Ge You Movies

Two crooks with secrets up their sleeves battle for control of a Chinese town in this action comedy. It's the era of the Chinese warlords in the 1920s, and the new governor of Goosetown (Feng Xiaogang) is taking the train into town with his wife (Carina Lau) and right-hand man Tang (Ge You). However, a handful of bandits led by Pocky Zhang (Jiang Wen) want to capture the train, and the explosion they set proves bigger than they expected and the new governor is killed. Pocky realizes no one in Goosetown has seen the new governor, so he decides to take his place, and the dead governor's wife and Tang are forced to play along. Meanwhile in Goosetown, Huang (Chow Yun-Fat) is a powerful criminal who deals in slaves and opium; he's convinced one of his many enemies will kill him, so he employs a simple-minded local man who looks exactly like him (also played by Chow Yun-Fat) to serve as his decoy. When Pocky arrives in town, he goes out of his way to make friends with his new "constituents," and Huang sees he has a powerful rival for the loyalties of the community. The rivalry between Pocky and Huang escalates into a shooting war, though Huang doesn't know Pocky isn't the real governor and Pocky doesn't realize there's more than one Huang. Let the Bullets Fly was a massive box-office success in China, becoming the top-grossing domestic release of all time upon its release in 2010. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A World Without Thieves director Feng Xiaogang shifts his focus from modern-day con artists to tenth century intrigue with this tale of internal turmoil in the age of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms starring Zhang Ziyi, Daniel Wu, and Ge You. Her empire on the verge of a massive revolution as storms begin to brew both within the royal court as well as in the outlying kingdoms, the entrancing Empress Wan (Zhang) gazes upon her stepson, Prince Wu Luan (Wu), with the eyes of a forbidden lover rather than a caring mother. When the emperor dies an unexpected death and his younger brother Li (Ge) ascends to the throne, Empress Wan marries the newly appointed sovereign as a means of both protecting her beloved Wu Luan and cementing her position within the royal court. When assassins dispatched by Emperor Li fail in their attempt to silence Wu Luan and his majesty subsequently announces a lavish banquet, Empress Wan and Wu Luan realize that the time has finally come for them to take action against the murderous despot. The film demonstrates tremendous influence by Shakespearean plays, specifically Hamlet and Macbeth. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An American movie maker famous for living large wants to die in his own unique manner -- which turns out to be harder to pull off than anyone expected -- in this offbeat comedy from Chinese director Feng Xiaogang. Don Tyler (Donald Sutherland) is a well-known American filmmaker who has come to China to direct an epic scale costume drama about the last emperor of China. Lucy (Rosamund Kwan), Tyler's Chinese-American assistant and translator, hires YoYo (Ge You), a cameraman whose career has seen better days, to make a documentary about Tyler's massive project. Tyler and YoYo quickly hit it off and become friends; Tyler, however, isn't feeling especially inspired, and is haunted by thoughts of his own mortality. YoYo tells Tyler of the traditions of the common funeral in China, but Tyler is convinced YoYo was talking about a "comedy funeral," and after he falls ill following his firing by producer Tony (Paul Mazursky), Tyler begs YoYo to arrange such a memorial for him. YoYo sheepishly agrees, and when he's unsure of how to proceed, he seeks the help of noted event promoter Louis King (Ying Da). King whips up a massive funeral for Tyler, but it turns out that neither Tyler nor YoYo have the money to pay for it. King then strikes upon the idea of bringing in corporate sponsors to help bring the event into the black. Soon, dozens of multinational corporations are vying for the privilege of scoring advertising space during Tyler's televised funeral, but a fly appears in the ointment -- Tyler turns a corner, and it looks as if he won't be dying after all. Big Shot's Funeral marked the first major international project for director Feng Xiaogang, who has worked several times in the past with leading man Ge You, a major comic star in China. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A popular Chinese folk tale gets a big-screen makeover in this animated feature. Sanshengmu (voice of Xu Fan) is a goddess who falls in love with a mortal man and leaves the heavens for earth with her magical lotus lantern in tow. Several years later, Sanshengmu's older brother Er Lang (voice of Jiang Wen), still furious at his sister's impropriety, finds her, captures her, and hides her deep inside Mt. Hua. But Sanshengmu now has a young son, and when he discovers what has happened to his mother, he sets out to find the Monkey King (voice of Chen Peisi), whose magical powers could set Sanshengmu free. But will the young boy prove worthy in the eyes of the Monkey King? Bao Lian Deng was a massive box-office success in its native China; the soundtrack features several original songs from pop singer CoCo Lee. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two Chinese expatiates living in California find their paths keep crossing, for good or ill, in the comedy Bu Jian Bu San/Be There Or Be Square. Li Quig (Xu Fan) is staying is Los Angeles and housesitting for a friend when a group of aspiring filmmakers, including Liu Yuan (Ge You), accidentally destroy the place. Liu lets her stay at his place, glamourously located in a trailer park, but they don't get along very well and he's hardly upset when she leaves, supposedly to return to Beijing. However, she never gets out of L.A., and over the next two years Li and Liu find they can't seem to avoid each other. In time enmity grows into a grudging friendship, but will a romance ever bloom for this mis-matched pair? Bu Jian Bu San/Be There Or Be Square reunites the stars (Xu Fan and Ge You) and director (Feng Xiaogang) of the 1997 Chinese hit Party A, Party B. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Utilizing a hand-held camera to create a frantic, off-balance effect that is radically different from the techniques with which he made his films best known to Western audiences Raise the Red Lantern and Ju Dou, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou has made a fast-paced modern comedy that serves as an allegory for the state of China in the late 1990s. The story's protagonist is Xiao Shuai, a bookseller who falls in love with the seductive, free-spirited An Hong. To learn her address, Xiao follows her, but An spurns his advances. He refuses to give up; eventually she caves in and invites him to her home for some quick love. Unfortunately they start, but are interrupted at a crucial moment. Later Xiao is accosted by the burly henchmen of An's new lover, a sleazy nightclub owner. They are beating him like an old rug when Lao Zhang, an old researcher, intervenes. During the scuffle, his prized laptop computer is smashed and later, he demands that Xiao replace it. But Xiao cares nothing for the destroyed laptop; he only wants revenge upon his attackers. Together he and Lao arrange to meet the villains in their club for a showdown. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Zhang Yimou, often regarded as China's leading contemporary filmmaker, directed this drama chronicling the ebb and flow of one family's fortunes, set against the backdrop of China's tumultuous history between the 1940s and the 1970s. Fugui (Ge You) is the father of a once-wealthy family whose addiction to gambling and chronic bad luck causes him to lose his home in a game of dice with Long'er (Ni Dabong). Fugui's wife Jiazhen (Gong Li) abandons him, and he finds himself working as a peddler, until the man who now owns his home gives him a pair of shadow puppets. Fugui learns the art of puppetry and travels as a performer; while on the road, he is arrested by Nationalist forces, until he is liberated by advancing Red Army factions, and he comes him home to his wife and children as they adapt to the nation's new leadership. While once a lazy spendthrift, Fugui vows to change his ways, and he struggles to become a better worker and citizen. But Fugui and his family soon realize that there is adversity waiting for them around every corner, and the onset of the Cultural Revolution makes it clear that China's new regime can be as corrupt and callous as the old order. While a Grand Prize winner at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and recipient of the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 1995 BAFTA Awards, Huozhe did not fare well in its homeland. Chinese censors objected to the film's commentary about political abuses in China's past, as well as Zhang Yimou's attempts to present the film at several international festivals. As punishment, he was forced to write a formal apology and was not allowed to make another film for two years. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Until Farewell, My Concubine (Ba Wang Bie Ji), not many people were aware that most members of the Peking Opera were originally orphans or illegitimate castaways with nowhere else to turn. Such is the case of the film's protagonists, Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) and Cheng Dieyi (Leslie Cheung), two homeless outcasts, trained from childhood in the grueling rigors of the Opera by master Lu Qui. The film traces the 52-year friendship between Xiaolou and Dieyi, a friendship pockmarked with fiery conflicts and tender reconciliations. Though the delicate Dieyi specializes in female roles and the gutsy Xiaolou plays noble warriors, theirs is an essentially heterosexual relationship; still, when Xiaolou takes upon himself a prostitute bride (the magnificent Gong Li), Dieyi is as petty and jealous as an outcast mistress. Farewell, My Concubine holds the viewer in thrall from start to finish; as such, it is thoroughly deserving of its many international film awards and nominations. Surprisingly, this worldwide success was something of a flop in its home country of China; perhaps it hit too close to home for those viewers who'd lived through the same years so painstakingly recreated in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi