Chang Chen Movies

John Woo turns his sights on romantic epic territory with this Lion Rock/Fortissimo Films production starring Chang Chen and Song Hye-kyo. Lust, Caution's Wang Hui-ling provides the screenplay for the picture, set at the tail end of China's Civil War. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

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

Chinese Odyssey 2002, produced by Wong Kar-Wai, is writer-director Jeff Lau's energetic parody of Chinese kung fu epics, with a bit of Shakespeare thrown in. Chang Chen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) plays the Emperor, who, desperate for the free-spirited life of a wanderer, tries to escape from the royal palace with his sister, the Princess (Faye Wong, little seen since starring in Wong's Chungking Express). He's caught and returned to his angry mother by the royal guards, but the Princess, disguised as a man, manages to escape. Meanwhile, King Bully (Tony Leung, who also starred in Chungking Express) has returned to his hometown, where he is widely despised for his bullying ways, to run a restaurant with his tomboy sister, Phoenix (Vicki Zhao of Shaolin Soccer). They have a very close relationship. In fact, King Bully mistakenly believes that he can read his sister's mind. When the Princess arrives in town, King Bully finds himself drawn to her, but, believing she's a man, decides that his attraction is some kind of empathy with Phoenix. King Bully and the Princess spend a night eating and drinking together. In the morning, the Princess leaves. King Bully, determined that the Princess will marry Phoenix, vows to bring the charismatic young "man" back. She does return, but soon realizes that the royal guards are following her. Meanwhile, the Emperor convinces his mother to let him leave the palace to go look for the Princess. By the time he gets to town, the Princess has been carted off by the royal guards, with King Bully in hot pursuit. He's immediately attracted to Phoenix. More confusion ensues. Chinese Odyssey 2002 had its U.S. premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was awarded Best Film, and Faye Wong Best Actress, by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

The new kid in town finds his new friends might know something his father doesn't in this playful comedy from Japanese filmmaker Isao Yukisada. Ryunosuke Kusunoki (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a boy from Tokyo who moves with his family to a farming community in Hokkaido province, where he soon finds he doesn't fit in. Ryunosuke's difficulties with his new school mates isn't helped by the fact his father (Tomokazu Miura) is a government functionary who has come to persuade a handful of farmers to sell their land so that a new airport can be built. Ryunosuke's father isn't the first man to try to get the local farmers to sell their land, and the landowners don't regard him with any greater friendliness than they did his predecessors. Ryunosuke is frequently taunted by Kohei Tsuchida (Yuma Sasano), whose father is a scientist and the leader of the local opposition to the new airport, but while their parents are increasingly at odds, Ryunosuke and Kohei strike up a friendship through their shared love of pranks. As Ryunosuke slowly begins to enjoy his new environment and the joyously eccentric community around him, he finds he can no longer support his father's desire to tear up the countryside in the name of air transportation. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A whirlwind romance dies beneath the icy depths of the Pacific Ocean after a diver vanishes in the ancient ruins off Yonaguni Island, and his would-be fiancé embarks on a desperate quest to uncover his true fate. Years ago, acclaimed underwater photographer Dave Chen (Guo Xiao Dong) hid a sparking engagement ring in the 10,000 year old ruins at the westernmost tip of Japan. The ruins are Dave's greatest passion in life, and he always looked forward to the day he would return to the site with his true love, and propose to her in that awe-inspiring setting. Now Dave's dreams of finding the perfect mate have come true, and he's ready to propose to the beautiful Jing Gao (Lee Sinje). But as Dave, his sister Helen (Isabella Leong), and Jing Gao board a boat and set sail for the ruins, Helen implores her brother to take some time and weight his options. Insistent that he has found the woman he longs to share his life with, Dave follows Jing Gao into the ocean, never to be seen again. Soon thereafter, the decapitated corpse of a man is discovered, though lack of proper DNA evidence prevents the authorities from claiming that the body belonged to Dave. Devastated, Jing Gao drifts into a fantasy world populated by mysterious phantoms, where she discovers a strange piece of glass marked with the number "1016." As Jing Gao turns to her friend Simon for advice on finding out what really happened to Dave, Helen follows her instincts and travels to nearby Turtle Island in Taiwan in search of clues. What she finds there - a human head and a video camera featuring footage of the fateful dive - may be crucial to solving the mystery of her brother's disappearance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The ghost of a young boy haunts a Taipei apartment block in Better Than Sex director Su Chao-pin's urban spook story. Hashimoto (Yosuke Eguchi) is a paranormal investigator who uses an anti-gravitational device called the Menger Sponge to trap wayward spirits. Upon exploring a haunted Taipei apartment complex, Hashimoto and his crew capture the specter of a young boy who apparently perished under mysterious circumstances. When Hashimoto brings local policeman Yi Chi-tung in to help identify the boy, jealous ghost hunter Su Yuen (Barbie Hsu) makes a tragic attempt to steal the ghost that leaves Yi free to release and follow the spirit. As Yi's turbulent past slowly begins to come into focus, another, more malevolent supernatural force somehow related to the boy threatens to rain doom down on all involved in the investigation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The material and spiritual sides of one man's life are reflected in a game that allowed him to become a hero in this historical drama from Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang. Wu Qingyuan (Chang Chen) was born to a wealthy family in China, and as a boy he revealed a remarkable talent for the centuries-old game known as Go. Wu's skill for the game was so great that in the 1920s he was given the opportunity to travel to Japan, where he would learn from the grand masters of Go and compete with champions from around the world. Wu spent most of the rest of his life in Japan, where his life was bordered on one side by Go and on the other by his study of Zen; however, Wu was also a Chinese man living in Japan during a time that the two nations were often in violent conflict, and he found himself viewing some of the most crucial and traumatic events of Japanese history through the eyes of an outsider. Wu Qingyuan received its American premiere at the 2006 New York Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Elements of the typical detective story blend with comedy and melodrama in this tale of a Taipei man who longs to patch up his relationship with his estranged wife, yet finds his noble efforts sabotaged when he steps out of his car to purchase a cake, and another driver parks him in. It's Mother's Day in Taipei, and Chen Mo is eager to patch things up with his beloved wife. In order to start things off on the right foot, Chen Mo stops by the local bakery to pick up a cake. Unfortunately, that's just about the time another driver chooses to double-park in the space next to him, effectively blocking him in. The driver of the other car is nowhere to be found, and Chen Mo searches every floor of the adjacent parking building to no avail. In the course of his quest, Chen mo encounters a series of quirky characters including a one-armed barbershop owner with a fondness for fish head soup, and a mainland prostitute on the run from her pimp. In time Chen Mo finds the driver of the offending car, and invites his newfound friends along as he prepares to drive off into new horizons. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Legendary Hong Kong action specialist John Woo and international superstar Tony Leung reunite for their first feature film together since 1992's Hard-Boiled with this historical drama set during the decisive 208 A.D. battle that heralded the end of the Han Dynasty. Adapted in part from the beloved Chinese tome Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Red Cliff opens in the year 208 A.D., just as prime minister-turned-general Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeks permission from Han Dynasty emperor Xian (Wang Ning) to organize a southward-bound mission designed to silence troublesome warlords Liu Bei (You Yong) and Sun Quan (Chang Chen). As the expedition gets under way, Cao Cao's troops rain destruction on Liu Bei's army, forcing the latter to retreat and convincing Liu Bei's military strategist Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) that their only hope for victory is to form an alliance with Sun Quan. Increasingly aware of the monumental struggle ahead, both sides begin preparing for the battle that will ultimately shape the future of an entire nation. Originally envisioned as a single film, Red Cliff was eventually split into two parts due to an excessive running time that approached five hours. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide