David Li Movies
- 2001
In 1997, as political control of Hong Kong shifted from the British government to that of China, Hong Kong's legal system went through a metamorphosis, and this drama tells the tale of one young man caught in the middle. As a teenager, Cheung Yau-ming (David Lee) fell in with a group of thugs and in 1985 was involved in an assault on a girl that led to her death. Cheung was arrested and found guilty of the crime, and was sentenced to be "detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure" -- an open-ended sentence that could last as long as the authorities saw fit. Twelve years later, Cheung is still behind bars, and with mainland China soon to take power, Zhang Yul-ing (Ai Jinhg), a Chinese activist, sets out to help Cheung and others like him by working with lawyers to give prisoners fixed sentences, rather than have their sentences translated to "at the Chief Executive's Pleasure," which generally means the prisoner is never released. While Zhang and lawyer Leung (Stephen Tang) do all they can to help, it doesn't take long for them to realize that they're facing an uphill battle. Danghau Tung Chee-wah Fatlok generated a certain degree of controversy upon its initial release; the film was expected to be the opening night attraction at the 2001 Hong Kong Film Festival, but it was pulled from their schedule, with many believing the film's political content angered government officials who refused to allow the film to be shown, though a government spokesman claimed the film's screening was cancelled due to poor creative merit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Tang, David Li, (more)
Madonna and Sean Penn, who were husband and wife at the time, starred in this notorious box-office bomb that one critic termed "Flop Suey." The film takes place in 1937, during the Japanese occupation of China. Drug runner Walter Faraday (Paul Freeman) is trying to leave the country with a large stash of opium but he is chased by armed guards and killed. A year passes and missionary Gloria Tatlock (Madonna) hires sleazy American con man Glendon Wasey (Sean Penn) to help her find the missing opium. She wants to use the drugs to relieve the suffering of wounded Chinese soldiers -- as she puts it, "Guns cause pain. Opium eases pain." Glendon reluctantly agrees. But unfortunately for the two do-gooders, there are other, more notorious seekers of the opium shipment as well. George Harrison, one of the film's producers, wrote the songs and appears in a cameo role as a nightclub singer. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
