Tony Leung – Cut To The Chase

Directed By: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Written By: Jean-Jacques Annaud and Gerard Brach

Based on The Novel By: Marguerite Duras

Cinematography: Robert Fraisse

Editor: Noelle Boisson

Cast: Tony Leung, Jane March, Frédérique Meininger, Arnaud Giovaninetti, Melvil Poupaud, Lisa Faulkner, Jeanne Moreau

In 1929 French Indochina, a French teenage girl embarks on a reckless and forbidden romance with a wealthy, older Chinese man, each knowing that knowledge of their affair will bring drastic consequences to each other.

This is one of the more troublesome movies to watch now as even though it’s based on a classic novel, it still is a love story between an older Asian man and a young French girl. Watching the film we know that both actors are of age but the film is overly erotic, and both actors even being of age are extremely attractive.

So while full of sex. at heart, it tries to be a romance and shows how power, race, and class bring them together, but also pull them apart, as take advantage of the other in their own way. The film feels like a book textured with beautiful international yet a small story. That has heavy and strong ramifications.

I remember when this film came out as one of the first artistic erotic films I remember seeing. As the sex was graphic and realistic, rather than being exploited, it seems to come more from passion, romance, and love.

This would obviously be hard to make today one of the other aspects that was the appeal at the time was that there was an interracial romance on screen. Full of risky material that deals with racism as well as classism.

The rules were reversed as here was an Asian man who was more classy, and had money which he comes from, and her family is more poor, desperate, and savage, he seemed to pluck her off the streets and seduce her, and to a certain point her family despised him for being Asian do like the money that he spends.

The film has plenty of artistic touches that help the film flourish. The art direction is top-notch, and the main character is the defining, all-white suit that he wears throughout.

The film also happened to be the jewel in the way to the brief film career of the actress, Jane March it was also her screen debut. She was unbelievably beautiful. She followed this film up with films like TARZAN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD and PROVOCATEUR and the infamous Hollywood bomb THE COLOR OF NIGHT. Though like her The scope of the film is beautiful to look at. She has continued to work over the years here and there, but never quite in a starring role. The biggest budgeted Hollywood film she was in recently was the remake of CLASH OF THE TITANS.

By the end when it comes to the characters she is the one you won’t forget, and was hoping that Jane March would have a memorable acting career aside from this film, but she achieved one-and-done status (One-and-done is usually where an actor actress is so good, but they never ever act again, and are only defined by one role where they stay unforgettable maybe even that character to life so strongly that even when you look at pictures of them in real life, you still see more of the character than the actual actor Which can work for the film as in your mind it makes them more real) even as she appeared in a few other films. None were good one was more infamous and reputation so that leaves the one she truly shines in and shows so much promise.

I remember being pulled into this film and caring about the characters beyond the sex scenes I will admit that the first time one watched the cultural and political stuff went over my head. Though one can remember the lush Scenery and feeling like you are watching an escapade.

The film truly is a perverted story of a taboo romance that once was more common at the time based on a novel, luckily in the film, the girl is aged up a bit and shows her learning of the world through him, usually through the comfort that he can bring her.

Grade: B

Written & Directed By: Wong Kar Wai
Based On The Book “The Eagle Shooting Heores” By: Louis Cha
Cinematography By: Christopher Doyle & Pung-Leung Kwan
Editor: Patrick Tam & Kit-Wai Kai
Cast: Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung,

Ou-yang Feng lives in the middle of a desert, where he acts as a middleman to various swordsmen in ancient China. One of those swordsmen is Huang Yao-shi, who has found some magic wine that causes one to forget the past. At another time, Huang met Mu-rong Yin and under the influence of drink, promised to marry Mu-rong’s sister Mu-rong Yang. Huang jilts her, and Mu-rong Yin hires Ou-yang to kill Huang. But then Mu-rong Yang hires Ou-yang to protect Huang. This is awkward, because Mu-rong Yang and Mu-rong Yin are in reality the same person. Other unrelated plot lines careen about. Among them is Ou-yang’s continuing efforts to destroy a band of horse thieves. Oy-yang recruits another swordsman, a man who is going blind and wants to get home to see his wife before his sight goes completely. The swordsman is killed. Ou-yang then meets another swordsman who doesn’t like wearing shoes. Oy-yang sends this man after the horse thieves, with better results. We then find out what a man must give…

The original cut was released in 1994 I am reviewing the re-edited version of 2008

I will admit that I haven’t watched the original cut yet. This is the same film only re-edited to put emphasis on different things and look at the film in a different way. Sort of like what was attempted when the Mel Gibson film PAYBACK was put out on DVD and re-edited more to the director’s original vision before the production was taken outbid his hands and re-shot and re-edited it’s also similar to the APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX putting back in cut scenes to supposedly make the film richer in content and context.

This is a great movie… To have on in the background of a party continuously playing, but sitting through it is a challenge. I love Wong Kar Wai’s work but I couldn’t wait for it to end. It was like sitting through a music video with its camera work and rapid editing. Though a music video with a thin plot seems a simple reason to link scenes of action together.

This film feels moody as you have to be in a certain type of mood to watch, more open and accepting of the story it presents. I believe the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much as Wai’s other films are that one saw the masterpieces first and came back to watch this film which doesn’t match the greatness of his other films though you can see the seeds. It almost feels unfocused half of the time as to where it is going or what it wishes to convey.

While the film is visually arresting. The story begins to get confusing and boring. When the film is on the verge of getting too boring it redeems itself with an action scene.

Director, Wong Kar wai shows that he is capable of stunning action sequences, which are rather rare in his films, but then he messes them up in this film by making the. In slow motion. Almost like a delayed slow-motion capture. This messes up the fluidity of the choreographed action, but when the scenes run at regular speed they are a sight to behold. This film had an exhausting effect on Wong Kar Wai. While on hiatus during the editing process, he wrote CHUNGKING EXPRESS to “clear his head”.

This is a visually beautiful movie, low budget with a few too many close-ups for no reason it seems. I will prefer and enjoy the first cut just like APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX.

What is interesting about Wong kar wai when it comes to most of his films is that he is a visual stylist as a director, but not, in the same way, directors like Tim Burton works most of the time in his movies. The camera stays still and he lets the sort be about the characters as they reveal relationships and the big story. Now when this is happening the lighting and colors are usually immaculate and use the landscapes to their fullest. And when the camera moves the angles he uses in the scenes are strange, but breathtaking that you feel the movie so much more because at the heart of most of his films are relationships.

It’s like Woody Allen films with less dialogue, no comedy, and no archetypes yet more open and visual. More seems to be at stake and the characters are usually young with more modest incomes plus more sensual than sexual.

It hurts to give this film such a low grade. He has made strides since this film it is an early work that hints at his future vision and genius. Still one of the better and More Interesting filmmakers still working today

Grade: C-

Tag: Tony Leung

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