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A World Without Thieves More at IMDbPro »Tian xia wu zei (original title)
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| Index | 23 reviews in total |
29 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Feng XiaoGang reaches for new height in his latest movie, 15 January 2005
Author:
xiayun from United States
Feng has traditionally produced a movie each year close to the new
year, but the tone of his movie has grown darker and sadder. A World
without Thieves is another example of this progression.
The story is simple, but the characters have layers, and the dialog
remains classic Feng-style as ever. All performances are good to great.
The villain role is set up perfectly for Ge You. The production value
is the most polished I've seen from a Feng's film. The camera work, the
editing, and the music score all feel artistic and are mixed together
quite well. As for his previous movie "Cellphone", there are a number
of sad moments in the movie where your heart will be heavy. Overall,
highly recommended. 8 out of 10.
10 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Beautiful film, highly recommended, 15 September 2007
Author:
pvernezze from China
World without Thieves (Tian Xia Wu Zei) is a film by director Feng Xiaogang. It involves a romantically involved pair of thieves. As the film begins they are extorting money from a rich man they have filmed trying to seduce the woman. Soon after this, the woman decides she has had enough of this kind of life and wants a normal existence. Her partner in crime, however, has no intention of quitting the business. She stops at a Buddhist temple to pray and there is befriended by a worker on the temple. The man, whose friends call him Dumbo, is returning home with his five years wages from working on the temple, 60, 000 RMB. Although his friends tell him to wire the money home and warn him about thieves he insists he is fine taking the money on the train with him and that they are too distrustful of people. In an attempt to prove to his friends that there are no thieves on the train, the young man has announces to the entire train that he has the money and that any thieves should show themselves. When they don't, Dumbo says, "see,there are no thieves here." On the train, he hooks up with the thieving couple, and the woman makes it her mission to try to protect the gullible young man from those who would steal the money, in particular from a gang of thieves on the train, and perhaps from her own partner. Like Bu Jian, Bu San, this film is not a light comedy, although it seems to start out as such. Instead, it is a serious and emotionally taxing film that can be alternatively thought provoking and hilarious, with the contrast between the gullibility of the young man and the sophistication of the world weary thieves providing the central moral focus Feng is a major Chinese writer/director. He traditionally releases movies around the Chinese New Year. A beautiful movie, highly recommended.
17 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
It is a good movie among the past few year's Holiday films, 10 January 2005
Author:
jiaoniang from Dallas
Feng Xiaogang has made himself the fame of making good holiday films in
the past several years. Most of them achieved the purposes of making
laugh and making people a happy new year.
This one is the best one in that both in the filming and produce, it
has more meaning and more depth. Well, it is still not an 'art' movie.
It is still just targeted for box income.
The performance of actors and actresses is OK, not too much to exceed
what they are usually doing. By maintaining their perform, this movie
achieve the adequate balance between a good movie (usually a heavy one)
and a laughter making movie.
The story is a made one for sure. A world without thieves has
disappeared from 10 years ago. Now it is a world full of thieves. It
might remind people in their 30s the good old days of China ...
10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Remarkable beyond adjectives, 27 March 2006
Author:
sarastro7
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I just saw A World Without Thieves at a film festival, and I loved it.
I had expected a more straight-forward Hong Kong production, but this
was more of a mainland China movie. We follow a male-female couple of
thieves, Bo and Li (both surnamed Wang, but apparently not married),
the woman of whom is trying to abandon her criminal lifestyle for the
sake of her unborn child's karma. So she decides to protect a naive
country bumpkin who's transporting his life's savings by train,
surrounded by people who want to rob him. As you can imagine, a plot
with this kind of stark, sacrificial emotion involved must be difficult
to turn into a successful piece of film-making. But this director pulls
it off.
The movie is grand and beautiful. The emotional intensity and depth
conveyed by the actors repeatedly brought a tear to my eye. The
characters themselves cry several times, and their pain is convincing.
The really impressive thing is that the movie really blends several
genres. It has a plot and characters which are usually played for
laughs in light-hearted action comedies, yet here they are treated
seriously. The action scenes are low-key in order not to detract from
the more important emotional matter. And adding in the magnificent
cinematography, the end product becomes an art movie.
For the cinematography of this movie is simply breathtaking. Landscapes
and people are filmed with inspired visual flair. There are a few kung
fu scenes in the movie (the most impressive of which is the peeling of
a *raw* egg, without breaking the membrane), but they are done very
untraditionally. The skirmishes are never really shown, except in
brief, half-blurred flashes, mimicking pick-pocketing skills, where you
practically can't see the moves. However, these scenes are accompanied
by special music, and most certainly have an aesthetic all their own,
contributing to making this movie unique. The director is trying to do
something new and different with the kung fu scenes, and I think he
succeeds. The focus of the movie is not on the fight scenes, but on the
characters' emotions and the dazzling cinematography.
The end of the movie is also stunning. In order to honor his lover's
wish, the male thief, who has no desire to reform, ends up getting
himself killed in order to return the country bumpkin's money to him
from a rival master thief. Now, you can focus on the return of the
money, and find the moral of the movie naively romantic. Or you can
focus on the heart-rending death of Bo, and be moved to tears by his
sacrifice, which was for love of his partner, and not for the naive
country bumpkin. I did the latter, and I believe the director was going
for this reaction. This was not a naive movie about protecting an
innocent soul from the unavoidable evils of the world; it was a
character study focusing on two thieves who ended up disappearing from
the world, one through reform, and one through self-sacrifice. It
touched me deeply.
All told, a masterpiece that I can heartily recommend, and which I will
certainly acquire for myself when I get the chance.
Ratingswise, I initially wondered if I should give it an 8 or a 9. But
upon reflection of how perfectly put together this movie was, and what
a great artistic accomplishment it is, and how the consideration of its
themes and their resolutions continue to move me when I think back on
the climactic scenes, I have to give it top marks. 10 out of 10.
12 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
What a good director can do with an actor, 12 January 2005
Author:
Harry T. Yung (harry_tk_yung@yahoo.com) from Hong Kong
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Witness how Andy Lau comes across in two movies under two different
directors. In the Zhang Yimou's cheesy impersonation of an art film
House of Flying Daggers, poor Lau is reduced to almost laughing stock
in a hopelessly crafted and lifeless character. In Feng Xiaogang's A
World Without Thieves, Lau is given a proper opportunity to act, and he
responds with a creditable performance.
Not as well-known to the world at large as Zhang who has achieved fame
through shameless succumbing to cheap melodrama, Feng is nevertheless
the biggest name in China. Make no mistake about it, Feng's films ARE
commercial. But, on top of the commercial elements, Feng retains his
unique blend of style, humor and heart. On the other hand, while Zhang
still rules when it comes to cinematography, a film does not live by
cinematography alone.
And Feng does not suffer by that much even in that department. The
opening shots of AWWT are simply breathtaking. The ensuring scene is
equally impressive, with Wang Li (Rene Lau) praying in the open temple
courtyard among the throng while partner Wang Bo (Andy Lau) engages in
a duel of sorts with femme fatale (Li Bingbing). The rhythmic, rousing
sound from the throng, the sincere penitence of prostrating Wang Li and
the intimidating dexterity of the two dueling thieves blend together in
a unique atmosphere created by Feng's ever attentive camera, bringing
the audience right into the heart of the movie.
The plot is simple and essentially predictable, set in a familiar,
slightly claustrophobic train journey, pitching thieves against thieves
and against law enforcers, over certain potential loot. This however
does not prevent the movie from offering the audience a bit of
everything: jaw-dropping feats, suspense and tension, interesting
characters, a love story, struggle between good and evil. What I like
about it is that it is unpretentious. Wang Li's (and later Wang Bo's)
penitence simply as result of her pregnancy comes across much better
than pseudo philosophizing, for example, as in Running on Karma (which
incidentally also stars Andy Lau).
The movie features an ultimate good guy character Fu Gen (Wang Boaqing)
who, almost like an idiot, doggedly believe that there's no bad guy in
this world (and hence the title). Wang plays it so well that even the
most cynicism-stricken audience will find it difficult not to love him.
Andy Lau, as mentioned, has given a solid performance, even when the
character is somewhat stereotyped. Rene Lau, easily one of the best
Chinese actresses around today, handles her part with ease. Watch for
the last scene when she gulps down mouthfuls of food while a tear
trickles down her cheek. And there is of course Ge You, sort of China's
Lon Chaney, who appears in every one of Feng's films and never fails to
give a delightful surprise every time.
In sum, an unpretentious, entertaining, commercial but high quality
film.
7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
An engaging and beautiful crime romance, 17 November 2008
Author:
MikeA from Isle of Man, British Isles
Professional thieves Bo (Andy Lau) and Li (Rene Liu) con a businessman
out of his BMW, and head for the hills to lay low. They visit a temple,
where Bo busies himself relieving pilgrims of their wallets and phones,
while Li earnestly prays. Shortly thereafter, she announces to her
lover that she wants them both to abandon their thieving lifestyle and
settle down. When he refuses, they argue and split.
On foot and hopelessly lost, Li encounters Sha Gen (Wang), a simple man
who wants to find a wife and settle down with the money he's earned. He
helps her find her way to a train station, where she's reunited with
Bo.
Touched by Sha Gen's open honesty and trust in his fellow travellers,
Li adopts him as her little brother, and decides to protect him and his
money on their journey as an act of redemption. However, while Bo wants
to get back together with Li, he has his eye on Sha Gen's moneybag. To
make matters worse, a whole gang of thieves is on board the train, and
they all wouldn't mind helping themselves to the easy cash. It's thief
vs thief as the train rolls through gorgeous landscapes, and Li has her
work cut out defending Fu from all sides, not least her unscrupulous
lover.
I've only seen one of director Feng Xiaogang's movies before, 'Big
Shot's Funeral', and will admit to not being blown away by that. This,
however, is a very engaging and beautifully shot romantic crime comedy,
and I enjoyed it immensely. The product placement that seems to have
offended many viewers slipped by me, and the pro-communist message
simply fits the character of Sha Gen and did not seem out of place. I
certainly didn't feel anything getting forced down my throat.
Andy Lau manages to be a likable rogue, while Rene Liu plays her role
with a lot of heart. Their on-screen chemistry is perfect.
There are a number of 'fight' scenes between the thieves, that put me
in mind of the 'God of Gamblers' series of films. Instead of fighting
with Mah Jong sticks or flinging cards at each other though, the
thieves duel with razor blades as they try to poach from one other.
These scenes are inventive and done with flair and just the right
amount of CG trickery.
I did have a problem with the ending, which - while being necessarily
melodramatic - seemed overly manipulative. To compensate for this, Rene
Liu's acting at the conclusion should leave all but the hardest of
hearts unmoved. I have to admit with some shame that this is the first
film I've seen starring this astonishing actress. It will definitely
not be the last.
5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Clickety clack., 14 September 2005
Author:
squelcho
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
This is one of those movies I'd heard a lot about, but never quite
found myself in the right place to see, until I finally managed to lay
my hands on a Hong Kong DVD.
Few things in movies irritate me like white subs against light
backgrounds, especially when it's a widescreen DVD with acres of virgin
darkness below the screen area, but in this case such gripes are
largely irrelevant. The plot is neatly woven and each character is
given enough time to establish their true intentions. Not being a
Chinese speaker, I tend to watch the nuances of expression for glimpses
of the subtler plot elements, and that usually helps me to fill in the
gaps left by those unreadable subs.
Subjectively, this is a very mobile film, which gets moving in fine
style with some beautiful travelogue style tracking shots of high
mountain China, and a mildly incongruous "borrowed" top of the range
Beamer. The brief hiatus before the train journey begins, allows us to
glimpse the widening cracks in the happy couple's business
relationship. The naivety of the young farmer they encounter is a
useful counterpoint to Andy Lau's selfishness. And thus begins an
exploration of honesty under duress.
I don't want to go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that
there's some fun cgi trickery, some elegant grifting duets, and some
nicely underplayed camp malevolence, all washed through with strangely
hypnotic, slightly blurred cinematography and lighting. Very similar to
the woozy feeling one gets after a few hours on a train.
This film covers its many bases with an elasticity that allows the
viewer to figure it out in their own good time. The underlying
atmosphere of quiet menace versus insouciant braggadaccio, centred
around the naif's bundle of cash and his gentle zen philosophy, is
perfectly played out to a subtle and suitably rhythmic score. Where a
western film would brutally over-dramatise the scene on the roof of the
train, here it's played so nonchalantly that one would almost assume
it's an everyday occurrence.
As a modern take on an old fable, it works on every level. I enjoyed
watching the onion being peeled away, layer by layer, to the point
where it became pure fatalism. Honesty, dignity, bravery, and
compassion. With added sleight of hand, and a pinch of sorrow and
sadness. Well worth seeing.
11 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
This movie will help Chinese cinema break out into the west like never before., 31 October 2005
Author:
monkey_magic_23 from United States
Visually stunning, emotionally charged, and intellectually moving! The cinematography of "World Without Thieves" is unmatched to any Chinese movie I've seen to date. The characters hold your interest, and the plot moves across the screen with brilliant unpredictability. Western fans who only know Andy Lau from "House of Flying Daggers" get to witness his versatility as an actor. The two female leads, Renee Liu and Bingbing Li, balance each other out wonderfully: one dangerous, the other caring. I love "non-Hollywood" endings, which is what we get here. This is a rare gem of a film that breaks out of the "Chinese Film" genre and into the "International Film" genre. A good introduction for the movie fan who has never seen a Chinese film. A must-see for any serious film fanatic.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Minor Faults, but Overall a Great Film., 13 August 2007
Author:
massaster760 from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
What do you get when you combine an idealistic country bumpkin, two
sets of professional thieves, and a long train ride (with more than
it's share of surprises along)? Well if it's awesomely directed, acted
and filmed, it's probably Feng Xiaogang's A World Without Thieves, a
slow paced but rewarding film.
In the opening, we meet a male and female couple who are professional
thieves named Bo Wong (Andy Lau) and Li Wang (Rene Liu). After an
argument about Li leaving the profession, Bo kicks her out of the car.
Walking into town, Li meets a naive orphan named Dumbo(Baoqiang Wang)
who happens to be carrying his life's saving of 60,000 dollars with him
in his carry-on bag. Li and Fu quickly become friends, when Bo
re-enters the story. The three decide to take a train ride where they
meet another set of professional pickpockets. Dumbo soon finds himself
in the middle of two set's of scheming thieves, his only protection is
the sympathetic thief Li Wang. But is she enough to save the lamb from
the wolves?
The film's first 20 minutes is actually the best shot and most
emotionally affecting part of the film, it actually called to my mind
the better works of Zhang Yimou. The opener also features some
brilliant work by Photography Director Zhang Li. The shots of mainland
China's mountains and are incredibly shot and framed. Unfortunately,
after the characters enter the train, we loose the beautiful landscape
shots. The film than turns into a war of thieves complete with (what
I'll call) Pickpocket Kung Fu, a series of dangerous contests, double
crossings, and all kinds of out-right deliciously scandalous behavior.
Although, shot a bit too-closely for my tastes, the action scenes are
well-done, but they seem to be a bit out of pace with the film's
beginning feel and overall themes. The competition scenes where
actually much more satisfying than the film's martial arts. I wished
the director would have featured more of the pickpocketing tricks and
less of the razor-blade Kung Fu. Luckily, the sum of the whole is
greater than it's parts and overall AWWT makes for one of the most
satisfying films I've seen in years.
The characters also help make this film what it is. Andy Lau is
excellent as the devious but likable Bo. Rene Liu is also great as the
Yin to Bo's Yang. Her Character is played pretty straight forwardly but
is convincing as the only real character in the film that could be
called a decent person(other than Dumbo). Everyone plays holds their
weight in the film, actually the only weak link-in terms of acting-is
Baoqiang Wang as the naive countryman. His performance isn't bad but
seems to be a bit over-done (is anybody really that innocent?).
On a inconsequential side note, I understand the concept of Andy Lau's
need to disguise himself (being a wanted man and all). But why did the
director feel the need to dress him in that horrible wig? I actually
applauded and cheered approximately 70 minutes into the film when Bo
looses his hairpiece in the wind.
Bottom Line- A World Without Thieves is an all around good time. It has
it's share of minor faults but is overall a great film.
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
A Nutshell Review: (DVD) A World Without Thieves (2004), 7 February 2008
Author:
DICK STEEL from Singapore
A world without thieves is close to impossible, at least not in our
modern world where there are those who covert what others have, and
given no means of obtaining those items legitimately, seek the easier
way out and give in to temptation. But there are those who naively
think that such an utopia is possible, perhaps given their simple
background, and their trusting nature to not see the evils of man. Sha
Gen the Dumbo (Wang Baoqiang) is one such person, who declares and
openly challenges, on a crowded passenger platform to would-be (and to
himself, non existent) thieves, that he has RMB60K on him.
Andy Lau and Rene Liu play Wang Bo and Wang Li respectively, a Bonnie
and Clyde styled couple whose profession is to profit from conning and
thievery. They're skilled pickpockets, and in a scene set in a temple,
we see what Wang Bo is capable of with his deft hands armed only with a
thin razor. Things don't go down well for the couple as Wang Li decides
to forgo the partnership and go legit, for fear of karmic retribution.
As such, she takes it on herself to look after the kind hearted Dumbo,
and what could Wang Bo do except to go along, even though he's secretly
harbouring thoughts on that 60K cash package.
But like the adage of washing your hands in the golden basin, their
will and skills are put to the test when Uncle Li (Ge You) and his band
of merry thieves which include Lam Ka Tung as Four Eyes and Li Bingbing
as Leaf, board the same train, and constantly poke and probe for
opportunities to succeed in fleecing Dumbo like a helpless sheep when
his guardian wolves are less than alert. It's a classic cat and mouse
game, with each side displaying their fangs as they encircle their
prey, with the prey none the wiser to the drawing of territorial lines.
It's not very often in recent times that you have a movie set for the
most parts on board a train, and good ones at that, unless you pass the
likes of Steven Seagal's Under Siege 2. The first Mission: Impossible
movie had a great action sequence, Bollywood's Dil Se featured an
awesome dance on the roof of a moving train, and The Darjeeling Limited
and Before Sunrise had great conversations, but I'd dare say Feng
Xiaogang bested them all with this movie. It's not difficult then to
say that I've enjoyed this movie, having seen his Banquet and Assembly,
both of which I had liked, and I guess his works are now on my
watchlist.
But it's not all claustrophobic in having everything set on a train.
There were ample opportunities for lush cinematography to accentuate
the beautiful vast lands that China has, although at some points to
allow for action sequences, some of them had to be superimposed
instead. Don't let that mar your enjoyment though, as the effects were
pretty much nicely done, on par with what you'd come to expect with
movies made in Hollywood. But the characterization here takes priority
as well in moving the story forward, especially with Andy Lau's
character caught in the crossroads of listening to his heart, as well
as figuring out the intentions behind the admiration from a grandmaster
thief.
And Ge You, if you'd think his portrayal in the Banquet was
one-dimensional, you should see him in action here, with his various
disguises, and his silent charisma shining through, chewing up almost
every scene he comes in. It's little wonder that he's a frequent
feature in the films of Feng Xiaogang, and I look forward to his next
with the director, starring opposite yet another Chinese thespian in
Jiang Wen. Rene Liu had great chemistry with Andy Lau and thus made
their couple character quite believable in their love for each other,
as well as the conflict of ideals that they face which put a strain in
their relationship.
The only gripe I have will be that some of the fleecing scenes were
shot in too close up a manner, but it sort of emphasizes on the blink
and you miss sensibilities that these crooks have to capitalize on in
order to practice their trade. And that of course presents itself as a
perfect opportunity to rewatch this wonderful movie again. Highly
recommended!
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