Dragon aka Swordsman aka Wu Xia

[SimonM]

So can I torrent it yet?

Not before I buy a totally legal, yeah, legal copy in Chinatown.

[doug maverick]

Not before I buy a totally legal, yeah, legal copy in Chinatown.

actually those chinatown copies are technically bootlegs too. they have no us distributor most of the time, they are just directly shipped here, which means the production company isnt seeing a profit off of it.

[SimonM]

actually those chinatown copies are technically bootlegs too. they have no us distributor most of the time, they are just directly shipped here, which means the production company isnt seeing a profit off of it.

Say it ain't so!

[doug maverick]

come on dude, china is the movie pirate capital of the world!! you dont know that?

[SimonM]

Yes, I know that. Gawd, sarcasm does not communicate well over the interwebz.

[doug maverick]

Yes, I know that. Gawd, sarcasm does not communicate well over the interwebz.

no it doesnt...ive said this for years, sarcasm doesnt work well in text, lol unless you ad to it...lol

[GeneChing]

July 14, 2011, 10:45 AM HKT
Donnie Yen Tops Chinese Propaganda Film
By Dean Napolitano

It wasn’t the fact that kung-fu star Donnie Yen topped China’s box office that was surprising. The surprise was what it pushed aside on the charts.

The martial-arts movie “Wu Xia” starring Mr. Yen powered to the top of China’s box office last week by overtaking “Beginning of the Great Revival,” a heavily promoted, government-supported propaganda epic about the early days of the Communist Party.

“Wu Xia,” which opened July 4, pulled in 101 million yuan ($15.6 million) for the week ending July 10, according to Beijing-based media-research firm EntGroup Inc., more than three times the 31.3 million yuan earned by No. 2 “Revival.”

That film, whose all-star cast includes Chow Yun-fat, Fan Bingbing, Andy Lau, Liu Ye and Daniel Wu, covers China’s history from the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 to the founding of the Communist Party in 1921. Pushed hard by the government as part of the Communist Party’s 90th-anniversary celebrations, “Revival” has earned a total of 348.45 million yuan since opening on June 15. Movie chains in the country vowed “all-out efforts” to promote it and nearly 30 other less-prominent films that were produced for the anniversary, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported last month.

The Wall Street Journal’s Jeremy Page reported earlier this month that many government employees were required to see “Revival” and cinemas were ordered not to premiere Hollywood summer blockbusters during its run. But this best-laid of plans seemed not to take into account that a homegrown product like “Wu Xia” might knock the government’s champion off its perch.

“Wu Xia” is a cat-and-mouse thriller about a repentant killer whose past catches up with him as he hides out in a remote village. The $20 million drama from director Peter Chan also stars Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tang Wei and Jimmy Wang Yu.

Mr. Yen’s career has taken off in recent years, as a string of hits showcasing his martial-arts prowess made him a top box-office draw in mainland China. Mr. Chan said Wednesday he was pleased his film managed to top the box-office charts last week despite the “competitive environment.” The film is opening gradually in other markets around Asia this month, and a U.S. release is expected later this year under the title “Dragon.”

This is related to the article I just posted here.

[GeneChing]

We have enough police procedurals nowadays, especially on broadcast TV. I'm kind of sick of them. If this is just a twist on that - a kung fu genre police procedural - I'll be disappointed. Hoping for more.

Melodrama meets Kung Fu
By Han Wei Chou | Posted: 20 July 2011 1802 hrs

SINGAPORE: Hong Kong director Peter Chan's "Wu Xia" tells the tale of Detective Xu Bai-jiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who tries to unravel the mystery of how an unassuming paper maker Liu Jin-xi (Donnie Yen) managed to slay Yan Dong Sheng, a murderer on a killing spree.

His investigations slowly reveal that Liu may not be who he claims to be and inadvertently puts Liu as well as his wife Ah Yu (Tang Wei) on a collision course with the leader (60s action star Jimmy Wang) of the 72 Demons, a clan of vicious killers.

Chan's decision to meld science and martial arts in his film, via cutaways showing blood vessels being constricted and hearts stopping within the human body when precise martial arts strikes find their mark, is well-publicised.

But if you take a similar approach and look beyond the surface of the film, you'll notice that these "CSI"- like sequences are little more than a gimmick to capture your interest early in the film.

They even break up the flow of the fighting somewhat in certain action scenes.

Still, these sequences are a novel touch and give the film a refreshing visual style.

Fortunately, the cutaways aren't the only draw of "Wu Xia" - the film's strong dramatic elements will also get you hooked.

Everything - from Xu's internal struggle over how compassion figures into law enforcement, to Liu's relationship with his family - has been lovingly crafted to make audiences care for the characters, and amplify their emotions when traumatic events befall their favourites.

These melodramatic portions of the film provide the context and the "why" behind the fight scenes that punctuate each act.

There is nothing much to say about Yen's action choreography in "Wu Xia" except that it is really fluid and realistic.

Yen's decades of experience in the martial arts film genre shows in the way he devises the fight scenes, with every punch and bone-crunching kick clearly presented to the audience.

Look out for an amazing sequence where Liu has to fight off a knife-wielding assailant in a small shack, while the oxen housed within get more and more frightened and threaten to stampede.

However, as an actor, Yen's performance was only satisfactory.

The same can be said of Tang, who managed to cry and look frightened as the film required but failed to give any more.

Kaneshiro was better, turning in a nuanced, convincing performance as the decidedly offbeat Detective Xu.

But even he could not outshine Wang.

Wang's gravitas was unmatched and viewers squirmed in their seats as he stalked onto the screen exuding malice with each step near the end of the film.

All in all, Chan falls short of revolutionizing the genre like he had hoped with "Wu Xia".

He does, however, offer an interesting twist on the standard wu xia film by going under the skin of the Kung Fu duels in his film, while reinforcing the strong dramatic traditions on which every classic wu xia film is built.

A few more fight scenes and it would have been perfect.

"Wu Xia" opens July 21.

[GeneChing]

Wise not to go that "this is my last kung fu flick" route like Jet and Jaa tried.

Fine, I'll be an action star, says Donnie Yen
my paper
Wed, Jul 20, 2011

AFTER attempting to branch out into genres like comedy and drama, Hong Kong's Donnie Yen has resigned himself to being a martial-arts hero on film.

"When people hear the name Donnie Yen, they associate it with someone who does martial arts. I can accept that... It is not easy being an action star these days," said Yen, 47.

He was in town yesterday to attend the gala premier of his latest film, Wu Xia, at VivoCity.

Despite his words about being an action star, Yen - who also served as Wu Xia's action director - still hopes "to allow the audience to see a different side of me".

"As an actor, it is my responsibility to...continue to challenge myself," he added. That is why the Ip Man actor took on roles in the contemporary rom-com All's Well, Ends Well (2011) and the upcoming The Monkey King.

Tellingly, when photographers later asked the actor to strike a "fight" pose, Yen politely refused. The former stuntman revealed that, in the next couple of years, he will be taking a break from period films, focusing instead on contemporary action films, a genre he personally prefers.

Yen broke out in the 1984 action film Drunken Tai Chi, and is finally enjoying a boom in his career. His turn as Bruce Lee's wing-chun master in 2004's Ip Man pushed him firmly into the limelight.

Since then, he's helmed movies like Bodyguards And Assassins (2009) and The Lost Bladesman (2010).

Hollywood has even come calling, with studios sending Yen scripts to consider. He has rejected them all, he revealed, adding that he hasn't read one he likes. Besides, he said, the scene has changed and the West is eyeing China, which has become an important market for American film companies.

Wu Xia, helmed by Hong Kong director Peter Chan, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival with much fanfare earlier this year, and the movie will reportedly be screened in the US. The movie also stars Taiwan-born Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro and Chinese actress Tang Wei.

Reporters yesterday could not resist asking Chan, who was also in town, about rumours that he will direct a film about Singapore's independence. Called 1965, the buzz is that Tony Leung may play Singapore's first prime minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Chan was quick to shoot down the speculations. "I am not the director," he said, adding that he will be, at most, a "consultant".

"I did promise to help...but nothing was confirmed because I am busy and am not familiar with the material," he said.

The movie is a co-production between Singapore's Homerun Asia and China's Zonbo Media. Chan described the script as "good", but said he has no idea who has been cast.

Talk turned back to Wu Xia.

Though Chan praised Kaneshiro as "one of those rare few actors who is so good looking and yet so non- aggressive", his highest praise was saved for Yen, whose role as an action director was crucial.

"It couldn't be done by anyone else... Without him, I wouldn't have been able to make the movie," he said firmly.

[SimonM]

Wise not to go that "this is my last kung fu flick" route like Jet and Jaa tried.

100% in agreement - although I think that trend started with Jackie Chan who once said Rumble in the Bronx would be his last kung fu movie.

[GeneChing]

Given what's happening in China film now, everyone wants that next CTHD. You can feel it in the buzz factories and Wu Xia is the prime candidate now.

July 27, 2011, 9:45 AM HKT
‘Wu Xia’ Opens in Hong Kong
By Dean Napolitano


Tang Wei in a scene from ‘Wu Xia.’

Scores of movie fans swarmed the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday night for the local premiere of director Peter Chan’s $20 million martial-arts thriller “Wu Xia.”

Stars Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tang Wei joined Mr. Chan, along with co-stars Jimmy Wang Yu and Wai Ying-hung, on stage for the opening. Mr. Chan and his cast also rolled out a huge birthday cake in honor of Mr. Yen, who turns 48 years old on Wednesday.

Mr. Chan has spent the past several weeks traveling around Asia for the film’s premieres in China, Taiwan, Singapore and elsewhere. “It’s good to be home again — finally,” he said just before Tuesday night’s screening.

“Wu Xia” is a cat-and-mouse thriller set in rural China in the early 20th century, with Mr. Yen playing a repentant killer hiding out from his ruthless clan and living a seemingly simple village life with his new wife and two young sons. But his past eventually catches up with him as he’s pursued by both a persistent big-city police inspector and the leader of his vengeful clan.

The film offers one of Mr. Yen’s most complex roles in recent years. It also marks the return of Mr. Wang, the legendary 1960s Shaw Brothers martial-arts star, after an absence on screen of nearly two decades.

Mr. Kaneshiro plays the detective, while Ms. Tang — who gained stardom four years ago in Ang Lee’s film “Lust, Caution” — plays Mr. Yen’s wife. Rounding out the cast is famed martial-arts actress Ms. Wai as a brutal warrior.

Unlike most martial-arts movies, “Wu Xia” explores in vivid scientific detail the physical effects of kung fu on the human body — and the physics behind an accurately placed lethal blow.

The film opened July 4 in mainland China, where it has earned 169.10 million yuan ($26.2 million) through July 24, according to Beijing-based media-research firm EntGroup.

Mr. Chan told Scene Asia that he wasn’t “entirely satisfied” with the mainland Chinese box-office tally so far, but that his expectations were “probably too high.” He described the film as “experimental” in a traditional market.

The U.S. release of “Wu Xia” is expected later this year under the title “Dragon” and will be distributed by the Weinstein Co.

[SimonM]

Dragon? Seriously? Dragon...

Somebody sat down and said, we've got a Chinese movie coming out for the US market. Let's put the word "Dragon" in the title - because that won't confuse ANYBODY....

[SimonM]

I just wrote a long review of Wu Xia over at my blog. Short of it was - beautiful movie, decently acted, good fights, BAD use of deus ex machina spoiling large portions of the plot.

Gave it 16/25

[Jimbo]

Given what's happening in China film now, everyone wants that next CTHD. You can feel it in the buzz factories and Wu Xia is the prime candidate now.

I'm not sure there will be another CTHD in the States. The novelty of subtitled Chinese wuxia films seemed to have dried up with Curse of the Golden Flower, as far as major theatrical releases. I'm certain it will get a limited or art-house theatrical release, though. But I don't see anymore Chinese MA movies being nominated for any more Academy Awards again anytime soon.

I would rather have seen a modern-day MA action film, like Flash Point in major theatrical release. Although its story isn't so great, the action scenes are like nothing your typical American audiences have seen onscreen, and were shot in the old-school fashion...with outstanding camerawork, intensity, etc. Plus the mixing in of BJJ-style techniques in more creative ways than just your typical American MMA tournament movie. But they didn't do that and they blew it.

Regardless, I'm hoping Wu Xia does well however it can. But they definitely could've titled it with something more original than "Dragon."

[doug maverick]

I'm not sure there will be another CTHD in the States. The novelty of subtitled Chinese wuxia films seemed to have dried up with Curse of the Golden Flower, as far as major theatrical releases. I'm certain it will get a limited or art-house theatrical release, though. But I don't see anymore Chinese MA movies being nominated for any more Academy Awards again anytime soon.

I would rather have seen a modern-day MA action film, like Flash Point in major theatrical release. Although its story isn't so great, the action scenes are like nothing your typical American audiences have seen onscreen, and were shot in the old-school fashion...with outstanding camerawork, intensity, etc. Plus the mixing in of BJJ-style techniques in more creative ways than just your typical American MMA tournament movie. But they didn't do that and they blew it.

Regardless, I'm hoping Wu Xia does well however it can. But they definitely could've titled it with something more original than "Dragon."

i disagree with something on the level of CTHD came out im more then sure it would be a hit. its all about the level of MA action.