, Illang: The Wolf Brigade) to catch a sadistic killer.
“Luc Van Tien: Tuyet Dinh Kungfu” Vietnamese Theatrical Poster
Director: Hoang Phuc Cast: Andy Long, Diep Lam Anh, Thanh Loc, Kim Tuyen, Du Au, Khoi Chau, Andy Le, Brian Le Running Time: 90 min.
By Martin Sandison
Some years back my friends and I were active in the Indie kung fu movie scene, and made some features and shorts. We posted on the Stunt People Forum, which is a great way to share videos and support each other. Although there were many great performers, one stood out: Andy Long Nguyen. His story has now gone down in legend, that of being Jackie Chan’s biggest fan. Many people may lay claim to this, but Nguyen is the one who trained and worked so hard, eventually becoming a member of the Jackie Chan stunt team. Appearing in for me the last movie to show Jackie at his fighting best, Chinese Zodiac, Nguyen has subsequently worked on the fantastic (but sadly cancelled) AMC show Into The Badlands. A few years ago he also realised another dream; to stunt co-ordinate and star in his own feature, Lục Vân Tiên. Unfortunately the film still hasn’t been distributed, a real shame. It’s damn good, and as a homage to his hero he couldn’t have done it better, and more than that: here it is plain to see he’s a worthy successor to Chan.
Nguyen stars as the historical hero Lục Vân Tiên, who is magically (and unexplainably) transported to future Vietnam. He befriends a scammer Teo (Huu Tien) who attempts to use Lục for his own monetary ends. Soon the two get mixed up with a bunch of traffickers after Lục saves Nga (Kim Tuyen) from them, and the stage is set for kick assery of the highest order.
As soon as the first two fights kicked in; a realisation hit me: Nguyen has the skills and innovation in action of Jackie in his prime. An important point, and one that distinguishes him from merely being a clone, is he combines this with modern styles. His abilities as a tricker have been there from the start, so much so I would say he’s up there with exponents like Scott Adkins, whom he fought in Boyka: Undisputed. Back years ago the best stuff I saw in the Indie groups was all about this combination, and with Lục Vân Tiên here is the apotheosis. Two group fights, one involving that classic old school prop, metal rings, the other a hard hitting hand to hand fight reflect the ability of Nguyen and his stuntmen. All of them have the techniques, reactions and falls that are right up there with the cream of Hong Kong in the golden age. Early in the film Lục gets his ass handed to him in a two-on-one, and come the end I was expecting a rematch. Boy, does it deliver.
The Ruwwe brothers, Lorenz Hideyoshi and Felix Fukuyoshi, part of the Young Masters group, square up against Nguyen in a fight that awakens my inner kung fu movie child. I’ve rewatched it three times now, and that’s not usual when I watch a martial arts movie these days. The rhythm and timing, high energy exchanges and invention of the choreography makes my jaw drop. Another group that get in on the action are Martial Club, the only young guys I’ve seen in their shorts that can do proper old school shapes (check out one of their collaborations with Nguyen, Drunken Fist vs Praying Mantis Kung Fu on Youtube). Andy Le, Brian Le and Du Au have a few very cartoony comedic fights with Nguyen, and though they bring the skills and hilarity (a running joke with a blade piercing Andy Le’s ass is up their with vintage Jackie), I did think they were a bit underused in terms of their abilities as screen fighters.
As an overall film Lục Vân Tiên is very entertaining throughout, despite being very silly. The set up alone speaks of this, not to mention the tone which is consistent in this way. The whole thing feels like a Hong Kong movie of the 80’s, where anything goes and you gotta flow with it and enjoy the ride, not questioning what you see. Nguyen’s triumph is not only creating this, but making the film feel modern and fresh, not just in the action also in the film making style that utilises a bold colour scheme. There is a depth of knowledge in how to use a low budget to your advantage that should make Independent filmmakers sit up and take note. Director Hoang Phuc Nguyen, in his directorial debut, peppers the movie with nice compositions and eye-catching locations, meaning the screen doesn’t go dead when there’s no fighting.
Something that simultaneously makes me smile and irks me is the approach of this movie; one that the Indie guys, and some professional filmmakers like Chad Stahelski and Iko Uwais are taking. It’s one wherein the the skills of the performers are given room to breath, and have pleasingly old school ways about them, with proper stunt falls and the style of film making that Hong Kong cinema revolutionised. What irks me is that Hong Kong movies, with a few exceptions a year, are not following this beautiful pattern they lade out. I don’t have to mention Chan’s output in recent times, Sammo Hung hasn’t choreographed a film in 2 years (the last one, Paradox, conveys his still complete mastery of the form), and Ching Siu Tung’s return looks to be wading in the mire of Mainland CGI bullshittery. In fact, it more makes me very sad than irks me. A few years back I wrote a review of gangster film Trivisa, saying I was worried about the future of Hong Kong. With all of the troubles happening now, my worries have become a reality. Hong Kong and its culture is compromised beyond belief, and the movies we all loved have become sanitised and expressionless shadows of what they used to be.
The only constant in life is change, and it’s now up to other countries and filmmakers like Nguyen to give us the beautiful action we all crave. I hope that you guys can check out this movie soon, it certainly deserves distribution and a wide release. Nguyen’s natural talent, not just as an action performer and choreographer but as an all-round filmmaker, is plain to see. I sincerely hope this new generation, including the likes of Eric Jacobus (Blindsided) and Jean Paul Ly (Nightshooters), take the world by storm and develop the beauty and visual poetry of onscreen martial arts action.
“Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage” Korean Theatrical Poster
AKA: Bad Lieutenant Director: Lee Jeong-Beom Cast: Lee Sun-Kyun, Jeon So-Nee, Park Hae-Joon, Song Young-Chang, Park Byung-Eun, Kim Min-Jae, Jung Ga-Ram, Lee Yoo-Young, Kwon Han-Sol Running Time: 127 min.
By Paul Bramhall
It’s been almost 10 years since director Lee Jeong-beom struck gold with his 2010 action thriller The Man from Nowhere. Made at a time when, looking back in retrospect, it was a golden era for Korean thrillers, Jeong-beom’s sophomore feature hit all of the right notes. The director would try to recreate the success of The Man from Nowhere 4 years later with No Tears for the Dead, once more sticking with the action thriller to craft a distinctly gloomier affair than its predecessor. Jeong-beom’s 2014 production is an uneven effort, containing one of the best action sequences of the decade in the form of a mid-film apartment shootout, while also recycling scenes wholesale from his previous effort. It may not have been perfect, but it was certainly indicative of a director looking to strike the balance between expertly crafted action sequences, and plots that aren’t afraid to explore some dark territory.
5 years on, and Jeong-beom is back in 2019 with Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage. The title takes the name of the main character, played by Lee Sun-kyun. A cop who’s as corrupt as they come, Sun-kyun’s ‘bad lieutenant’ (which was originally going to be the English title) clearly echoes Sol Kyung-gu’s similar character from the 2002 classic, Public Enemy. In the opening scene he’s teamed up with a small-time crook (Jung Ga-ram, Believer) to rob an ATM under the cover of night, and during the day he has to deal with Internal Affairs constantly breathing down his neck. Like more than one of the roles Sun-kyun has taken since his entertaining turn in 2013’s A Hard Day, the role allows him to plug into his frazzled cop under pressure persona, however at least here it’s not as gratuitous as his performance in the likes of The Advocate: A Missing Body.
It’s when he sets his sights on using Ga-ram to break into a police warehouse that things begin to go wrong. An unexpected explosion sends the warehouse up in flames, incinerating Ga-ram who’s still inside, and knocking Sun-kyun unconscious outside. Waking up in hospital Sun-kyun finds himself as the suspect behind the blast, however it turns out that Ga-ram wasn’t alone when he initially broke in, discovering some shady characters from a wealthy conglomerate attempting to destroy evidence which would clear them of corruption charges. When it comes to light that Ga-ram filmed his fellow visitors in the act, and sent the video to his tearaway girlfriend, both Sun-kyun and the conglomerates resident psycho (Park Hae-joon, Heart Blackened) find themselves in a race to get to her first.
While the plot of Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage differs significantly from The Man from Nowhere and No Tears for the Dead, it soon becomes clear that those differences only really stand out on paper. Onscreen, the plot acts as a framework to hang the same tropes we’ve seen before in Jeong-beom’s previous productions. The girl is played by Jeon Son-nee (After My Death), and eventually Sun-kyun becomes her protector, echoing the relationship between Won Bin and Kim Sae-ron in The Man from Nowhere. Song Young-chang (who, let me just put this out there, I’m sure has been killed more times onscreen than any other Korean actor), who played the villain running the organ trafficking ring in The Man from Nowhere, is also back as the villainous CEO of the conglomerate. Whereas last time he had a South East Asian assassin at his disposal, this time they’ve decided to keep it local, with the previously mentioned Park Hae-joon playing the eager to please right-hand man who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.
While it’s clear that Jeong-beom believes that the formula used in The Man from Nowhere was a winning one, this is after all the second time he’s now looked to recycle it, it’s also clear from his latest effort that you can’t strike gold twice by staying in the same spot. What I’d really like to see is for him to apply his talents to a different genre, however instead he’s become a director that seems to be stuck running back to the kitchen for the same ingredients each time, preparing them a little differently, then hoping no one notices. At its core Jung Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is another riff on the theme of ‘flawed male character seeks to protect vulnerable female character, and in the process find redemption’.
While previously Jeong-beom’s concoctions have come with a heavy dose of action, often so good that it became possible to turn a blind eye to the weaker elements of the production, this time action is the one ingredient which is sourly missing. Clocking in at an unnecessarily long 125 minutes, Jeong-beom’s latest is also his longest production to date, giving us plenty of time to dwell on its shortcomings. One of my biggest complaints about The Man from Nowhere was how one dimensional the villains where, and almost 10 years on, Jeong-beom is still unable to write a fully realised villain. This time the excellent Song Young-chang is reduced to doing little more than belting out villainous cackles, and Hae-joon is no better, with seemingly the only motivation behind doing what he does being to please Young-chang (and of course, the fact that he enjoys hurting others, because that makes him that little bit extra bad).
Like far too many Korean thrillers in recent years, Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage spends too much of its time feeling like a ‘greatest hits’ of other, better titles, than it does one that wants to have its own identity. The ‘dawning rage’ the title alludes to is representative of Sun-kyun’s shift to someone who’s willing to do the right thing, no matter what the cost, but it’s clumsily handled. Suddenly finding himself angered at an unlicensed doctors assumption that he’s Son-nee’s pimp, the beating he proceeds to unleash on the doctor is also one that’s felt by the audience, as the scene is overly-obvious in its intention to signal the change in Sun-kyun.
Perhaps in an effort to differentiate itself from other Korean thrillers of the same ilk, the one aspect of Jeong-beom’s latest that does feel fresh is its Ansan setting. When the Sewol ferry disaster occurred in 2014, of the 304 deaths, 250 of them were high school students studying in Ansan. The plot directly references the incident, with Sun-kyun meeting a father who lost a daughter over the course of his investigations, and Son-nee herself traumatised by losing one of her best friends in the sinking. It’s the first time for me to see the incident directly integrated into the plot of a mainstream production, and it left me with mixed feelings. The topic was handled respectfully, so if I can put my finger on it, I’d say it was probably seeing such a recent tragedy only used in the context of providing a setting, rather than it being the main plot that made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
Proceedings don’t get any better as the finale approaches, with the bizarre decision to include not one but two flashback scenes that play back-to-back completely knocking off the pacing, while adding nothing to build up the anticipation. The flashbacks are indicative of one of the biggest flaws in the bloated runtime, and that’s that there’s simply too much going on. We have a police officer who’s corrupt, we also have a big conglomerate that’s corrupt as well, we have family drama and tragedy based on real events, runaway teens with nowhere to go, the politics of the police station, and oh, in case you forgot a guy got burnt to a crisp somewhere along the way as well. What Jeong-beom’s script could have benefited from was some focus, but by trying to cover too many themes, what’s left is an overlong unwieldy mess.
There was a time when I eagerly looked forward to whatever Jeong-beom was going to do next, however with Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage it feels like that time has now passed. Perhaps it’s a lack of confidence to move out of his comfort zone and try something different, as he’s now made a very similar movie three times, with each one being gradually less entertaining than the last. While A Hard Day meets The Man from Nowhere may sound like an exciting prospect on paper, onscreen it feels tired and overly familiar. When you’re working in a genre that’s already saturated, those feelings are only personified. If Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage serves one purpose, then perhaps it’s to remind us of just how good those movies it riffs on really were. Now, time for me to dig out my copy of Public Enemy.
Today’s Deal on Fire is the Blu-ray for Beyond Skyline(read our review), the sequel to Skyline. The film stars The Raidbadasses, Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, who star alongside Frank Grillo (Purge: Anarchy).
When the population of Los Angeles is vacuumed off the face of the earth, Detective Mark Corley storms his way onto an alien ship to rescue his estranged son. But after crashing the ship in Southeast Asia, he must forge an alliance with a band of survivors to discover the key to saving his son and taking back the planet once and for all.
Also appearing in Beyond Skyline are Bojana Novakovic, Callan Mulvey, Valentine Payen, Betty Gabriel, Jack Chausse, Kevin O’Donnell, Antonio Fargas (“Huggy Bear” from the original Starsky and Hutch TV series) and Singaporean actress, Pamelyn Chee (Point of Entry).
Sylvester Stallone’s “action film” Production Company, Balboa Productions, is enlisting martial arts star Iko Uwais (The Raid 2, Triple Threat, Mile 22,Headshot) for The Bellhop.
Not much is known about the film’s plot, but if its title is any indication, we’re thinking Uwais will play an ass-kicking hotel attendant (Four Rooms meets The Raid?).
The company, which was formed in 2018 with producer Braden Aftergood (Hell or High Water), has a number of films in-the-works, including an an English-language remake of Lee Won-Tae’s The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil, as well as a biopic on Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champion.
We’ll keep you updated as we learn more (via Variety/FCS). For now, here’s the Trailer for Uwais’ soon-to-be-release Netflix series, Wu Assassins:
At the age of 14, I took the plunge in to the world of my favourite director, John Woo. The adrenalin rush seemed to last for days after watching the best pure action film ever made: Hard Boiled. The unending coolness of Chow Yun Fat and emotional depth of Tony Leung leapt off the screen, and both are on my list of Top 10 Actors. The villainous actor made less of an impression, however, and he has said he doesn’t like the film.
Then I saw Beast Cops. Then I saw Exiled. Then I saw Bunman. Then I saw Ebola Syndrome. Anthony Wong was made for the latter golden age of Hong Kong cinema; name me an actor who personifies the 90’s style more than him? – I dare you. Disregarding the martial arts genre, Wong stamped his incredible individual style on countless classics, even winning the Hong Kong film award for best actor in ’93 for Bunman. Only in Hong Kong at the time could this happen; the film is one of the most extreme I’ve ever seen, and Wong manages to look constantly psychotic throughout.
When it was announced that he would be attending Udine Far East Film Festival, I was ecstatic. Despite a reputation as being a little hard to interview, everyone attests to how genuine, nice and accommodating he is. Previous to the interview section at the end of this piece, I was in a ‘drinks party’ at the festival, and noticed him there. I jumped at the chance, and asked him to sign my Bunman DVD, already signed by director Herman Yau two years ago. Wong was lovely, and I talked a little about his feature debut My Name Ain’t Suzie, that had been screened the previous day. He joked “Oh, that was my son, my son”, as he looks so young and fresh faced in the role.
This spirit of humour and humbleness extended throughout the time I was in his company, and he walked past me after his new film Still Human won the Audience Award, looking so genuinely happy and giddy. With the recent protests in Hong Kong he has raised his voice again to support democracy, the only Hong Kong actor from the golden age to do so; this authenticity makes me even more proud to have met and interviewed him, at the same time sad and scared about the place of my dreams and its future. Whatever happens, Anthony Wong will continue to make challenging, vital films.
In the following interview with Anthony Wong, Martin Sandison is joined by Matija Tomic, Tim Youngs, Sabrina Baracetti and an un-named journalist.
“My Name Ain’t Suzie” Chinese DVD Cover
Tim Youngs: So My Name Ain’t Suzie was your first film. You had been in TV for about three years before. I know you auditioned for the film, what was the experience like auditioning and then acting in the film?
Anthony Wong: If I speak in Cantonese it will be more clear and more interesting. (laughter) I saw the advertisement in the newspaper. Reading the description I thought it was the best feature for me. So I spoke to my friend Herman Yau. He told me one of the assistant directors was his friend, so he made the contact for me, and I went to the audition. There were lots of models, pretty ladies (laughter), no, I mean male models. (laughter) I was a little scared, worried. One of the guys there was Max Mok, he was very tall, handsome, masculine, very attractive (laughter). But the thing was, he wasn’t mixed race. Looking at him, I thought: “I could be qualified too”. My features were more prominent at that time, being mixed race. Because I’m not such a typical handsome boy, I thought: “maybe my acting will win them over”. So after that I only had one chance, I went home and waited. I waited a long, long time. As it was so long, I asked Herman to make a phone call for me. He said his friend wasn’t involved in the project any more. He sneaked around and found some news for me. So thought that I found out the director Angie Chen was the one who really liked my audition. So there were a lot of foreigners playing the sailors. They blocked a whole street in Wan Chai, and made it look like the 50’s. Many girls dressed like prostitutes, but they were all very pretty. Everyone was speaking English, and I didn’t speak one word of English at the time. The only line I had to say in English was: “you know this guy?”, and “good money”. So my first screen kiss was in the movie, I had two bottles of beer, but I was still very intimidated. Actually Angie was very nice and did not force me or pressure me to do anything. But Patricia Ha forced the kiss on me! I was very happy and learned a lot through this experience. My role in the film was I had been abandoned as a child, my father had gone back to America, and I was fatherless, and I grew up in Wan Chai. In reality, I also grew up in the Wan Chai area, and didn’t know my real father, who was English. So finally after all these years I reconnected with my family in England, my relatives. They all live in Australia. I found my fathers grave and paid my respects. So the role I played in this movie is like my real life.
TY: We’re here celebrating your career, you will receive the Golden Mulberry Lifetime Achievement award. After you made this first film you went to study acting at the Academy For Performing Arts. Did the experience making this film influence how you went forward as an actor?
Anthony Wong: After making this movie I realised I knew nothing about acting. After many years I watched this film again, I realised why the director Angie chose me, because I didn’t know how to act! (laughter). If I played this role again today, I wouldn’t be able to do it right. In the cinematic world, actors were only a tool to make the movie. In the balance of this world, the actors actually do directing too. So I went to the Academy to study acting because I wanted to be a director.
“Ip Man: The Final Battle” Theatrical Poster
Journalist: I know you studied kung fu, how was did that help your acting? How did that help with your role as Ip Man?
Anthony Wong: It helped NOTHING with Ip Man! (laughter) The style I studied is a totally different style. I had to learn Wing Chun from the very beginning. In terms of my career, it helped me to move faster! (laughter) For instance on set the countdown to an explosion..3..2..1! I can jump, before they count to one (laughter)
Journalist: I know you worked with my friend Bey Logan on The Medallion, how was that?
Anthony Wong: (very sarcastically) Oh, Master Bey. Oh…he’s a funny guy. Very hilarious. Tell him to call me. He’s your friend? Good guy. On The Medallion? There was a lot of waiting around.
Sabrina Baracetti: When was the last time you watched My Name Ain’t Suzie?
Anthony Wong: I’ve seen the film many times. I bought the DVD. It’s been more than ten years. I didn’t want to watch it, because I didn’t want to see myself as so handsome! (laughter)
Journalist: I want to know about your views on the political situation in Hong Kong now, and civil rights there.
Anthony Wong: So five years ago there was a mix up in the media, I thought they had a mix up between me and the activist Anthony Wong. The destiny of the other Anthony Wong is that he is on the list. Somebody told me I’m not on the list. Actually I don’t know what is happening, but I do know that my job is kind of banned by the Government. Maybe it’s time for me to retire and move to Italy!
Journalist: I heard you don’t want to make horror movies any more. Is this true, and why?
“Still Human” Theatrical Poster
Anthony Wong: Because I’m ageing! (laughter) When people are young, they have a kind of anger, power in the heart. When you get older, you don’t have that any more. I don’t want to do horror movies anymore. It’s time to try something new.
TY: Concerning the film Still Human, what appealed to you about the script?
Anthony Wong: Well actually I can’t remember. The director is pretty (laughter) and decent. I liked the story. In my opinion Hong Kong cinema has been missing a film wherein the main character is from the Phillipines or India. So when I received the script, and my costar would be from the Philippines, and her character was not portrayed negatively, this was the main reason I picked up the script.
TY: Did you do some research in to wheelchair users in preparation for the film?
Anthony Wong: Before my mum passed away, the last ten years of her life, she was in a similar situation to the character who I play, Cheong Wing. She was in a wheelchair, she was not mobile, she was sick. I took care of her for those ten years, so I familiarised myself with the situation, and I learned a lot. In terms of the behaviour, the way of communication, I picked up a lot from one of my friends. This is a guy who is blue collar, and speaks in this manner, a local dialect. The director of this film also wrote the script, so she has a very clear vision. So as an actor, I just followed her lead, and delivered what she wanted. The execution and implementation was not difficult.
TY: Still Human was made by a first time director. Is working with new talent something you want to do?
Anthony Wong: I don’t think they are new at all! They are all so experienced already! She (Oliver Chan) has already mastered a lot of technical aspects of film-making. And Krisel Consunji (his co-star) has been acting and performing since she was ten years old. I feel like I’m working with some con-artist. (laughter) she is so good!
TY: Is the industry in Hong Kong supporting new talent well?
Anthony Wong and Tony Leung in Hard Boiled.
Anthony Wong: I actually said to those in the funding department in the Government that 3 million Hong Kong dollars can not make a good movie. I guess everyone is doing the work without worrying about getting paid. So there were changes, and they raised it to 5 million. We have all noticed the industry has changed a lot. In the past Hong Kong produced over 300 movies a year. Now there are around 20 films a year made by new film makers. There are a lot of political reasons for this. There are a lot of challenges to make movies. There are still a group of passionate, brave young film-makers who are tackling issues they are passionate about. Not necessarily political topics, just stories they want to tell. This is very admirable. In Hong Kong right now there are certain things that are ridiculous. You could be criticised just for eating Italian pasta.
Sabrina Baracetti: When you think about your career and all of the films you made, what is your feeling about it?
“The Mission” Chinese Theatrical Poster
Anthony Wong: There’s a lot of complex feelings. In the past a lot of my projects are big budget, a lot of experienced film makers involved, and many people working on one project. I felt like I was really in the movie industry, it’s very glamorous, a big spectacle, big productions. Except some of the stories are not that spectacular, they are boring. If we made Still Human in the old days, Krisel’s character would be played a very famous actor, with her skin coloured darker to become a Filipino maid. Most likely I wouldn’t be cast. Maybe they will cast Andy Lau. (laughter) And in the end Krisel’s character and mine would get married! (laughter)
Journalist: Could you elaborate more on why you chose to make this film without getting paid?
Anthony Wong: Because the director only had 3 million dollars, she couldn’t afford me! I couldn’t lower my fee. So if the movie made some money I get some profit-sharing! (laughter)
Journalist: Of your films is there one you are more attached to? One which you like watching again and you feel a personal connection to?
Anthony Wong: This is the most recent one, but I really like Still Human. Otherwise, Exiled.
TY: What’s your next project?
Anthony Wong: It will be a theatre production.
Journalist: What do you think about the story of Still Human? Does it show a different side of Hong Kong? What do you think of the lack of diversity in Hong Kong cinema?
Anthony Wong: I think there should be more films made like this. Hong Kong is an international city, and it seems like there have been few stories like this one. Maybe next time someone should make a movie about the Indian population in Hong Kong. That would be interesting. Like a Bollywood-type thing.
“Exiled” U.S. DVD Cover
Adriana Rosati: What challenges did you have shooting Still Human?
Anthony Wong: Nothing. It was easy for me. We don’t have to work overnight, which is a nightmare. I didn’t have to do wirework! (laughter) We had a beautiful director and a gorgeous actress! For me it was very easy.
Matija Tomic: Could you talk about where you studied kung fu and which style, and for how long?
Anthony Wong: When I was very young, I shared a flat in Hong Kong with a lot of people, even with my sifu. When I was growing up I went to my sifu and learned Ba Gua, a Shaolin style. I also learned Karate and Tai Chi. Of course I learned Wing Chun for the Ip Man movie. In Hong Kong, and also Guangzhou. There’s a master there called Wong Lim Yee, he’s very good, I studied Wing Chun with him.
MT: You seem to like improvising on set. Is the scene In Johnnie To’s The Mission when you play football with a little paper ball, is that improvised?
Anthony Wong: First of all…there’s no script! (laughter) Second, Johnnie To asked us to play with the paper ball. It was not improvisation. You can never do any improvisation in Johnnie To’s films. (laughter) You will get killed. (laughter)
Martin Sandison: You seem to like acting in serious roles as much as comedic ones. Which do you prefer?
Anthony Wong: I’m a serious guy. But I’m funny. (laughter) Sometimes I act in the wrong way!
Journalist: Apart from film you’ve done a lot of different things recently…
Anthony Wong: You mean like political…(laughter)
“The Untold Story” Japanese Theatrical Poster
Journalist: You have done a lot of other acting, like drama and theatre. Maybe because of you being outspoken about China. It means you’ve had to go elsewhere. Do you think other Hong Kong actors should expand like you have?
Anthony Wong: They don’t. They don’t have to. Because they earn a lot of money in China. If I got the opportunity to work in China, I won’t…What’s the point for others to do theatre? They make no money. In China, you get money. You get rich. Then you get in trouble. (laughter) My next role is in a Broadway play called A Normal Heart. Only a small part, it’s good for me.
MT: If you had the opportunity to make a martial arts film would you do it again?
Anthony Wong: You would have to give me two years to prepare!
MS: What do you think of the future of Hong Kong action cinema?
Anthony Wong: You have to ask the young generation. I think it will be totally different from the past. How to tell the story, the style, how to fight. The future is all in their hands.
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At the age of 14, I took the plunge in to the world of my favourite director, John Woo. The adrenalin rush seemed to last for days after watching the best pure action film ever made: 
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