"I had heard enough about Wilson Yip's Sha Po Lang heading into last night's world premiere to assume that it would be the best film to emerge from Hong Kong since Andrew Lau's Infernal Affiars. This is not the case. That assumption sells Sha Po Lang far, far short. This is one of the finest films to emerge from Hong Kong ever. Period. We're not just talking about a return to the glory days here, we're talking about a distillation of everything that is good about Hong Kong and an expansion of the palette. This is powerful, visceral stuff. This had the impact of a virginal viewing experience, the same potency as my first viewing of John Woo's The Killer. High praise, I know, but I sincerely believe this film is immune to over-hype. It is simply not possible."
"SPL continues to unfold in a series of bloody assults as each member of Chan's team is brutally murdered by Po's right-hand man Jack (Wu). SPL is highlighted by some of most intense action sequences ever put to film in recent years. Wilson Yip wisely gave Donnie Yen free reign to choreograph all the martial arts sequences of SPL. Without ever resorting to excessive edits, the brawl between Donnie Yen and Jing Wu was an incredible and downright in-yer-face-get-the-fuck-outta-here brutal! The speed at which these guys were hammering each other with their mad wushu skills had the audience whooping and hollering from the beginning and up until the disembowling end. Remember kiddies: a 40 centimeter knife is not a toy and neither is a metal baton! And no one will ever forget that it was SPL who gave us the first ever onscreen showdown between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung; this was an absolutely fucking blast! We're talking about pure Hong Kong action from the late 1970s, early 1980s baby! Sammo Hung is fat and 53 years old but he can still beat the shit out of anyone ... ab-so-fucking-lutey!!! And remember that knife I mentioned??? Well consider this ... one throw, one deflection, one take, no CG, no wires ... just pure Sammo!!!"
"After the screening, director Wilson Yip and stars Sammo Hung and Jing Wu addressed the audience for a 20 minute QA session. Sammo was his jovial self, as always, and quite enjoyed his moment in the spotlight. Sammo provided insightful and often funny answers. And unlike Jackie Chan, Sammo confirmed that he will in fact continue to fuck people up with his martial arts skills for many years to come (although he does dream of starring in a film entitled 'Sammo In Love' one of these days). Anyway, I took some photos with my cellphone camera. I apologise for the quality of images but you can have a look over at this site!
Okay people, remember the name: JING WU. He's primed and ready to become next in line after Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan as the premiere Hong Kong action cinema star. You folks will be hearing alot about JING WU for many years to come."
"And of course there are the fights, sweet glorious jaw-dropping fights. This isn't silky-smooth wushu, this is gritty and dirty, like Hong Kong. The fights are fast and painful, every hit looks like it would kill a lesser being. People get thrown, things break, everyone in the audience winces and goes "Oooo, damn!". Lots of long uncut shots, which makes me very happy. They seem to incorporate a lot more grappling manoeuvres that what ive seen before, which is great. A little something for the UFC crowd to swoon about (if any of the UFC actually swoon). Like I said before, the fight between Jing Wu and Yen is great and fast and the look on Jing Wu's face when he fights is some kind of sadistic delight. The end battle between Yen and Hung, though, is just incredible. Sammo's getting on in his years but the fucker can still move like a 20-year old and is more than a match for Yen. By far the best fight scene ive seen in a long time."
"They say that Jing Wu is the new hotness, having studied under the same sifu as Jet Li. While I don't know if that is a magic formula cinematic greatness, it does pretty much guarantee that he'll end up kicking a whole lot of ass. He is basically Jet Li's character from Lethal Weapon 4: silent but violent, Sammo's personal assassin. And he wears a lot of white. You know the guy who wears white is gonna do cool shit, and he don't disappoint. The fights with this guy are amazing, his acrobatics are damned impressive. The alleyway battle with him and Donnie Yen is blazingly fast, and I don't doubt for a second that both of those guys could do that in real life. I hope he never learns English, the only true defence against the Hollywood machine. Don't make the same mistakes Jet Li did! Stay on your side of the pacific!"
"The lineup outside the theatre seemed impossibly long and while waiting I wondered if I was still in the same time zone. But things got moving pretty quick, and we all shuffled into a packed theatre. We were all pretty excited to see the film, I'd heard good things about it and was intensely curious to see Sammo Hung as a bad guy. The atmosphere was electric, good things were about to happen. Suddenly the director Wilson Yip shows up, along with newcomer Jing Wu and the big man himself SAMMO FREAKING HUNG and everyone goes fuckin nuts. One of the producers was there too, and he seemed pretty damned excited about the film too. He introduced it as the "dark, nihilistic side of hong kong cinema". A little melodramatic, yes, but I guess that's what they pay him for. On with the show."
"Hong Kong cinema has been in decline for years, that's no secret. Sha Po Lang may prove to be the last gasp of a dying industry, the last truly great film to come from that proud land, but to me it feels more like the start of something new. This is a film so intense, so powerful, that it should inspire Hong Kong film makers to new heights for years to come. Yip has thrown down the gauntlet here, "This is what we used to do so well, why have we gotten away from it?" Here's hoping that he, and others, take up that challenge. Absolutely brilliant. Truly stunning. A perfect ten."
"Sammo Hung as Wong Po. Not only does Sammo prove that he's still got the goods in the martial arts department - more on that later - but he gets a rare opportunity to prove that he's got some serious acting chops as well. Hung's crime lord is a treacherous, unhinged man, always on the verge of violence but also possessing a softer, caring side as shown by his devotion to his wife and young child.
Wu Jing as Jack. Wu Jing is one of Asia's rising action stars, and for good reason. He is simply magnetic on screen, a fluid and blazingly fast martial arts performer. He shares the same master as Jet Li and could very well end up being Li's successor to the China / Hong Kong martial arts throne now that Li is slowing down. Wu dropped the news that they're looking at doing a Sha Po Lang prequel to give Jack some more screen time and, if it happens, it can't come soon enough.
Donnie Yen as Ma. Yen is back. Big time. This is by far Yen's best work as an actor, choreographer and martial artist. After a long stretch working almost exlusively behind the camera it is easy to forget just how much Yen is capable of and every ounce of his talent is in plain view on screen."
"I have borne witness to what may be the rebirth of cool in Hong Kong cinema. I sit in front of a computer a changed man. Let me talk to the new generation of film geeks out there for a moment. I have watched the film that may forever hook you onto Hong Kong cinema for the rest of your lives. What John Woos Hardboiled and The Killer did for me [and seemingly Todd and Kurt as well no lie we all said this after last nights screening] this film I saw last night will do for you. Whether of not this turns the tide in what has been a flailing industry doesnt matter. That is irrelevant. The here and now is that Wilson Yips SPL, Sha Po Lang, rules like freaking lords and if you thought Hong Kong cinema was dead or dying you need to pay heed to my words."
-screened at Toronto film festival in September 2005
Google: Sha Po Lang reviews. :lol:
PS: Vielä loppuun pari kriittistä kokonaistiivistystä elokuvasta:
""
"SPL is one of the best movies to ever come out of Hong Kong. What it has done is reset the bar on quality and expression in HK film that has been sorely missed since the late 90s. A couple times a year we see a brief glimmer of hope as a new HK film shines above the rest of the tripe. SPL is one of those, shining light a beacon to the rest of the industry. It begs for imitation and perhaps the industry isnt ready or able to reach the same level as SPL. But it offers itself as an inspiration for others in HK and if the industry can return to the level of quality it was at before the millennium HK can soon reclaim its position as a hotbed for international cinema."
"It rocks. HARD. I just caught it at the Toronto Int'l Film Fest with Sammo, Wu Jing, and Wilson Yip sitting 5 feet away from me! Not only are the fights are brutal, fast, and complex, but Donnie may have achieved the impossible: He made Brazillian ju-jitsu look exciting on film. Donnie's character repeatedly goes for takedowns, armbars, chokes, and all that jazz that you might see on UFC or Pride (with Sammo countering attacks exactly how the big fighters do it in a real bout), while seamlessly combining it with the incredibly fast, complex punching and kicking exchanges you'd expect in a HK flick. Did I mention that the fights are bone-crunchingly brutal? There is a real nastiness to the punchups that got a great reaction from the crowd. And the Wu Jing vs Donnie fight.. fucking cool. It starts off really, really fast and complex, then at a certain point, the tempo changes and you suddenly realize that it's because they're just making it up ON THE SPOT and the damn thing becomes even more impressive. Long, long takes in that fight, too. "
"Action fans crank up your expectations! This Donnie Yen-Sammo Hung big budget HK actioner is everything youre hoping for and then some! Think of it as THE (corrupt) UNTOUCHABLES vs. THE WARRIORS with a touch of THE GODFATHER thrown in and youre STILL not there! Plus it will introduce many Americans to Jing Wu (present at the show), who earned admission to my elite Scum of the Earth All-Star Team the first rookie to make the squad since Leandro Firmino in CITY OF GOD. How nasty is he, you ask? Try to imagine if the Marquis de Sade had bee a martial arts master. (If you see THIS guy coming, dont even bother trying to run youre already dead.) I dont see how anybody who was a fan of HK gangster films from the mid 80s to the mid 90s can help but LOSE IT for this film. Donnie and Sammo do everything you could expect of them, with Hung especially colorful as a mob boss who takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. Some not all of the extremes of violence in this movie are too much for even the violence-accommodating MPAA to accept, so it looks like DVD will be the only acceptable viewing experience for HK connoisseurs. Count the days until its released this film is the relief from the wuss-o-rama CGI/wire Hollywood action movies that youve been waiting for."
"SPL continues to unfold in a series of bloody assults as each member of Chan's team is brutally murdered by Po's right-hand man Jack (Wu). SPL is highlighted by some of most intense action sequences ever put to film in recent years. Wilson Yip wisely gave Donnie Yen free reign to choreograph all the martial arts sequences of SPL. Without ever resorting to excessive edits, the brawl between Donnie Yen and Jing Wu was an incredible and downright in-yer-face-get-the-fuck-outta-here brutal! The speed at which these guys were hammering each other with their mad wushu skills had the audience whooping and hollering from the beginning and up until the disembowling end. Remember kiddies: a 40 centimeter knife is not a toy and neither is a metal baton! And no one will ever forget that it was SPL who gave us the first ever onscreen showdown between Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung; this was an absolutely fucking blast! We're talking about pure Hong Kong action from the late 1970s, early 1980s baby! Sammo Hung is fat and 53 years old but he can still beat the shit out of anyone ... ab-so-fucking-lutey!!! And remember that knife I mentioned??? Well consider this ... one throw, one deflection, one take, no CG, no wires ... just pure Sammo!!!"
"After the screening, director Wilson Yip and stars Sammo Hung and Jing Wu addressed the audience for a 20 minute QA session. Sammo was his jovial self, as always, and quite enjoyed his moment in the spotlight. Sammo provided insightful and often funny answers. And unlike Jackie Chan, Sammo confirmed that he will in fact continue to fuck people up with his martial arts skills for many years to come (although he does dream of starring in a film entitled 'Sammo In Love' one of these days). Anyway, I took some photos with my cellphone camera. I apologise for the quality of images but you can have a look over at this site!
Okay people, remember the name: JING WU. He's primed and ready to become next in line after Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan as the premiere Hong Kong action cinema star. You folks will be hearing alot about JING WU for many years to come."
"And of course there are the fights, sweet glorious jaw-dropping fights. This isn't silky-smooth wushu, this is gritty and dirty, like Hong Kong. The fights are fast and painful, every hit looks like it would kill a lesser being. People get thrown, things break, everyone in the audience winces and goes "Oooo, damn!". Lots of long uncut shots, which makes me very happy. They seem to incorporate a lot more grappling manoeuvres that what ive seen before, which is great. A little something for the UFC crowd to swoon about (if any of the UFC actually swoon). Like I said before, the fight between Jing Wu and Yen is great and fast and the look on Jing Wu's face when he fights is some kind of sadistic delight. The end battle between Yen and Hung, though, is just incredible. Sammo's getting on in his years but the fucker can still move like a 20-year old and is more than a match for Yen. By far the best fight scene ive seen in a long time."
"They say that Jing Wu is the new hotness, having studied under the same sifu as Jet Li. While I don't know if that is a magic formula cinematic greatness, it does pretty much guarantee that he'll end up kicking a whole lot of ass. He is basically Jet Li's character from Lethal Weapon 4: silent but violent, Sammo's personal assassin. And he wears a lot of white. You know the guy who wears white is gonna do cool shit, and he don't disappoint. The fights with this guy are amazing, his acrobatics are damned impressive. The alleyway battle with him and Donnie Yen is blazingly fast, and I don't doubt for a second that both of those guys could do that in real life. I hope he never learns English, the only true defence against the Hollywood machine. Don't make the same mistakes Jet Li did! Stay on your side of the pacific!"
"The lineup outside the theatre seemed impossibly long and while waiting I wondered if I was still in the same time zone. But things got moving pretty quick, and we all shuffled into a packed theatre. We were all pretty excited to see the film, I'd heard good things about it and was intensely curious to see Sammo Hung as a bad guy. The atmosphere was electric, good things were about to happen. Suddenly the director Wilson Yip shows up, along with newcomer Jing Wu and the big man himself SAMMO FREAKING HUNG and everyone goes fuckin nuts. One of the producers was there too, and he seemed pretty damned excited about the film too. He introduced it as the "dark, nihilistic side of hong kong cinema". A little melodramatic, yes, but I guess that's what they pay him for. On with the show."
"Hong Kong cinema has been in decline for years, that's no secret. Sha Po Lang may prove to be the last gasp of a dying industry, the last truly great film to come from that proud land, but to me it feels more like the start of something new. This is a film so intense, so powerful, that it should inspire Hong Kong film makers to new heights for years to come. Yip has thrown down the gauntlet here, "This is what we used to do so well, why have we gotten away from it?" Here's hoping that he, and others, take up that challenge. Absolutely brilliant. Truly stunning. A perfect ten."
"Sammo Hung as Wong Po. Not only does Sammo prove that he's still got the goods in the martial arts department - more on that later - but he gets a rare opportunity to prove that he's got some serious acting chops as well. Hung's crime lord is a treacherous, unhinged man, always on the verge of violence but also possessing a softer, caring side as shown by his devotion to his wife and young child.
Wu Jing as Jack. Wu Jing is one of Asia's rising action stars, and for good reason. He is simply magnetic on screen, a fluid and blazingly fast martial arts performer. He shares the same master as Jet Li and could very well end up being Li's successor to the China / Hong Kong martial arts throne now that Li is slowing down. Wu dropped the news that they're looking at doing a Sha Po Lang prequel to give Jack some more screen time and, if it happens, it can't come soon enough.
Donnie Yen as Ma. Yen is back. Big time. This is by far Yen's best work as an actor, choreographer and martial artist. After a long stretch working almost exlusively behind the camera it is easy to forget just how much Yen is capable of and every ounce of his talent is in plain view on screen."
"I have borne witness to what may be the rebirth of cool in Hong Kong cinema. I sit in front of a computer a changed man. Let me talk to the new generation of film geeks out there for a moment. I have watched the film that may forever hook you onto Hong Kong cinema for the rest of your lives. What John Woos Hardboiled and The Killer did for me [and seemingly Todd and Kurt as well no lie we all said this after last nights screening] this film I saw last night will do for you. Whether of not this turns the tide in what has been a flailing industry doesnt matter. That is irrelevant. The here and now is that Wilson Yips SPL, Sha Po Lang, rules like freaking lords and if you thought Hong Kong cinema was dead or dying you need to pay heed to my words."
-screened at Toronto film festival in September 2005
Google: Sha Po Lang reviews. :lol:
PS: Vielä loppuun pari kriittistä kokonaistiivistystä elokuvasta:
""
"SPL is one of the best movies to ever come out of Hong Kong. What it has done is reset the bar on quality and expression in HK film that has been sorely missed since the late 90s. A couple times a year we see a brief glimmer of hope as a new HK film shines above the rest of the tripe. SPL is one of those, shining light a beacon to the rest of the industry. It begs for imitation and perhaps the industry isnt ready or able to reach the same level as SPL. But it offers itself as an inspiration for others in HK and if the industry can return to the level of quality it was at before the millennium HK can soon reclaim its position as a hotbed for international cinema."
"It rocks. HARD. I just caught it at the Toronto Int'l Film Fest with Sammo, Wu Jing, and Wilson Yip sitting 5 feet away from me! Not only are the fights are brutal, fast, and complex, but Donnie may have achieved the impossible: He made Brazillian ju-jitsu look exciting on film. Donnie's character repeatedly goes for takedowns, armbars, chokes, and all that jazz that you might see on UFC or Pride (with Sammo countering attacks exactly how the big fighters do it in a real bout), while seamlessly combining it with the incredibly fast, complex punching and kicking exchanges you'd expect in a HK flick. Did I mention that the fights are bone-crunchingly brutal? There is a real nastiness to the punchups that got a great reaction from the crowd. And the Wu Jing vs Donnie fight.. fucking cool. It starts off really, really fast and complex, then at a certain point, the tempo changes and you suddenly realize that it's because they're just making it up ON THE SPOT and the damn thing becomes even more impressive. Long, long takes in that fight, too. "
"Action fans crank up your expectations! This Donnie Yen-Sammo Hung big budget HK actioner is everything youre hoping for and then some! Think of it as THE (corrupt) UNTOUCHABLES vs. THE WARRIORS with a touch of THE GODFATHER thrown in and youre STILL not there! Plus it will introduce many Americans to Jing Wu (present at the show), who earned admission to my elite Scum of the Earth All-Star Team the first rookie to make the squad since Leandro Firmino in CITY OF GOD. How nasty is he, you ask? Try to imagine if the Marquis de Sade had bee a martial arts master. (If you see THIS guy coming, dont even bother trying to run youre already dead.) I dont see how anybody who was a fan of HK gangster films from the mid 80s to the mid 90s can help but LOSE IT for this film. Donnie and Sammo do everything you could expect of them, with Hung especially colorful as a mob boss who takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. Some not all of the extremes of violence in this movie are too much for even the violence-accommodating MPAA to accept, so it looks like DVD will be the only acceptable viewing experience for HK connoisseurs. Count the days until its released this film is the relief from the wuss-o-rama CGI/wire Hollywood action movies that youve been waiting for."
