Keep Cool (1997)
"You hua hao hao shuo" (original title)

China, the 1990s. A young bookseller is in love with a woman. The woman is now with another guy, a rich man. The rich man sends his people to beat the bookseller. In the fight, the laptop ... See full summary »

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Ping Shu (novel), Ping Shu (screenplay)

Stars:

You Ge, Wen Jiang, Gang Jiao

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
You Ge	...	Policeman
Wen Jiang	...	Bookseller
Gang Jiao
Baotian Li	...	Lao Zhang
Xuejian Li	...	Taxi Driver
Guanhua Liang	...	Bar Boss
Ying Qu	...	An Hong
Tian Tian	...	Waitress (as Xiaohua Chen)
Yong You
Yimou Zhang	...	Junk-peddler
Benshan Zhao	...	Poet reader

Storyline

China, the 1990s. A young bookseller is in love with a woman. The woman is now with another guy, a rich man. The rich man sends his people to beat the bookseller. In the fight, the laptop computer from a man looking at the scene gets broken. Who will pay for the computer? The bookseller wants revenge. Will it be useful? The bookseller and the laptop owner are from different ages and classes. They are two different points of view, two different Chinas. How will they fight for justice?

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | based on novel

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

Hong Kong China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

29 December 1997 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Keep Cool

Company Credits

Production Co:

Guangxi Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

brilliant

I could never imagine I would start loving movies like this. After seeing Yimou Zhang's 'Hero', I decided to check his other movies, perhaps looking for something similar. The second Yimou Zhang's movie I watched was 'No One Less' after which I realized what kind of cinema I'm now in. No wonder why I got 'Keep Cool' immediately. It is a simple, touching and brilliant piece of cinema, I pay my respect to the director.

This movie shows that it's not the amount of money makes film good. It's all about what the director wants to show and how successful he is in doing this. The story is very simple, a typical extract of a typical daily life, moreover shown in a very simple way, the movements of camera also strengthen the impression and the feeling of the movie. I give a top rating to this film and impatiently waiting to see other Yimou Zhang's films.