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The
Hollywood Detour
After two Chinese New Year comedies- The Chinese Feast
(1995) and Tristar (1996)- and producing high-profile
movies like Jet Li’s Black Mask (1996) and Andy
Lau-Leslie Cheung’s Shanghai Grand (1996), Tsui
took a detour into Hollywood’s territory with
two Jean Cluade Van Damme action movies. Both Double
Team (1997) and Knock Off (1998) however turned out
to be both critical and commercial disappointments.
Tsui returned to Hong Kong in 2000 with Time and Tide,
but the action thriller failed to find much of an audience.
His next movie, the lavish CGI fest The Legend of Zu
(2001), also suffered the same fate. Tsui then turned
to Hollywood once more, hoping that his sequel Black
Mask 2: City of Masks (2002)- with Andy On replacing
Jet Li in the original- would find an appreciative audience
there. It did not.
A
Decade in the Doldrums
It
was the beginning of undeniably the lowest point of
Tsui Hark’s career. The director who used to make
three or four films a year now struggled to make one
for even a year. Tsui said of his sojourn between films
over those few years: “Sometimes you have to take
a long break. I had been working nonstop for so long,
and I think you have to get away from what you do for
a while and get a fresh perspective.” Alas that
didn’t do him much good. His much-hyped comeback
Seven Swords (2005)- starring Leon Lai, Donnie Yen and
Charlie Young- turned out to be an expensive US$18mil
investment that never quite took off with critics and
audiences alike. Yet if his track record is anything
to go by, don’t be too quick to write him off
just yet.
 Creative
Genius
Nansun said of Tsui: “I think he's always evolving.
He's a constantly evolving person, even mid-stream through
his work, he would stop and say: “you know this
is not what I want to do”. He's that kind of character,
very multi-faceted, multi-layered, very rich personality.
So he's always evolving, all the time.” Indeed,
evolution has always been a characteristic of his career-
Sam Hui was replaced by Jet Li in The Swordsman sequel;
Jet Li would morph into Chiu Mun-Cheok for Once Upon
a Time in China and Andy On for Black Mask; Leslie Cheung
in A Chinese Ghost Story 1 and 2 would become Tony Leung
in the third movie; and Brigitte Lin’s Zu warrior
would become Cecilia Cheung in the 2001 movie.
Acclaimed
Hong Kong cinematographer Andrew Wong said: “You
can say Tsui is very creative, but he changes his mind
every minute. So sometimes, even though you’ve
done a lot and a lot of preparation on location, suddenly
he comes up with an idea and changes everything! And,
he won’t even give you enough time! That’s
the problem! He keeps pushing you, pushing you, pushing
you, squeezing you, and hurrying you.”
Yet it is precisely this manic energy that has established
Tsui as the enfant terrible of the Hong Kong film industry-
and “Detective Dee” is no exception. A masterful
blend of the detective genre with the aesthetics of
a period epic, it is also pure visual spectacle the
way Tsui has always excelled at. It is Tsui’s
best shot at a comeback, and trust me that he does need
one. Yes, when you’ve left your name on the Hong
Kong film industry the way that Tsui has done over the
years, you’d want to go out with a bang, not a
whimper. Tsui isn’t quite ready to bow out just
yet- he needs a bang, and “Detective Dee”
might just be it.
Detective
Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame Opens 30 September
2010 and is reviewed here
If
You Missed Part One of Tsui Hark: Once Upon A Time In
Hong Kong...
OTHER
FEATURES IN THE HK DIRECTORS' SPOTLIGHT SERIES:
.
Trail Blazer: Andrew Lau
.
Man With A Puff: Edmond Pang
.
The Young And Dangerous Duo: Alan Mak & Felix Chong:
.
Man On Fire: Dante Lam
.
King Of Comedy: Jeff Lau
.
Deconstructing Johnny To |
Andy
Lau on modelling the role of Detective Dee on Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark on the possibility of sequels of Detective
Dee
Tsui
Hark on how he judges what is best for his audience
Producer
Nansun Shi, actress Carina Lau, director Tsui Hark,
actor Andy Lau, actress Li Bingbing, producer Zhonglei
Wang and actor Deng Chao attend the "Detective
Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame" premiere
at the Palazzo del Cinema during the 67th Venice International
Film Festival on September 5, 2010 in Venice, Italy
Actor Andy Lau (L) and actress Li Bingbing
at the "Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom
Flame" premiere
Detective
Dee And The Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)
Videos courtesy of wireimage.com |
