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Sha Po Lang (HK 2005) - A Wilson
Yip Film
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About The Production
(Interview with Wilson Yip and
Donnie Yen)
Director Wilson Yip and action director Donnie Yen had one
overriding objective when they started work on SPL – to ensure that
the film contained both jaw-dropping action sequences and
well-crafted drama. “In recent years, Hong Kong movies have either
been strong on drama but didn’t contain much action, or they’ve had
outstanding action scenes but the drama has been ignored,” Yip
explains. “In this film, we hope to combine both elements.”
Yen, who in recent years has worked on action films in both Hong
Kong and Hollywood, agrees that a good action movie should always be
driven by the script. “I feel it’s time to break some ground and set
new standards for modern Hong Kong action movies,” says Yen. “But
only a handful of directors have the right qualities to achieve this
and I believe Wilson is one of them. I’ve seen his work in Juliet In
Love and other films, and he has a strong sensibility for characters
which is something that action films tend to lack, particularly
modern action movies. I think that by combining commercial,
large-scale and fast-paced action with this sensibility, we will
have something really refreshing.”
Indeed, in-depth characterization is an essential component of SPL.
The action revolves around the conflict between gang boss Po (Sammo
Hung) and senior detectives Chan (Simon Yam) and Ma (Donnie Yen).
But as the story unfolds, we learn that there is more than one side
to every character. “There is no right and wrong in this story,”
explains Yip. “The bad guy may have no qualms about murdering a
witness, but when he goes home at night, he’s a good man in the eyes
of his family. Likewise, the police don’t always use the proper
procedures to achieve what they want.”
Yip also explains that the Chinese title of the movie – Sha Po Lang
– is derived from the names of three renegade stars in Chinese
astrology which symbolize the three main characters. “When viewed
alone, each of these stars represents something bad – destruction,
conflict or avarice – but they’re not always a force of evil,” Yip
says. “When they’re combined in certain ways, it means that good
things may happen.”
The action in SPL takes place over Father’s Day and relationships
between fathers and their sons is a recurring theme of the movie.
“One of the interesting things about the characters is that each one
gives us a different view of fatherhood,” says Yen. “Sammo has just
had a baby boy and even though he behaves badly as a crime boss,
he’s also a loving father and husband. Meanwhile Simon has played a
substitute father for several years and some of the other characters
have had their fathers leave them. As for my character, I’m the son
of a policeman who right before he died warned me not to become a
cop.”
However, as important as the drama is, explosive action is also a
crucial element of the film. Unlike many recent films, which use
special effects and fast editing to create the illusion of martial
arts action, SPL features actors who can really fight. Among the
most highly anticipated scenes are a showdown between Yen and
martial arts veteran Sammo Hung and another climatic battle between
Yen and fast-rising action star Wu Jing.
With such strong human resources at his disposal, Yen says he’s
limited the use of CGI and wirework in the film. “We’ll use special
effects in as far as we want the film to look modern. But I want the
action to look as realistic as possible,” Yen explains. “A lot of
action movies, whether in Hong Kong or Hollywood, tend to lean
towards wirework and as a result you see can it everywhere. On one
hand, it’s wonderful to see that Hong Kong film techniques have
become so popular, but I think we’ve moved away from the purity of
martial arts cinematic effects.”
Yen adds that he’s enjoyed the challenge of creating fight sequences
which look realistic but astound the audience at the same time.
“These days everyone does a little bit of martial arts at the gym,
so in order to make it cinematic and expect people to pay to watch
it, you have to bring the level all the way up,” Yen says. “You have
to give the audience the hottest thing out there, and then dramatise
it in the most cinematic way. That’s the challenge for us as
filmmakers – trying to capture something that is beyond the
audience’s imagination but yet remains something that they can
understand.”
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Page 3 : Filmmakers / Cast |
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