Sun Hong-Lei Movies
- 2009
Inevitably recalling director Chen Kaige's 1993 masterpiece, the international smash Farewell, My Concubine, the sumptuous period epic Forever Enthralled (originally and more elegantly given the eponymous biographical title Mei Lanfang) dramatizes the life of Lanfang (Leon Lai), widely regarded as one of the most legendary opera performers in all of Chinese history. Though a male, Lanfang built his reputation on the basis of outstanding performances as female characters, and in fact, lived out his private life buckling under the weight of repressed emotions. Kaige structurally divides the epic into segments. The film commences with a 70-minute sequence that depicts Mei's reaction to a letter from his uncle, cautioning him against the dangers of an operatic career; in the years that follow, Mei recoils from social rules (wrought by his chosen profession) that severely restrict his actions. The narrative then moves forward in time by a decade, to a point where Mei has somehow managed to bound over the said limitations and establish himself as the single most popular opera star in all of China. Conflict lingers, however -- present in Mei's repeated on-stage duels with the performer Swallow 13 (an apocryphal character who represents a composite of several real-life figures), whose style is the polar opposite of his own. Kaige then moves ahead in time to explore Mei's efforts to juggle a second marriage to Fu Zhifang (Chen Hong) and his relationship with his manager, Oju Rubai (Sun Honglei), whose passion for Mei's on-stage craft (and, possibly, a desire for Mei himself) know no bounds. Sadly, a pitfall to Mei's familial security soon presents itself in the form of a young female admirer, Meng Xiaodong (Zhang Ziyi) with whom he lapses into a love affair. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Lai, Zhang Ziyi, (more)
Three best friends who are barely getting by as fishermen in the small village of Zhujiajiao depart to seek their fate in Shanghai in director Alexi Tan's reworking of the John Woo action classic Bullet in the Head. Feeling trapped by circumstance in the only place they have ever known, Kang, his brother Hu, and their best friend Fung decide to take their fate into their own hands by moving to Shanghai. Upon arriving in the bustling city, the naïve trio gradually finds their innocence corrupted as they fall into the deepest depths of the criminal underworld. The starting point for their harrowing descent is the infamous Paradise Club: the most popular - and dangerous - nightclub in all of Shanghai. In the Paradise Club, Lulu is the songbird that every man wants to capture, yet she remains locked securely in the cage of owner and underworld crime kingpin Boss Hong - or so he thinks. Because when the stage lights go down and the big guy isn't around, his right hand man Mark starts making the moves on Lulu. Of course Lulu is no innocent either, and as this pair conduct their dangerous affair both enemies and allies alike begin plotting a way to wrestle control of the city from the ruthless Boss Hong. As the tense situation between Boss Hong and his many conspirators begins to boil over, Kang, Hu, and Fung make a desperate grab for power that quickly pays off. But success in Shanghai doesn't come cheap. With their power nearly cemented in the land of plenty, Fung will be forced to choose between love and a life of crime while wrestling with his troublesome conscience, Hu will enter into a monumental struggle against his own inner weakness, and power-hungry Kang will allow nothing to prevent him from realizing his own ambitions. Now, as lives hang in the balance and blood begins to flow, the chance for redemption fades with each passing day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Based on the controversial writings of Russian historian Lev Gumilyov, director Sergei Bodrov's look at the early years in the life of the Mongol conqueror stars Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano as Temudgin (as he was then known), Honglei Sun as Mongol chieftain Jamukha, who was both Temudgin's close friend and mortal enemy, and newcomer Khulan Chuluun as his wife, Borte. Born in the year 1162, Temudgen's childhood was marred by tragedy and peril. But a great battle would seal Temudgen's fate forever, and though history often paints him as a brute, the truth is much more complex. Few historians make mention of the role Temudgen's wife, Borte, played in advising her husband and elevating him to greatness. With Borte by his side, Temudgen would rise to become a fearless visionary whose legacy would still prove potent enough to stir controversy centuries after his death. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tadanobu Asano, Sun Hong-Lei, (more)
Three maestro Chinese action directors - Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark and Johnny To - co-helm the adventure saga Triangle. The film actually constitutes a film serial, divided into thirds, with each filmmaker responsible for one episode. Three drinking buddies, Fai, Sam and Mok are visited one dark and stormy night by a strange old man who dazzles them with the tale of an ancient treasure. The artifact in question - worth untold amounts of money - lies buried beneath an almost impenetrable government facility. The retrieval mission is theirs, if they wish to accept it, and if they can claim the treasure, they get to keep it. Indeed, the "loot" - a magnificent robe of interwoven golden strands, its monetary value inestimable - outstrips everyone's expectations. But in time, the friends' greed and selfishness begin to overshadow their considerations of loyalty, trust and friendship. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Love and war leads to conflicted alliances between two couples in this period romantic drama from China. In 1937, Lu Ping (Chen Kun) is a barber working in Shanghai as his nation is locked in a war with Japan. While Lu Ping is in love with a beautiful singer, Yu Mian (Wang Yajie), when he mistakenly kills a Japanese GI he is forced to leave her and hide from the law in a remote village. Song Fengnian (Ren Guangzhi), whose brother ran the shop where Lu worked, agrees to take him in, and he gets to know Song's daughter, an alluring young woman named Jiayi (Zeng Li) who is engaged to marry Ye Jiangtian (Liu Guanjun), a man on track to become a career military officer. Lu forgets all about Yu Mian when he meets Jiayi, and she seems to be taken with him. However, Ye can offer Jiayi a financial stability Lu cannot, and she cannot bring herself to break off her engagement. When the war comes to an end in 1945, Lu returns to Shanghai, and resumes his romance with Yu Mian. However, Ye and Jiayi soon relocate to Shanghai as well, and as Lu and Jiayi try to channel their mutual attraction into a friendship, Ye begins an affair with Yu. Lifashi (aka The Music Box) was the final feature film for Chen Yifei; he died before final work could be completed on the picture, and his friend and colleague Ng See-yuen stepped in to finish the project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Vivian Wu stars as an unlikely femme fatale in this suspenseful murder mystery from writer/director Oscar Luis Costo. In the wake of her husband's murder, Mei Li (Wu) takes on a vengeful alter-ego, carrying out hits at the direction of her husband's confidant. Meanwhile, she meets an American man and strikes up a romance, but one or both of the two men in her life may secretly have dubious intentions. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vivian Wu, Richard Burgi, (more)
Tsui Hark (The Blade) adapted his massive martial arts epic Seven Swords (AKA Qi Jian) from Liang yu-Sheng's ravenously popular novel Seven Swordsmen from Mount Tian. The story opens in the 1660s, following the implementation of China's (Manchu) Qing dynasty. To quell possible nationalist uprisings, the emperor issues a decree forbidding the use of martial arts, and guarantees decapitation for anyone who violates that order. A class of bounty hunters quickly formed to enforce the law and collect 600 pieces of silver for each violator; the most massive and domineering of the warriors is the bald, muscular Fire-Wind (Sun Honglei), a bellicose and volatile creature who lives in an elephantine tentlike dwelling on a hill. This walking terror selects Martial Village, a hamlet in northwestern China, as his next assignment. Meanwhile, in Martial, two young adults, Wu Yuanyin (Charlie Young) and her ex-beau, Han Zhibang) rescue an old executioner, Fu Qingzhu (Lau Kar-leung) who foresees the coming wrath and acknowledges the necessity of pulling in the mythical 'Warriors of Mt. Tian' to fight Fire-Wind and his cronies. The four warriors summoned by Fu include Chu Zhaonan (Donnie Yen), and Yang Yunchong (Leon Lai), who dramatically increase the tension and bloodshed when the former develops a crush on one of Fire-wind's hostages, Green Pearl (Kim So-yeon) and decides to kidnap her - sending Fire-wind through the roof. The critically-worshipped Hark reportedly cut two versions of this film (including a 2 1/2 hour cut and a 3-hour cut) and demonstrated incredible confidence in Qi Jian by planning it as the initial installment in a massive series of multimedia sequels, including a 74-part television series, an online video game, comics, and five additional films. The picture itself testifies to this, with the setup for a sophomore installment in its conclusion. Qi Jian, however, did lackluster box office when it opened in the Far East in July 2005, making the follow-ups less than certain. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, (more)
Sun Zhou's stylized Zhou Yu de Huoche (Zhou Yu's Train) is the story of a woman in love. Zhou Yu (Gong Li) and teacher Chen Ching (Tony Leung Kar-Fai) fall in love. After Ching gives Zhou a poem he wrote for her, she begins taking a train ride twice a week to his home in order to have sex with him. During her time on the train, she strikes up a relationship with a veterinarian (Sun Honglei), but she ends their time together when she learns that he spied on her during one of her visits with Ching. Gong Li has a second role as a another woman obsessed with Chen who is trying to ascertain the nature of his relationship with Zhou. This film was shown out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gong Li, Tony Leung Kar-Fai, (more)
Following on the heels of director Zhang Yimou's Not One Less (1999), which won the top prize at the 1999 Venice Film Festival, comes this sensitively-wrought portrait of a young woman's unshakable love. The film opens in the present, shot in gritty black and white, as businessman Luo Yusheng (Sun Honglei) returns to his hometown in the rural Hebei province to attend the funeral of his father. When Luo suggests that the coffin should be brought home from the hospital on a tractor, his aging mother Zhao Di (Zhao Yuelin) rebuffs him, insisting that they conform to custom and have it carried home by local men. Later, as Luo recalls his parent's courtship, the film switches to color and travels back in time about 40 years. A young, beautiful Zhao Di (Zhang Ziyi) find herself falling for the village's handsome new teacher Luo Changyu (Zheng Hao). As the males in the village join together to build a school for the burg, Zhao Di helps the other women prepare food, waiting patiently to meet the strapping educator. Just as their romance begins, Luo is suddenly ordered to leave by the Communist authorities. As Luo packs up and leaves the village, Zhao Di races hither and thither carrying his favorite steamed dumplings, hoping to catch him before he departs. Though the odds of reunion seem slim, Zhao Di steadfastly holds vigil for her lover until miraculously, Luo returns under the cover of the night only to be once again ordered to the city where he has been commanded to stay. The pair are forced to wait another two years until they can be together. This film won the prestigious Silver Bear at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival and the World Cinema Audience Award at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival; the victories were all the more sweet for the director, as The Road Home was rejected outright from the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, prompting Zhang to angrily withdraw his Not One Less from competition. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zhang Ziyi
