Member DiP Posted September 14, 2012 Member Share Posted September 14, 2012 New stills from Wong Jing's remake of popular 80s HK TV series The Bund. The film stars Chow Yun-Fat, Huang Xiao-Ming, Sammo Hung and Francis Ng. http://www.filmsmash.com/?p=5534 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted December 12, 2012 Moderator Share Posted December 12, 2012 Thumbs up from Twitch! - http://twitchfilm.com/2012/12/review-the-last-tycoon.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted January 3, 2013 Author Member Share Posted January 3, 2013 Alright, I'm giving this a shot when DVD and Bluray hits the shelves. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/last-tycoon-film-review-407423 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member MLee Posted April 10, 2013 Member Share Posted April 10, 2013 I just watched this earlier today. I've not seen the HK TV series The Bund so I don't know much about the characters and story. But I did enjoy the movie. I have to agree with the Twitch review with the sound being too loud with the gun shots and explosions but lower with the spoken dialogue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member D1 Ma Posted April 24, 2013 Member Share Posted April 24, 2013 Liked it a lot. Very grand. The movie definitely deserves all its nominations and wins. I'm actually surprised it didn't get more 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member David Rees Posted April 24, 2013 Member Share Posted April 24, 2013 Got the Blu ray coming from Hong Kong, looking forward to seeing this now.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 1, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 1, 2013 Well, it's hard to believe that the same guy that directed HIGH RISK directed THE LAST TYCOON! There's no buffoonery to be seen there. Though I definitely suspect that Producer Andrew Lau may have ghost-directed this. The film is very serious, stylish, and epic. They have a great actor (Huang Xiao-Ming) playing Chow Yun-Fat in flashbacks, and he looks eerily like a younger version of what CYF looks like now (though not necessarily how he actually looked when he was that age). I'll say this- 85% of the film is exquisite. But 15% of the film is ridiculously overwrought to the point of being dreadful. The main problems are: 1. One poorly staged (though visually, beautifully filmed) shootout that feels like something John Woo directed from a hospital bed. There's no drama for me if I feel that there's absolutely NO chance for the hero to even be slightly injured. As 30 gunmen attack, he calmly shoots them all, never even ducking for cover or trying to move quickly. I'm REALLY over this stupid cliche, and I felt that this movie deserved much better than this. 2. Wong Jing doesn't know how to film good romantic drama (my opinion is based soley on this film). After a very nice, romantic opening scene, several more follow that are shown in excruciating slow-motion, while feeling completely bereft of any emotion at all. It's a shame too, because CYF, Sammo, and the rest of the cast are acting their hearts out. There are some mighty impressive scenes in here, and I won't ruin them for you. But I'll say that there is a wild rumble, and a re-enactment of a real, historical event that is breath-taking, and accomplished with perhaps the most convincing CGI of this type that I've seen in a HK/China movie thus far. It's definitely worth seeing, I just feel frustrated that it's weak spots spoil it from being the epic accomplishment it almost was. Still, I'd give it a 7.5-8.0 out of 10. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member QueMuchita Posted August 2, 2013 Member Share Posted August 2, 2013 I'm glad you pointed out the CGI Bob as I too thought the CGI was well done but I read a number of reviews where people mentioned how awful the CGI was. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 2, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 2, 2013 I'm glad you pointed out the CGI Bob as I too thought the CGI was well done but I read a number of reviews where people mentioned how awful the CGI was. Really? I'm surprised. You know what, there were a few establishing shots of the city that were a little iffy, so they may have meant that. But the scene I was referring to- which I won't spoil by mentioning- is the sort of thing I've seen done poorly in a lot of recent Hong Kong films, and I thought they nailed it here. As a viewer, I felt like they truly "took me there", and that I was seeing how those moments would actually have been. QueMuchita, what did you think of the film? Did you feel the same way about the "emotional moments"? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Sheng Posted August 2, 2013 Member Share Posted August 2, 2013 I'm glad you pointed out the CGI Bob as I too thought the CGI was well done but I read a number of reviews where people mentioned how awful the CGI was. Well, I certainly did voice some criticism about some of the CGI in my review of this film: http://weww.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19592 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 2, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 2, 2013 Well, I certainly did voice some criticism about some of the CGI in my review of this film: http://weww.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19592 Sheng, that's an excellent review! I'm guessing that there are two THE LAST TYCOON threads though, because I never saw that post before. BTW, did you choose your forum name based on Du Yue Sheng? I wouldn't think so, but... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Sheng Posted August 2, 2013 Member Share Posted August 2, 2013 Sheng, that's an excellent review! I'm guessing that there are two THE LAST TYCOON threads though, because I never saw that post before. BTW, did you choose your forum name based on Du Yue Sheng? I wouldn't think so, but... Thanks for your appreciation, Bob! Uh, and about that name bit... not entirely impossible that bloods who habitually graviatate to the darkest mobster flicks and listened to way too much raasclaat Jamaican gunman lyrics in their lives might be prone to choose monikers that recall the baddest and the wickedest, doh? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted August 2, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 2, 2013 Thanks for your appreciation, Bob! Uh, and about that name bit... not entirely impossible that bloods who habitually graviatate to the darkest mobster flicks and listened to way too much raasclaat Jamaican gunman lyrics in their lives might be prone to choose monikers that recall the baddest and the wickedest, doh? Makes sense my OG brother! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member QueMuchita Posted August 5, 2013 Member Share Posted August 5, 2013 Really? I'm surprised. You know what, there were a few establishing shots of the city that were a little iffy, so they may have meant that. But the scene I was referring to- which I won't spoil by mentioning- is the sort of thing I've seen done poorly in a lot of recent Hong Kong films, and I thought they nailed it here. As a viewer, I felt like they truly "took me there", and that I was seeing how those moments would actually have been. QueMuchita, what did you think of the film? Did you feel the same way about the "emotional moments"? Yeah I felt the same way, the stylish look of the movie and the performances are definitely the strength of this film while the story could of used a bit of fine tuning but overall I thought it was a good movie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cognoscente Posted May 6, 2021 Member Share Posted May 6, 2021 On 8/1/2013 at 11:50 PM, KUNG FU BOB said: Well, it's hard to believe that the same guy that directed HIGH RISK directed THE LAST TYCOON! There's no buffoonery to be seen there. Though I definitely suspect that Producer Andrew Lau may have ghost-directed this. You are correct. Whenever a director is credited on someone's film as producer and cinematographer, you can bet that they will exert more influence than your average director-cum-producer. Jing was able to secure the financing for this film on the strength of Andrew being "the man who inspired Scorsese" (despite the fact that Alan Mak was the main creative force on Infernal Affairs). On 8/1/2013 at 11:50 PM, KUNG FU BOB said: 1. One poorly staged (though visually, beautifully filmed) shootout that feels like something John Woo directed from a hospital bed. There's no drama for me if I feel that there's absolutely NO chance for the hero to even be slightly injured. As 30 gunmen attack, he calmly shoots them all, never even ducking for cover or trying to move quickly. I'm REALLY over this stupid cliche, and I felt that this movie deserved much better than this. This is an example of Andrew's directing since the shootouts in Jing's movies tend to be better than his. The shootout is a far cry from what Jing told Toby Russell back in the mid-nineties: "I don't want an unbeatable hero. I think if we put ordinary people in such an exciting situation, that would be more close to the real life. That's something different from John Woo; usually John Woo puts a male-bonding superhero in his movies. In his concept, Chow Yun Fat is unbeatable. But I'd rather put ordinary people in that situation." On 8/1/2013 at 11:50 PM, KUNG FU BOB said: 2. Wong Jing doesn't know how to film good romantic drama (my opinion is based solely on this film). After a very nice, romantic opening scene, several more follow that are shown in excruciating slow-motion, while feeling completely bereft of any emotion at all. It's a shame too, because CYF, Sammo, and the rest of the cast are acting their hearts out. Casino Tycoon (the best of Jing's Tycoon films) shows a tender side to Jing that he only really explored when he was just writing. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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