艾美艾尊

It may be a martial arts movie but 14 Blades also focuses on other factors, especially human ones, writes WENDY WONG.
FILMED at the Hengdian World Film Studio and in the NingXia desert in China, the Chinese martial arts film 14 Blades (now playing in cinemas nationwide) took 2½ months to film. Director Daniel Lee said the biggest challenge in making the movie was finding a suitable location. “Not many locations in China still have the ancient city look,” he said during an interview in Kuala Lumpur recently, where he was joined by his main star Wu Chun (a member of Taiwanese pop group Fahrenheit) to promote the movie.

The movie was released by RAM Entertainment and PMP Entertainment in conjunction with Chinese New Year and is available in Mandarin and Cantonese.


“A big part of the budget went to re-creating the locations,” Lee said, adding that he heard of the story when he was young and did a lot of research into it.


To Lee, the film is a “world movie” because the characters travel from one place to another, starting from Peking. To stay true to the story, he cast different nationalities as extras. “This is a movie, not a documentary. I want to bring the essence of other issues especially human factors into the story. I believe I have managed to strike a balance here. If you dwell too much into the facts and history, it will become more like a documentary,” said Lee.


When asked about the rationale of promoting this movie as a Chinese New Year movie despite its blood and gore elements, Lee said: “In this movie, Donnie Yen is a bad guy who turns good. Sure, we show a lot of blood but it is a story about hope. We must accept that there is still justice in the world and the action sequence is just a small element in bringing out the essence of human factor.” What's next for him? Lee said he wanted to do another action film. “The market is not that bad, so I would love to do another movie like this one, something entertaining that also allows me to share my point of view on the beauty of humanity.” Meanwhile, 14 Blades is likely to be released in Korea and Japan with subsequent distributing deals being negotiated to have it released in Germany, England, France, Australia “and hopefully America”.


“I play a character known as the Judge (Pan Guan). As a child, he watched his parents being killed by the ‘Jinyiwei’ (Brocade-Clad Guard). These guards can kill innocent people on instruction and the only rule they follow is from the Emperor. So to look for a better world, he ended up helping Donnie Yen (Qing Long) fight for righteousness, said Wu Chun.


When asked if he did the stunts himself, Wu Chun said: “Almost 100 per cent — I was injured many times!” One action sequence almost left Chun with a serious injury. “I was so close to being hurt. I was supposed to shoot an arrow laden with explosives but it exploded before the scheduled seven seconds, right before my eyes!" He said the most difficult part of the movie was the fight scenes in the desert. “It was very hot and windy and when the wind blew, the sand got into my eyes and mouth." However, on the whole, Chun was thankful for the experience. “It was a very good stepping stone and valuable experience for me. I would love to act in similar movies in future because it allows me to portray a different side of my real self.” How did he prepare for the role? “Lee and I went through the script many times so that we could study the character. I also had to undergo two months of martial arts training.” When asked about the fight scenes with Donnie Yen, Chun said: “I felt pressured and excited at the same time. We rehearsed many times before the actual shooting.” Some critics draw comparison of his character to that of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.


“I have not seen that movie. I think it was not Lee’s intention to copy the character,” he said, adding that he enjoys acting in martial arts movies and romantic dramas.
Wu Chun.



source: www.nst.com.my