Daniel Yun Movies
- 2009
A man is torn between his compassionate nature and the warrior's philosophy that has been drummed into him in this historical action adventure from director Tian Zhuangzhuang. During the era of the Warring States, Lu Chenkang (Joe Odagiri) is a Chinese shepherd who is strong but gentle, a man who loves animals and keeps a wolf cub as a pet as well as looking after his flocks. General Zhang Anliang (Tou Chung-hua) is leading his troops through the Kunlun Mountains, and when he meets Lu, he's convinced the shepherd has the potential to be a first-class soldier. Lu is wary, but is persuaded to join the General, and is indoctrinated into his philosophy of "Kill or Be Killed." A skirmish that goes wrong leads to the General being sent home, and Lu, who has become one of his most powerful fighters, becomes commander in his absence. As winter comes to China, Lu's army takes over an abandoned village in the mountain, and Lu finds a woman (Maggie Q) hiding in a makeshift shelter dug into the earth. Lu's initial reaction is brutal, but the woman, who had lost her husband in the war, refuses to be intimidated by him, and in time her beauty reawakens the kindness of his spirit. However, as Lu falls in love with the widow, she warns him that she is a member of a spirit tribe that can be transformed into wolves at a moment's notice, and he thinks he may have found a connection to a world in which he truly belongs. Lang Zai Ji (aka The Warrior and the Wolf) received its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2007
A combination of circumstance and poor life choices turn to young children into the caretakers for their unstable mother in writer/director Tony Ayres' semi-autobiographical family drama. As aging writer Tom (Darren Yap) sits down to pen a screenplay detailing his life story, memories quickly transport him to the Shanghai nightclub where his single mother Rose (Joan Chen) would captivate Western servicemen. A beautiful thrush with a magnificent voice, Rose eventually packed up children Tom (Joel Lok) and May (Irene Chen) and set off for Australia after accepting a marriage proposal from Melbourne sailor Bill (Steven Vidler). When the relationship between Rose and Bill withered after just one week, the mother set her sights on Sydney. In the following seven years, Rose and her two young children would bounce between a series of "uncles" as stability continued to elude the trio. Though desperate Rose would eventually return to Melbourne with her children and attempt to rekindle her relationship with Bill, that too would eventually result in failure when the impulsive woman entered into a heated affair with local restaurant employee Joe (Qi Yuwu). Enraged when younger lover Joe takes note of May's blossoming beauty, Rose once again begs Bill's forgiveness though his generosity finally seems to have been exhausted. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A talented tattoo artist (Jason Behr) discovers that his attempt to master the Samoan tatau tradition has awakened a vengeful supernatural force in a first-time feature filmmaker Peter Burger's New Zealand-based horror film. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Behr
One Night in Mongkok director Derek Yee takes a trip into the underworld with this crime drama starring Andy Lau, Lewis Koo, Daniel Wu, and Anita Yuen. An undercover cop infiltrates a major heroin ring, skillfully ascending the ranks from low-level dealer to middle management. After falling for a beautiful addict, the policeman is hand picked by the ailing crime boss to take over the entire syndicate once he's gone. His priorities blurred by an infernal combination of money, power, and seven years undercover, the cop chosen to clean up the streets finds his true identity gradually slipping away as a malevolent new persona begins to take hold. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Director Royston Tan takes the helm for this colorful and lively tale of two Singapore sisters who form a popular getai band. Qi Yu Yu, Mindee Ong, and Yeo Yann Yann star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Qi Yu Yu, Mindee Ong, (more)
- 2005
A professional hitman ponders another line of business but soon finds that there's a high price to pay for leaving behind a life of crime in director Max Makowski's skillfully layered crime drama. An anonymous killer in a land where anonymity was thought to be a thing of the past, "T" is given his target by means of a red envelope deposited into an unmarked mailbox. The gangster code has been betrayed, and now a man must pay for that betrayal with his life. The man who is to carry out this killing is a lonely soul with no family, and not a friend to speak of. But a life of killing has taken its toll on the mysterious "T," and after one last mission this killer is going to find out just how terrifying shadows can be when your entire world is shrouded in darkness. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis Ng, Vivian Hsu, (more)
The prequel to Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's smash hit Infernal Affairs opens in 1991, with Inspector Wong (Anthony Wong) explaining the frustrations of police work to gangster Sam (Eric Tsang). He also expresses his desire to see the seemingly reasonable Sam take over he reins of the local triad from the current boss. When that boss is murdered, with no apparent heir, it seems that Hong Kong is going to explode in an all-out gang war. But the boss' bespectacled, soft-spoken, and well-mannered son, Hau (Francis Ng), unexpectedly takes charge, calmly and cleverly defusing the situation. Meanwhile, Yan (Shawn Yu, reprising his role as the younger version of Tony Leung's character in the first Infernal Affairs) is thrown out of the police academy for breaking the rules, and it's discovered that he's Hau's half-brother. Wong recruits him to work undercover in Hau's organization. Ming (Edison Chen playing the younger Andy Lau) is a corrupt cop secretly working for Sam. His progress up the ranks of the police force is swift, but his relationship with Sam is threatened when he finds himself falling in love with Sam's girlfriend, Mary (Carina Lau). For his part, as the handover of Hong Kong to China approaches, Hau plots to become involved in "legitimate" politics, and to avenge himself against those he believes responsible for his father's death. Chapman To reprises his role as the goofy Keung. Infernal Affairs II was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center for inclusion in the 2004 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, (more)
- 2003
Hong Kong filmmaking team Johnny To and Wai Ka-fai co-directed this romantic drama about a lonely man and woman who are perfect for each other, but always seem to just miss meeting. Takeshi Kaneshiro plays John Liu, an aspiring concert violinist who spends his days playing for the birds in the park and fending off the unwelcome advances of fawning women who don't interest him. Gigi Leung is Eve Choi, a literary translator who prefers to work with poetry and often finds herself frightened by the horror novels to which she's assigned. As the couple live out there lives separately, living next door to each other in the same apartment building, their lives parallel each other almost identically until they finally meet. But even then, the pair is separated and must struggle to reunite. The title, Xiang Zuo Zuo, Xiang You Zou translates to Turn Left Turn Right. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Takeshi Kaneshiro, Gigi Leung, (more)
- 2002
Southeast Asian filmmaker Danny Pang directs the stylish crime drama Nothing to Lose, his first feature without twin brother Oxide. Broke gambler Somchai (Pierre Png) is about to jump off the roof of a tall building, when he meets bawdy prostitute Gogo (Fresh), who's also about to jump. They end up at a restaurant together and decide to go on the run. They start shoplifting, stealing food, and eventually doing drugs. It turns out Gogo is a lesbian and wanted for murder, while Somchai owes a lot of money to his sister (Yvonne Lim). They plan a bank robbery heist while being hunted down by a police investigator (Niponth Chaisirikul). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Png, Dave Fresh, (more)
A corneal transplant sets the stage for terror in this supernatural thriller from directors Danny and Oxide Pang. Blind from the age of two, 20-year-old Mann (Angelica Lee) now has a chance to reclaim her sense of sight thanks to recent breakthroughs in technology. At first elated to have her vision restored, Mann's joy soon turns to paralyzing fear when she begins to see mysterious dark figures which foreshadow sudden, shocking deaths. Subsequently distraught over seeing Ling (Chutcha Rujinanon), the previous owner of the corneas, when she peers into the mirror, Mann's disturbing images slowly begin to chip away at her sanity until she has no choice but to track Ling's past and solve the horrifying mystery that plagues her. Traveling to Ling's former home in a small Northern Thailand village, Mann learns that Ling was driven to suicide after suffering similar visions preceding a tragic fire. When hundreds of the mysterious black figures descend upon Mann just as she is about to leave Thailand, she realizes that a horrific tragedy is set to unfold unless she can summon the courage to take action and use her supernatural gift of sight to alter the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Sin-Je, Lawrence Chou, (more)
