this is the third movie from donnie yen and director wilson yip, its a crime drama like spl called city with no mercy here is the lowdown:
November 2006
– City With No Mercy –
City With No Mercy , latest work from Wilson Yip, looks poised to surpass SPL with a richer storyline and characterisation, as well as fresh action scenes that are full of impact. The movie, slated for release on Labour Day 2007, stars Donnie Yen, Louis Koo, Fan Bing Bing, Xing Yu, Ngai Sing, Ray Lui, Timmy Hung, Kent Cheng, Xu Qing.
According to Wilson Yip, as opposed to Dragon Tiger Gate which was basically a one-man show, screen time in City With No Mercy will be more evenly distributed between Donnie Yen and Louis Koo. There will be better balance between action scenes and drama scenes too, which will be more seamlessly blended and more enjoyable than those action-oriented films, as more effort has been put on drama. The ending will be less tragic compared to SPL.
Louis Koo says that his role as an undercover detective is different from other movies. Unlike those movies in which the actors would have to portray the inner conflicts and feelings of an undercover throughout the entire film, his identity is exposed rather early here. This film shows how he has to get on with life when he loses everything: his legs, his family, his girlfriend, and his split with his buddy, the decisions he has to make.
One of the main reasons for SPL’s success was the realistic fight scenes. And this time round, Donnie Yen intends to carry this out further, to the extent of not using any means of aid, with every move to be done by each actor themselves. Donnie Yen says, “The Chinese are recognised for their martial arts films, and to bring it to further heights is indeed daunting. To achieve realism, I have invited many martial arts exponents from around the globe to join City with No Mercy and they’d also have some parts to play in the choreography. I will incorporate moves from Judo, Ultimate Fighting Championship, all various types of martial arts, would not use wires, doubles. Realistic fights need not be brutal, we’ll use strength to convey the beauty.”
Donnie Yen goes on to say that the action is tailored made according to each actor’s ability, and he’ll not turn a non-martial artist into a top fighter overnight, “Actually, only I, Ngai Xing and Xing Yu are the only ones who came from wushu institutes. The fight scenes will be more demanding, and the three of us even went for three months of training, in Muay Thai, etc. For the rest, we try to work around their strengths and limitations. For example, Louis Koo had some basic Judo training when filming Throwdown, so, his main moves in this film will be Judo plus a couple of other forms, resulting in his special action sequences.”
Plot: While Donnie Yen of Organized Crime Control Bureau has exceptional martial arts ability, his life is full of struggles, one of which is his constant battle against the three brothers of an all powerful Vietnam Gang, eldest brother Ray Lui, who is ever menacing, second brother Ngai Sing, who is cool, collected and cunning, and third brother Xing Yu, whose fighting skills are unmatched. The three’s bid to get rid of their rival Lin Kwok Pun is thwarted by their bodyguard Louis Koo, who is actually an undercover planted by Donnie Yen. When Donnie Yen begins an operation to capture all the gang members, Louis Koo blows his cover. In their conflicts, all witnesses are killed, leaving only sole survivor Louis Koo, who has been maimed by them. However, his girlfriend has been taken away… Yangcheng Evening News, Sina, Zhejiang News
– City With No Mercy –
Photo: China Times
Production of A City Without Mercy, directed by Wilson Yip and scripted by Szeto Kam Yuen, began officially in Hong Kong on 13 November and a press conference was held. The movie marks the third collaboration between Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen. Both indicate emphatically that City Without Mercy is not SPL 2 though it may bear some similar characteristics to SPL. To impart an authentic feel to the martial arts scenes, Donnie Yen has especially hired Xing Yu, Ngai Sing and over 20 martial arts experts. He reveals that martial arts fans who expressed their doubts over the over-reliance on the special effects in Dragon Tiger Gate would be delighted to know that City Without Mercy will contain the most realistic and earth-shattering martial arts sequences, with minimal special effects. China Times
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