Ching yan (2008)

A traffic accident changed their lives forever. In capturing wanted criminal Zhang Yidong, Sergeant Tang Fei (Nicholas Tse) was involved in a gunfight and car accident that put the criminal... See full summary »

Director:

Dante Lam

Writers:

Dante Lam (story), Wai Lun Ng

Stars:

Nicholas Tse, Nick Cheung, Jingchu Zhang

9 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nicholas Tse	...	Tong Fei
Nick Cheung	...	Hung King
Jingchu Zhang	...	Ann Gao (as Jing Chu Zhang)
Pu Miao	...	Li
Kai Chi Liu	...	Sun
Sherman Chung	...	Christy
He Zhang	...	Thomas
Kong Lau	...	Chuen
Jing-hung Kwok	...	Michael (as Jing Hung Kwok)
Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung	...	Judge Lee (as Tung Joe Cheung)
Philip Keung	...	Cheung Yat-Tung (as Ho Man Keung)
Suet-yin Wong	...	Ling (as Suet Yin Wong)
Sum-yin Wong	...	Yee (as Sum Yin Wong)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ga-Leung Chan	...	Rookie (as Ka Leong Chan)
Kim-Fai Che	...	Police Tactical Unit Officer (as Kim Fai Che)

Storyline

A traffic accident changed their lives forever. In capturing wanted criminal Zhang Yidong, Sergeant Tang Fei (Nicholas Tse) was involved in a gunfight and car accident that put the criminal in a coma. But in the process he also crippled an fellow officer, and mistakenly shot dead the elder daughter of public prosecutor and single mother Gao Min (Zhang Jingchu). Unable to handle the guilt, Tang Fei succumbs to a fog of pain. Gao Min, meanwhile, pours all her love and attention to her younger daughter Ling. Three months later, the criminal Zhang Yidong awakens from his coma. Gao Min, who had been working hard on bringing him to justice, insists he stand trial immediately.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Release Date:

27 November 2008 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Beast Stalker

Filming Locations:

Central, Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emperor Motion Pictures, Sil-Metropole Organisation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Ke Yi Ke Yi Ma"
Written by Xuan Ya & Shi Jianbo
Performed by Nicholas Tse
Courtesy of 13th Month Records

User Reviews

Pulse-pounding thriller with real heart

BEAST STALKER is one of those wonderful films – a crime movie with real heart behind it. The story may be hackneyed and predictable and the plot twists might be anything but, but in the end this film is a triumph because it gets to the real darkness and emotion behind the subject matter. Police procedurals and crime thrillers have long been popular in Hong Kong, but many of them are inevitably slick and soulless, providing entertainment but without real depth to back it up. Not so BEAST STALKER.

The overall story is one of kidnapping, but there's much more going on with the film than that. Both heroes and villains are painted with the same level of painstaking care, so that in the end the film becomes all about character rather than cliché and the latest effort to make the hero look cool in front of a slow-motion explosion. The acting is a triumph; Nicholas Tse bags the fairly predictable role of the tortured cop and does a good job with it, but it's Nick Cheung as the would-be kidnapper who really shines. Cheung could easily have been over the top or theatrical in his turn as the film's villain, but instead he comes across as an all-too real person. He's one of the most interesting bad guys I've seen in a film, and he ignites every scene he takes part in with his dynamic performance.

Of course, at the end of the day this is still a thriller, and director Dante Lam makes sure we don't forget it. There are car crashes, fist fights, shoot-outs and foot chases, and all of them are portrayed with the maximum excitement. This is the first time I've seen a film of Lam's, and I love his cinematography: he sets the scene in long shots before moving in close and staying in close whether dialogue or action is playing out. It adds a level of realism and catapults the viewer into the film in an effective, engaging way. On the strength of BEAST STALKER I'm already eager to track down more of the director's work.