I have borne witness to what may be the rebirth of cool in Hong Kong cinema. I sit in front of a computer a changed man. Let me talk to the new generation of film geeks out there for a moment. I have watched the film that may forever hook you onto Hong Kong cinema for the rest of your lives. What John Woo's Hardboiled and The Killer did for me [and seemingly Todd and Kurt as well – no lie we all said this after last night's screening] this film I saw last night will do for you. Whether of not this turns the tide in what has been a flailing industry doesn't matter. That is irrelevant. The here and now is that Wilson Yip's SPL, Sha Po Lang, rules like freaking lords and if you thought Hong Kong cinema was dead or dying you need to pay heed to my words.
SPL stars a combo of old school icons, contemporary stars and future leaders of the new school: Sammo Hung, Simon Yap, Donnie Yen and Wu Jing. Simon portrays Detective Chan, a hard as nails cop wholly bent on bringing down crime boss Po, played by Sammo Hung. With only days before his retirement and his health failing due to a tumor in his head, Chan's man on the inside is murdered and Chan and his team attempt to frame Po for the murder. Enter Ma, Chan's replacement, played by Donnie Yen. Ma is a by the books cop but has a reputation for extreme measures to law enforcement. Ma's arrival causes tension in the group as they go about bringing their own interpretation of justice to the streets. What are they willing to do to bring Po and his gang down?
SPL is one of those rare breeds of Hong Kong films and finds the perfect balance between drama, melodrama and action. Very few have been able to do this well and find that delicate balance but Yip brings a story to the screen that exposes the full scope of human emotion in his cast. Compassion and humanity still exist beneath a grim and hard exterior as most characters in SPL are given the opportunity to love, to hurt and to rage. What it accomplishes is you connect better with the characters and it is done so well that you dare not scoff at it. And Yip's cast fires on all cylinders and deliver at every point in their growth on screen.
The action is bar none. Gone is the careful choreography and graceful moves normally associated with HK action films. Yip does away with the sweeping gestures and grand posturing. Understanding his story and his characters development leading up to each fight he knows what is appropriate and what drives each character as they fight. As Kurt said in his review, and we spoke about this last night, thank god Yip was smart enough to pull the camera back and just let the actors beat the crap out of each other. The benefit of having three of Hong Kong's greatest martial artists in your cast is that you can trust them to do it right. Clearly Yip trusts Yen, Hung and Wu with the fighting scenes [in the Q&A Yip said that he told Yen and Wu to just go at each other and by god they did]. The fighting is brutal and desperate and heck if I have seen anything more brutal and real than the fighting in the final act. By far the best fighting I have seen this year at TIFF and the best I have seen in a long, long time.
SPL is one of the best movies to ever come out of Hong Kong. What it has done is reset the bar on quality and expression in HK film that has been sorely missed since the late 90s. A couple times a year we see a brief glimmer of hope as a new HK film shines above the rest of the tripe. SPL is one of those, shining light a beacon to the rest of the industry. It begs for imitation and perhaps the industry isn't ready or able to reach the same level as SPL. But it offers itself as an inspiration for others in HK and if the industry can return to the level of quality it was at before the millennium HK can soon reclaim its position as a hotbed for international cinema.
Ummm...three reviews?
Damn it, I can't wait for the DVD to come out!
I swear this better be as good as all you guys are saying it is.I'm a huge Shaw Bros. fan and never understood why todays filmmakers dont look back to the films of Chang Cheh and others like him.I got really tired of all the wire fu films that have been made in recent years.I want some straight up brutal fighting,hard blocks and blows.The last martial arts film that I flipped over was Ong Bak because it seemed to harken back to those glory days.
All three of us were there and all three of us love it. It fully deserves all the attention that we are giving it. We talked about overlapping reviews before the fest began and it is an unavoidable occurance, especially given our tastes are somewhat similar. personally I've held back a couple others [the district, the duelist] simply because I totally agree with what Kurt Todd and Matthew have said about those films. But we were all so excited about this movie that hopefully you will understand upon seeing this movie that it fully warrents the attention we've given it. I may not have added anything new but it bears repeating. SPL rules like freaking lords. Clearly the best film of the midnight madness program.
I concur. I was sitting there with the boys (nice to meet you, by the way) and this movie just kicked butt. It was everything that these guys say it was and more. The fights are just phenomenal, but beyond that the story was very strong. The whole thing was rock solid. If you get a chance to see this, don't pass it by. If you can, seek it out. You'll be thanking these guys for the push.
TOTALLY AWESOME!!!! All fighting credits to Doonnie Yen, he truly has shown his talents and creativity. In the Q & A, Wu actually said that they "went at it&" but Yip said that it was all Donnie Yen, and his ideas. AMAZING Totally a MUST SEE again and again!!!!!!!!!
SPL definitely blew my mind away.
I'm Donnie Yen's assistant and was at the set everyday working hard and am so happy with the result.
One thing that is truly unfair to Mr. Yen is about the action sequence in the alley. Mr. Yen came up with the whole concept in the alley scene, and shot it, directed and edited it. I sat by him (days/nights) and watched him cleverly come up with step by step movements and teaching Wu Jing what and how to do.
Unfortunately, Mr. Yen couldn't be there (as much as he tried, but couldn't due to schedule) to answer questions regarding the action choreography, what inspired him, and how he directed each action sequence.
We are all thrilled with all the great reviews! Can't wait to see Dragon Tiger Cage, also Directed by Wilson Yip and Action Directed by Donnie Yen.
All you guys have done with these reviews is piss me off. You guys get to see the movie, and I have to wait for the DVD. :)
you're not alone. Does that make you feel better? ^_^
I speak for Mack, Todd and myself when I say 'nah nah nah nah'
:)
It's supposed to hit HK theaters in mid-November, I think ... should mean a DVD early in the new year ...
Eight Rooks......to help you reflect a bit on your dilemma, I'd like to bring forth a - revised - quote from the great English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson: "Tis better to have 'watched SPL' and lost than never to have 'watched SPL' at all.&"
No, I can't believe it! I won't! You, you - !
:P
...although I would, seriously, really hate seeing what sounds like such a great film and then not being able to see it again for upwards of three months.
I'm still as envious as everyone else, though. ;)
Alright, who's complainig about having to wait to see it again when some of us haven't seen it at all? Hmmmm? -eyes you sternly..no I mean sternly, you should cower anyway-
Dont you guys have foriegn cinemas in the states? I'd be suprised if it doesnt get a NA release before the dvd gets out.
I saw the movie!
Its one of the best action movies ever! Its great!
Lots of scenes will stick in your mind, emotions will run through you like never been before.
And when you are done watching the movie, you will have tears in your eyes as you watch the credits roll by with the great soundtrack and go..
"OH MY GOD!!!!!!!&"
I have just seen the most kick ass HK movie ever!
Your life will forever be changed because this movie will OWN YOU!!
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