Dong wu shi jie (2018)

A man finds himself deep in debt and is coerced to board a ship that hosts a risky gambling party.

Director:

Yan Han

Writers:

Nobuyuki Fukumoto (comic "Tobaku mokushiroku Kaiji"), Yan Han (screenplay)

Stars:

Yi Feng Li, Dongyu Zhou, Michael Douglas

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Yi Feng Li	...	Zheng Kaisi
Dongyu Zhou	...	Liu Qing
Michael Douglas	...	Anderson
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bingkun Cao	...	Li Jun
Eric Heise	...	Prisoner Eric
Alberto Lancellotti	...	Luca
Yijuan Li
Archibald C. McColl IV	...	Cheater (as Archibald C. McColl)
David Rayden	...	Mr. Twitchy
Keith Shillitoe	...	Prisoner Woody
Ke Su	...	Zhang Jingkun
Ge Wang	...	Fatty Meng

Storyline

Muddling along without any aim, the hero Zheng Kaisi accomplishes nothing and is in debt of several millions because of borrowing money from friends. In order to pay the debt, he boards a ship called "Destiny" to attend a mysterious gambling party at the instigation of someone. Once he wins, his debts can be canceled.The game rule seems very simple. Participants shall take pokers marked with "rock, paper, and scissors" as props for seizing the star sign of the opponent. However, in the face of a group of desperate gamblers, any little flaw can be utilized in the game.

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Plot Keywords:

daydreamer | loyalty | greed | overextended gambler | card counting | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

CMC Pictures [China] MM2 Entertainment [Singapore]

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin English Italian French Arabic

Release Date:

29 June 2018 (China)

Also Known As:

Animal World

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beijing Ruyi Xinxin Film Investment,Shanghai Ruyi Entertainment Co.,Enlight Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (DTS: X) Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Gyakkyô burai Kaiji (2007)

User Reviews

Surprisingly entertaining and engaging

Animal World is the Chinese adaptation of the Japanese film Kaiji Ultimate Gambler.

The effects in this film are extremely good. It's used in a way which highlights impact moments and helps the film explain its logic based obstacles. Not everyone will be able to follow the logic unfortunately. The film does it's best to explain to the audience but does not slow down. My partner who is a native mandarin speaker said she got lost at times, so it wasn't really the language that was the problem. I really enjoyed the puzzle / riddle type thinking exercises the movie places in front of you.

The characters aren't built up or developed and lack substance. The film isn't focused on that. It uses that as a background to set the stage for the main part of the film. Once it starts though, the film managed to me engaged and excited looking forward to what happens next. Through clever use of special effects and camera work, you get to enjoy some well executed cinematography.

I would actually recommend this to some of my family and friends who I know enjoy these kinds of films. I would watch it again once it comes out on my devices.

In conclusion, those who enjoy fast paced, straight into the action that requires a bit of thinking will enjoy this movie. It was definitely executed well for the type of movie it is trying to be. 7 / 10