John Woo said he was pleased to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 67th Venice Film Festival. When festival director Marco Mueller called him with the news he admitted to being shocked,but Mueller convinced him that his avantgarde style really fit at Venice.
At a panel discussion held on September 3, Woo was joined by the cast and crew of a film that he produced that opened at the festival: Reign of the Assassins, starring Michell Yeoh. The film directed by Chao-Bin Su is the story of the origins of Kung Fu in China. It is a complicated story and hard to keep the characters in place. This is why in the beginning of the film, there are freeze frames of the actors for our edification. It would appear that most of the film was shot on green screen as the scenes not only take place at night but there is a lot of corporeal aerial combat. Yes, he's a Lion, but Woo's new film unfortunately failed to Woo the audience.
John Woo said he enjoys working in Hollywood but would like to make films in China as well. He added that he didn't only want to make martial arts film that are so typical in China.
Michelle Yeoh gives a spectacular performance of Zeng Jing who has received instruction in Kung Fu from a master, and changes her face in order to retire in a small village. Her deadly skills however were used to take out the family of Jiang A-sheng, beautifully played by the South Korean actor Woo-sung Jung, who marries her knowing that underneath her new face that she is the assassin.
The intrigue of the film concerns the remains of a Buddhist monk that carries secret powers and everyone wants to get hands on the body.
Reign of Assassins has yet to receive a release date and was recently acquired by the Weinstein Co.
Comments