Member DiP Posted February 9, 2010 Member Share Posted February 9, 2010 ABDUCTION (WORKING TITLE) Production: (Feature) Genre: Thriller Country(ies): Hong Kong (China) Language(s): Cantonese Director(s): Law Wing-Cheong Producer(s): Johnnie To Cast: Anthony Wong, Richie Jen, Janice Man, Maggie Cheung Hoh-Yee, Candy Lo, Jun Kung Shek-Leung Market status EFM Line Up (Debut) Log Line Everyone becomes a suspect when a tycoon's daughter is found dead of cocaine overdose after being rescued from an abduction attempt. Synopsis When a tycoon’s daughter is found dead after being rescued from abduction, he appoints his ex-bodyguard to avenge her death by not only hunting down and exterminating everyone responsible for the abduction but also videotaping the process of each “execution.” Instead of feeling liberated, the tycoon becomes more perturbed on watching the tapes, lest one day he shall get retribution himself for all the killings. In the end, the ex-bodyguard manages to track down the mastermind behind the abduction, who turns out to be the female personal assistant of the tycoon’s daughter. The tycoon determines to carry out the final execution himself, only to discover she is the mother of a 2-year-old girl. Will he pull the trigger and make an orphan out of this innocent soul? That is the question. Details Market History: Berlin EFM 2010 (Debut) Production Schedule Year of production: 2010 http://www.cinando.com/DefaultController.aspx?PageId=FicheFilm&IdC=1122&IdF=84985 http://hktopten.blogspot.com/2010/01/20100120-richie-jen-get-socked-in-mouth.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted February 24, 2011 Author Member Share Posted February 24, 2011 Punished will be shown at the Hong Kong International Film Festival on April 4. http://www.hkiff.org.hk/eng/film/detail/4/35090-punished.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mark187 Posted February 24, 2011 Member Share Posted February 24, 2011 haha, we were just talking about this yesterday, great news! hopefully we'll see an HK release then by the end of April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mark187 Posted February 26, 2011 Member Share Posted February 26, 2011 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1604670/fullcredits#cast another piece of great news- Guy Zerafa and Dave Klotz have done the score for this film! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted February 26, 2011 Member Share Posted February 26, 2011 Sounds damn good, I like Johnnie To's movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted February 26, 2011 Member Share Posted February 26, 2011 Anybody seen Mad Detective??? My favorite To movie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted February 26, 2011 Author Member Share Posted February 26, 2011 Sounds damn good, I like Johnnie To's movies. Story sounds familiar though. Vengeance and Accident anyone? Mad Detective is a great movie but it belongs to the co-director, Wai Ka-Fai. To doesn't tell a story from two different perspectives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted February 26, 2011 Member Share Posted February 26, 2011 Oh crap this whole time I thought To co-directed it with Wai Ka-Fai... Or at least that's what the box art cover says... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted February 26, 2011 Author Member Share Posted February 26, 2011 Well, To had some input so it can still be called a To movie but truth is that majority of the work was handled by WKF. Watch enough To movies, then WKF movies. Then watch Mad Detective again. It's very clear which director the movie was done by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted February 27, 2011 Member Share Posted February 27, 2011 Story sounds familiar though. Vengeance and Accident anyone? DIP: I don't know doesn't remind me of Vengeance from the synopsis all that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted February 27, 2011 Author Member Share Posted February 27, 2011 It's all good. The revenge and the investigation parts of the sypnosis made me think of those movies somehow. Either way, I'm psyched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted March 9, 2011 Author Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 Movie opens in Hong Kong on May 5. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/photo.php?fbid=10150169169968825&set=o.5613366566 http://twitter.com/#!/lovehkfilm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wildzerouk Posted March 9, 2011 Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 I cant wait to see this one! Johnnie To hasnt disapointed me yet so im expecting another damm good flick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted March 9, 2011 Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 I cant wait to see this one! Johnnie To hasnt disapointed me yet so im expecting another damm good flick! Ever seen Lucky Encounter (1992)? Looking forward to Punished though. Have to disagree about Mad Detective though above (can't believe I missed those posts), there is much to show To influence including the mirror finale it is important to note that this was also done in The Longest Nite (uncredited by Johnnie To). When To works with WKF (and WKF is given co-directoral status), To has stated that he does almost all (or all) of the direction and, of course, WKF does the writing (technically there was not a screenplay for Mad Detective*). I have noticed that these co-directed work often veers from some of the staples of To's work like not using the "Team" concept as much. * Interview with Johnnie To for the French theatrical release of Mad Detective (France, 4th March 2008) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wildzerouk Posted March 9, 2011 Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 No ive not seen Lucky Encounter ive tended to stay away from his comedies im guessing ive had a let off there then? lol Ever seen Lucky Encounter (1992)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted March 9, 2011 Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 No ive not seen Lucky Encounter ive tended to stay away from his comedies im guessing ive had a let off there then? lol While I have liked some of his early day comedies like The Eighth Happiness (1988) Lucky Encounter is by far my least favorite Johnnie To directed film (possibly followed by The Fun, the Luck and the Tycoon (1990); but it is a huge distance between those two). Found the source I was looking for: "On their joint projects, Wai is usually considered the primary screenwriter, while To directs." -- http://www.davidbordwell.net/essays/maddetective.php (the MoC release of Mad Detective is a must have for To fans; FYI it is a R0/NTSC release which MoC occasionally does) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted March 9, 2011 Author Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 Have to disagree about Mad Detective though above (can't believe I missed those posts), there is much to show To influence including the mirror finale it is important to note that this was also done in The Longest Nite (uncredited by Johnnie To). When To works with WKF (and WKF is given co-directoral status), To has stated that he does almost all (or all) of the direction and, of course, WKF does the writing (technically there was not a screenplay for Mad Detective*). I have noticed that these co-directed work often veers from some of the staples of To's work like not using the "Team" concept as much. * Interview with Johnnie To for the French theatrical release of Mad Detective (France, 4th March 2008) Probably, I don't know. I recall an interview (don't know the link though) concerning Mad Detective where To told the reporters that all questions should be passed to WKF cause he did most of the work. Maybe To was just saying that because he didn't want to take too much credit or that there was an actuality to that statement? Still, I'm not so convinced. To and WKF have their own styles which makes me believe there's more to what there has been known. When you watch different Milkyways, you can always tell of how things are constructed and whom might have been involved so I just judge based on what these guys (and other people involved) are known for stylistically and thematically. IMO, when I watch a Milkyway movie that only has To credited as director and compare it to movies with WKF sharing a co-directing credit or has a sole credit whether or not To is involved, there's major differences. For example, in Running Out of Karma (To/WKF collabo) the storytelling gets layered intricately whereas in a movie like Election (To movie), everything is simplistically (but still uniquely) told without the add of anything complex. And as far as disappointing movies go The Enigmatic Case, Justice My Foot!, Final Justice, Comeuppance, and Running on Karma come to mind. Few of these were hard to sit through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted March 9, 2011 Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 Probably, I don't know. I recall an interview (don't know the link though) concerning Mad Detective where To told the reporters that all questions should be passed to WKF cause he did most of the work. Maybe To was just saying that because he didn't want to take too much credit or that there was an actuality to that statement? Still, I'm not so convinced. To and WKF have their own styles which makes me believe there's more to what there has been known. When you watch different Milkyways, you can always tell of how things are constructed and whom might have been involved so I just judge based on what these guys (other other people involved) are known for stylistically and thematically. IMO, when I watch a Milkyway movie that only has To credited as director and compare it to movies with WKF sharing a -co-directing credit or has a sole credit whether or not To is involved, there's major differences. For example, in Running Out of Karma (To/WKF collabo) the storytelling gets layered intricately whereas in a movie like Election (To movie), everything is simplistically (but still uniquely) told without the add of anything complex. And as far as disappointing movies go The Enigmatic Case, Justice My Foot!, Final Justice, Comeuppance, and Running on Karma come to mind. Few of these were hard to sit through. Exactly, the main difference tends to be the storytelling when dealing with the dichotomy between To only and To/WKF, but when dealing with chiaroscuro and mise-en-scene (for me) it is all To (and To always has reuse of scenes for example what I mentioned in the previous post). I think (and what To feels when sharing co-credit) is the application and use of the term auteur. This gets sticky and probably best for another thread (and this may be the crux of our disagreement*). But things can get more complicated with WKF because of his writing while I think To tends to be more direct partially because of his non-use of screenplays (he has used them, but usually prefers not to). Where I think To can be a bit complicated for first watches is his way of just giving enough information to understand something (like the blindness factor in Throwdown; the pickpocket showdown in Sparrow). If you do not pay attention you can easily miss something important for the whole film. I've had this issue when lending some of his films. This may be a strange comparison, but it reminds me a bit of Robert Bresson's economic use of screen time (not the use of actors though) -- though I know that To has been somewhat influenced by this director, I usually hear him talk much more about Melville. I've been trying to find a copy of The Enigmatic Case for ages. I'm glad I'm not the only non-fan of Running on Karma. I haven't done a full length review of it because I really don't want to watch again . I'm not quite sure if I like or dislike Justice My Foot!. * a couple of interesting examples is both Hitchcock and John Huston who both used other people's books and screenplays but were often considered the auteur of the piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted March 9, 2011 Author Member Share Posted March 9, 2011 Fair enough I guess. Great points and insights. I'm not sure if you're familiar with torrents but you can get The Enigmatic Case on ADC. It's still active. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted March 10, 2011 Author Member Share Posted March 10, 2011 First trailer is out. ZL2XJ0T6WJ4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted March 10, 2011 Author Member Share Posted March 10, 2011 Johnnie To collaborator delivers HK thriller HONG KONG (AP) -- Johnnie To's priority this year is the mainland Chinese market. But the acclaimed Hong Kong director is trying to keep signature local movies in his pipeline by proxy: His frequent collaborator Law Wing-cheong is delivering a small psychological thriller that explores revenge and class tensions. "Punished," which is scheduled to make its world premiere at the upcoming Hong Kong International Film Festival on April 4, features veteran Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong as a ruthless property tycoon who intimidates villagers in order to confiscate their land - only to be humbled after his rebellious daughter is kidnapped and murdered. His search for revenge brings him only greater mental anguish. The HK$23 million dollar ($3 million) production lacks the stylish, dance-like action sequences that have won To and his production company Milkyway Image international renown, but director Law - a regular assistant director and occasional actor for To - makes up for the deficit with a sophisticated exploration of human psychology. Law's picture, on which To served as producer, can also be seen as a broader examination of rich-poor conflict in Hong Kong's hyper-capitalistic society. Wong's tycoon is awash with cash thanks to his brutal tactics and Hong Kong's inflated property prices. But he faces payback from the working class when a used car salesman plots his daughter's kidnapping - and finds a willing coconspirator among Wong's staff. The biting political commentary, the violent scenes and use of foul language are standard fare for Hong Kong cinema but are questionable for mainland China's more prudish film censors. "This is a high-risk project," Law told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday. "We are talking about revenge. And there is no sense of justice in the movie: No one is arrested by police and put into jail. Whether this story meets the need of the mainland market is an unknown factor." Taiwanese actor-singer Richie Jen, who plays Wong's bodyguard, told the AP it wasn't clear if mainland audiences would see the movie. "Maybe they need to adjust their movies to pass censorship," Jen said. So "Punished" investor, Hong Kong studio Media Asia, has mainly set its sights on the local market in this southern port economy that reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Despite the resumption of Chinese sovereignty, Hong Kong has retained a Western-style government and civil liberties like freedom of speech. It's an increasingly rare strategy as Hong Kong filmmakers rush to cash in on the rapidly expanding mainland market - also coveted by Hollywood studios. "Punished" perhaps also offers director To a way to balance his commercial pressures and his artistic integrity. The master himself finds himself increasingly pulled to the mainland. He is currently shooting the second of two romances targeted at mainland viewers - but outsourcing projects with a more Hong Kong local flavor to his collaborators helps keep the Milkyway Image brand alive. Still, Jen hopes the social themes in "Punished" reach a broader audience beyond Hong Kong. "When I started shooting this movie, I knew it wasn't commercially oriented or entertainment-oriented. But it touches your heart," Jen said. "Its subject matter touches on problems facing modern society - ethnic Chinese communities everywhere are dealing with skyrocketing property prices, tough labor markets, a breakdown in intergenerational communication." "Punished" will be in general release in Hong Kong on May 5 after its debut. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_FILM_HONG_KONG_PUNISHED?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-03-10-07-10-27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted March 11, 2011 Author Member Share Posted March 11, 2011 ‘Punished’ Revisits the Hong Kong Crime Thriller Just when it looked as if the days of distinctively Hong Kong movies were numbered, along comes a gritty new crime drama that is Hong Kong through and through. “Punished,” which will have its world premiere on April 4 at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (March 20 to April 5), features gangs, vengeance and extreme violence. It is also the kind of taut thriller that Hong Kong used to make routinely. But over the past seven or eight years, Hong Kong movies with themes and topics that run afoul of China’s censorship regulations have become less frequent, especially because of the rise in the number of co-productions — films backed by investors from both Hong Kong and the mainland, which fall outside China’s foreign-film import quota. “Punished,” a 23 million Hong Kong dollar (US$2.9 million) production from Media Asia by director Law Wing-cheong and starring Anthony Wong and Richie Ren, is about a brutal Hong Kong businessman (Mr. Wong) whose family life disintegrates as he seeks revenge for the kidnapping and murder of his cocaine-snorting daughter. The film is filled with the sort of taboo topics that are banned by China’s film censors. It’s particularly noteworthy that the film was given the green light at all, given the Hong Kong film industry’s current business strategy of distribution in China. (Media Asia has given the go-ahead for other films that aren’t co-productions, including director Johnnie To’s 2009 crime film “Vengeance.” Mr. To also produced “Punished.”) The script was well written and worth making into a movie, even if it couldn’t be distributed in mainland China, says Media Asia Chief Executive Officer John Chong. Media Asia has a long track record of successful films, including the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy (2002-2003) from director Andrew Lau, which was adapted by Hollywood director Martin Scorsese into the Academy Award-winning “The Departed.” In recent years, nearly every prominent Hong Kong filmmaker has been focusing on the Chinese market, which offers the potential of huge audiences eager for bigger-budget films. But the irony is that the filmmakers probably find they can’t make the kind of films that gave them a lift to prominence. It’s questionable, for instance, whether “Infernal Affairs” could be made in today’s environment with its good-cop, bad-cop story line. As for “Punished,” Mr. Chong says that “we discussed the film with China’s co-production department, and then we knew it wasn’t suitable because of the violence and the crime.” The film will, of course, be distributed in other markets in Asia and around the world, and Mr. Chong says he is taking the “optimistic view” that it will qualify as an imported film in the mainland China market, perhaps in limited release and with some scenes adjusted. http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2011/03/11/punished-revisits-the-hong-kong-crime-thriller/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted April 4, 2011 Author Member Share Posted April 4, 2011 Official site. http://www.mediaasia.com/punished/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted April 4, 2011 Author Member Share Posted April 4, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted April 11, 2011 Author Member Share Posted April 11, 2011 Review by Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945002?printerfriendly=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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