Dung che sai duk (1994)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Kar Wai Wong

Writers:

Louis Cha (novel)
Kar Wai Wong (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 November 1995 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama | Action

Plot:

A broken-hearted hit man moves to the desert where he finds skilled swordsmen to carry out his contract killings.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Swordsman | Narration | China | One Man Army

Awards:

10 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Brigitte Lin	...	Mu-rong Yin / Mu-rong Yang
Leslie Cheung	...	Ou-yang Feng
Maggie Cheung	...	The Woman
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Blind Swordsman
Jacky Cheung	...	Hung Chi
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Huang Yao-shi
Li Bai	...	Hung Chi's Wife
Carina Lau	...	Peach Blossom
Charlie Yeung	...	Young Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joey Wang	...	(scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Ashes of Time Redux (International: English title) (International: English title) (recut version)
Ashes of Time (Hong Kong: English title)
Dong xie xi du (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Dong xie xi du zhongji ban (China: Mandarin title) (recut version)
Dung che sai duk redux (Hong Kong: Cantonese title) (recut version)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Runtime:

100 min | 93 min (Redux version) | 93 min

Country:

Hong Kong | China | Taiwan

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Redux version) | Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (Redux version) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (Redux version) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) (Redux version) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Hong Kong:II | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) (Redux version) | Hong Kong:IIB (Redux version) | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

China

Company:

Beijing Film Studio

Trivia:

This film had an exhausting effect on Kar Wai Wong. While on hiatus during the editing process he wrote and shot Chung Hing sam lam (1994) (Chungking Express) to "clear his head".

Quotes:

Blind Swordsman: Do you know the difference between drinking wine and drinking water? The more wine you drink, the warmer you'll get. Water will only make you feel cold.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Yeopgijeogin geunyeo (2001)

Seasons Come Anjd Time Will Go

I saw this at the New York Film Festival in which Bridgette Lin, who was in the first segment of the film, was there. She still looks beautiful. This film is not a remake, it is a redone version of the film, a 1992 drama set and shot in the Chinese desert in which Ouyang Feng (the late Leslie Cheung) plays a person for hire, mostly to kill others. Through the film, you see various people enter his life, and their stories are told in the passing of the seasons. This absolutely stellar casts includes Maggie Cheung, both Tony Leungs, Carina Lau and Jacky Cheung, along with Bridgette Lin and Leslie Cheung. The film chronicles tales of love, lust, betrayal, vengeance, pain and yearning admirably. There is also excellent swordplay in this film, but the real brilliance of this film is the cinematography by Christopher Doyle. The desert is punctuated with wind & sandstorms, and many images are purposely blurred. Really, if you are a film buff of any kind, this film is essential viewing for the cinematography alone. The film is more dramatic than violent and you are filled with a sense of foreboding throughout, wondering what will happen next. I never saw the film in its original incarnation, so I can't compare, but if you did see the film and liked it you have to see this. If you're a fan of director Wong Kar Wai, this is also essential viewing. Do yourself a favor and try to catch this film in a theater, where you can enjoy the overall majesty of it. Not a perfect ten only because at times it is a bit hard to follow, but stay with it and you'll be rewarded with a great cinematic experience.