Sien nui yau wan (2011)

Tax collector Ning, a clumsy and easily frightened man, doesn't have any money and decides to stay overnight in an abandoned temple. Little does he know that the temple is haunted. He meets... See full summary »

Director:

Wilson Yip

Writer:

Tan Cheung

Stars:

Louis Koo, Yifei Liu, Shaoqun Yu

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Louis Koo	...	Yan Chixia (as Tian Le Gu)
Yifei Liu	...	Nie Xiaoqian (as Yi Fei Liu)
Shaoqun Yu	...	Ning Caichen (as Shao Qun Yu)
Kara Wai	...	Tree Demon (as Ying Hong Hui)
Siu-Wong Fan	...	Ha Suet Fung Lui (as Shao Huang Fan)
Elvis Tsui	...	Village Chief (as Jin Jiang Xu)
Miumiu	...	Green Snake (as Miu Miu)
Peng Lin	...	White Snake
Fei Wang	...	Demon
Jing Li	...	Ti Nga
Hark-On Fung	...	Second Village Chief (as Ke An Feng)
Alan Chung San Chui	...	Prisoner
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yili Wangdan

Storyline

Tax collector Ning, a clumsy and easily frightened man, doesn't have any money and decides to stay overnight in an abandoned temple. Little does he know that the temple is haunted. He meets a very beautiful lady who seduces him, but he doesn't know that she is a ghost, usually not leaving any man alive...

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin

Release Date:

28 April 2011 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

A Chinese Ghost Story

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asia Bright Investment, Beijing Forbidden City Film, CHS Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of Sien nui yau wan (1987)

User Reviews

More CGI but Still A Remake

A line at the closing credits of this film reads 'In Memory Forever of Leslie Cheung' - acknowledging Cheung's role in the similarly-titled 1987 film as well as its 1990 sequel. Indeed, the 1987 "A Chinese Ghost Story", directed by Ching Siu-Tung in collaboration with producer Tsui Hark, was a landmark movie because its 'crazy' kungfu (and wirefu) effects gimmicks turned it into a cult hit with western (read: international) audiences. Its two sequels (1990 and 1991) were not as popular.

Here, director Wilson Yip claims that it is not a remake but a 'new' love story - and yet many elements of the 1987 film remain.

THE PLOT: Government official Ling Choi Sin (Yu Shao Qun, taking over Leslie Cheung's role) journeys to the parched Black Mountain Village to help its inhabitants find water. As he leads a group of 'volunteers' up the haunted mountain, he encounters a bevy of sexy demons and well as a lovely 'girl' named Siu Sin (Liu Yi-Fei). After wooing her with some candy, he falls for her - and then realizes that he is caught in a deadly triangle: another guy, a demon-hunter named Yan Chek Ha (Louis Koo) is also in love with Siu Sin.

However, before the two men can settle their differences, they have to contend with the evil Tree Demon (Wai Ying-Hung) as well as a one-armed demon hunter (Louis Fan) who is determined to kill all the supernatural beings.

MY REVIEW: The 1987 film has a confusing storyline and even more befuddled action sequences that have become the trademarks of Tsui Hark. Wilson Yip, who gave us the two "Ip Man" films, does not attempt to make the love story (especially the one between Chek Ha and Siu Sin) more plausible - or try to 'rationalise' the action sequences. Indeed, some of the fighting scenes are more comical than magical and the acting appear over-the-top. Liu Yi-Fei (left) fits the bill as the Enchantress of the forest but I wish she can evoke more emotions besides pouting and winking her eyes.

It is a good thing that Pu Song Ling's story has been adapted on the screen many times before, since "The Enchanting Shadow" (directed by Li Han Hsiang) in the early 1960s. That way, the plot is familiar to many in the audience and they need not rely on the flimsy narrative.