Gong fu guan lan (2008)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Yen-ping Chu

Writer:

Takehiko Inoue (comic)

Release Date:

7 February 2008 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Plot:

The story of a Chinese basketball star. |

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | Chinese | Alcoholic | Brother Sister Relationship | Secret Admirer

Cast

Bo-lin Chen
Charlene Choi	...	Lily
Jay Chou	...	Fang Shijie
Yen-ping Chu
James Z. Feng	...	First Univ. Teammate
Bo Huang
Eddy Ko	...	Fang's Master
Lichun Lee	...	Bi Tianhao
Ka-Yan Leung
Ken Lin
Man Tat Ng
Eric Tsang	...	Zhen Li
Kenneth Tsang	...	Wang Yiwuan
Jacky Tsung-hsien Wu
Ni Yan	...	Master Ni

Directed by
Yen-ping Chu

Writing credits
Takehiko Inoue		(comic)

Cinematography by
Xiaoding Zhao

Costume Design by
Chung Man Yee

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sean Liu Xiao	....	second assistant director

Visual Effects by
Austin Basile	....	digital compositor
Ann-Marie Blommaert	....	visual effects project manager
Dan Brittain	....	digital compositor
Jon Cowley	....	visual effects supervisor: Technicolor
Lee Croft	....	senior digital compositor: Technicolor Beijing
Steve Elliott	....	visual effects I/O: Technicolor Vancouver
John Fukushima	....	compositing supervisor: Technicolor Vancouver
Martin Halle	....	lead visual effects artist
Phil Jones	....	visual effects supervisor: Technicolor Beijing
Ken Lam	....	compositor: Technicolor
Jonathan Tex Levitt	....	compositor
Robert Luo	....	technical director
Robert Luo	....	visual effects technical director
Stephen Misek	....	visual effects artist
Christophe Pacaud	....	digital compositor
Jeremy Price	....	visual effects artist
Jun Ren	....	animator
Persis Reynolds	....	visual effects executive producer: Technicolor Vancouver
Tanya Schuck	....	digital compositor
Michael Stewart	....	digital compositor: Technicolor
Patrick Thompson	....	digital compositor
Jerry Tung	....	visual effects
Noel Wright	....	compositor
Marusha Xeros	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Siu-Tung Ching	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Raymond Lam	....	Steadicam operator
Raymond Lam	....	camera operator

Production Companies

• Chang-Hong Channel Film & Video Co.
• Emperor Motion Pictures
• Shanghai Film Group

Distributors

• Emperor Motion Pictures (2008) (worldwide) (all media)
• Deltamac Entertainment (2008) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Hua Yea Multimedia (2008) (Malaysia) (theatrical)
• Kadokawa Pictures (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Mediacorp Raintree Pictures (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• P.T. Teguh Bakti Mandiri (2008) (Indonesia) (theatrical)
• PMP Entertainment (2008) (Malaysia) (theatrical)
• Showbox Media Group (2009) (UK) (DVD) (also Blu-ray) (as Cine Asia)
• Vendetta Films (2008) (Australia) (all media)
• Vendetta Films (2008) (New Zealand) (all media)

Special Effects

• Technicolor (Beijing) Visual Technology (visual effects)
• Technicolor Creative Services (visual effects)

Other Companies

• 3H Sound Studio Ltd.  Dolby Digital sound mix
• 3H Sound Studio Ltd.  post-production sound services
• Digital Magic  post-production facilities: Hong Kong
• Shanghai Film Studios  sound stages
• Taipei Motion Picture  digital intermediate post-production
• Taipei Motion Picture  film processing

Also Known As:

Kung Fu Dunk (International: English title)
Slam Dunk (International: English title) (working title)

Country:

China | Hong Kong | Taiwan

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIA | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Shanghai, China

Company:

Chang-Hong Channel Film & Video Co.

Slick crowd-pleaser

Jay Chou plays an orphan raised in a kung fu school, but kicked out by the corrupt headmaster after fighting with a bunch of thugs in the employ of a nefarious villain. He happens upon down-on-his-luck trickster Eric Tsang, who immediately sees cash potential in the youngster's skills. Basketball is the chosen avenue for riches, and Tsang bids to get him a spot on a University team and to promote him in the media. General success leads to a basketball championship and a really nasty rival team managed by the same nefarious villain of before.

It's all a bit Shaolin Soccer I guess, but not so quirky or ridiculous - the plot sticks pretty close to sports movie conventions, and delivers all the elements the crowd expects from the set-up. You've seen it all before, but it's the kind of stuff it never hurts to see again when it's done well. Luckily it really is done well here (some might say 'surprisingly' with Chu Yen-Ping in the director's chair... I expect he had good 'assistants') - the script delivers and the presentation is slick and stylish. Jay Chou remains pretty much expressionless throughout, but such is his style, and when he does let an emotion flicker across it can be to quite good comic effect. Eric Tsang compensates with a larger-than-life character that he's played many times before (in real life, for instance) who gets many of the films most emotional moments.

Since the film revolves around basketball, it's good that the scenes of basketball matches are suitably rousing. The cast show some real skill, including Chou, and some well done wirework and CGI add that element of hyper-real kung fu skill that make the scenes even more entertaining (assuming you like that sort of thing) and justify the movie's plot/existence.

There's only one significant fight scene in the movie, but it's a doozy in the "one against many" style. Jay Chou appears to do a lot of his own moves, and is quite impressive - he's clearly pretty strong and fast for real, and Ching Siu-Tung's choreography makes him look like a real martial artist. I wish there'd been more, but at least it's a lengthy fight.

Very much the kind of Chinese New Year blockbuster I hoped it would be from the trailer, and recommended viewing!