summer release, finally waiting for a movie that can hit theaters.
does not matter, " customs front " .
The Far East Film Festival has gained a lot of reputation, with the audience shouting the slogan "The Rise of Hong Kong Films".
The Beijing premiere received numerous positive reviews.
"Exciting and refreshing!"
"Impeccable, the scenes are shocking!"
Five-star reviews are endless, which has once again ignited Tomato's expectations for "Hong Kong movies".
Although the cliche that "Hong Kong movies are dead" has been said for many years, every time when there is no retreat, there will be such a good movie to rekindle our expectations.
was first " Wushuang ", then " Bomb Disposal Expert 2", and later " Fury·Serious Case ". Now, it is definitely this "Customs Front".
After watching the movie for the first time, Mr. Tomato has too much excitement that he wants to share with everyone.
Based on the principle of no spoilers, let us enjoy this wave of "Customs Front", which is a real summer hit!
01, burning! hard! Cool!
is a movie that broke out in theaters and gave everyone the most intuitive stimulation, which is the perception.
It can be said that in terms of commercial elements, "Customs Front" has achieved the ultimate level of Hong Kong movies in recent years.
There has never been a Hong Kong movie that dared to play with action and explosions like this, and there has never been a Hong Kong movie that could make Mr. Tomato feel the thrill of having shrapnel crash into his face.
The story of "Customs Front" is not complicated.
Two overseas countries are plunged into war due to disputes. In order to win the war, they need to purchase weapons from international arms dealers.
Hong Kong is one of the trading places.
In order to investigate smuggling and arms theft cases, customs department officer Zhou Zhengli ( Nicholas Tse), at the request of his master and boss Zhang Yunnan (Jacky Cheung), broke into the arms dealers and cooperated with Interpol. Launch an investigation.
Traveling through the huge international arms black market, Zhou Zhengli was almost walking on the tip of a knife.
But every time, just when he gets key clues or catches important people, the news will always be leaked in advance, causing the success to fall short.
Zhou Zhengli realized that there might be a ghost inside the police force.
Following the clues, he began to dig deeper, but he found that things were becoming more and more complicated, and even out of his control.
"Customs Front" seems to be the most familiar "undercover + two heroes" model of Hong Kong movies, but in terms of picture presentation, it far surpasses similar movies.
The film contains almost all the commercial elements we can think of, and the visual effects of the scenes surpass Hollywood and are shocking.
First and foremost, it's a fist-to-flesh fight.
In order to shoot action scenes well, Nicholas Tse started physical training very early. Before the filming started, he developed eight-pack abs that were as sharp as a knife. They looked no different from those 20 years ago.
As a martial arts instructor for the first time, he not only combines the old school of 90s action movies, but also adds many innovative elements to make the whole fight look smooth and exciting, inspiring and bold.
He was flashing around in the secret room, punching, kicking, and moving, almost leaving an afterimage.
In the stick fight between master and apprentice, Jacky Cheung took a genuine wooden stick and slapped his head and face to death. The sound of the stick and the physical contact was clearly visible.
Flying across, falling in the air, a seven-story crane scene, Nicholas Tse actually shot the upper body, the effect is outstanding, it makes people's hearts pick up in their throats.
This is the true spirit of Hong Kong action movies.
Secondly, what has been upgraded is the trinity of gun battles, car chases and explosions on land, sea and air.
On the land, there are various weapons firing at each other with thunder and bang, as if they can pass through the screen and hit the center of the eyebrow in the next second...
The road car chase scene is thrilling, and the scene of jumping out of the car and shooting is heart-wrenching. A tight.
Because it involves customs, there are many underwater fighting and explosion scenes in "Customs Front".
Nicholas Tse was kicked six or seven times while holding his breath underwater, which made people feel distressed.
The torpedo launched by the submarine once made Mr. Tomato wonder whether this was a war movie or an action movie.
In the sky, various airplanes and weapons were thrown down.
Sometimes it's a drone passing by, sometimes it's a bomber bombing, and there's even a shot of a helicopter being hit by a rocket launcher and falling... There's a small explosion in three minutes, and a big explosion in five minutes. It's so refreshing to watch.
Finally, there are all kinds of big scenes that are unimaginable.
Have you ever seen Hollywood bombing planes or seeing giant freighters bombing docks?
No, we saw it in "Customs Front".
When the giant ship rushed out of the dock and caused explosions and fires, the sense of giantness and apocalypse made Mr. Tomato sigh, Nicholas Tse really risked his life this time.
2 billion investment has been actually used in movies. The perception of theaters is that funds are constantly burning like crazy. Movies like
are not only a must-see during the summer, but are also a great way to relieve the summer heat for young and old.
I feel excited after watching it once and chilled after watching it twice. The realism and impact are definitely worth the price of admission.
02, Qiu Litao, Nicholas Tse + Jacky Cheung, no post-production + no special effects, let’s fight!
Although the visual effects are unparalleled, this is not actually the most praiseworthy part of "Customs Front".
Because the cast of this Hong Kong film is so powerful.
is directed by Qiu Litao, who is known for his fierce, brutal and large-scale films. "Bomb Disposal Expert 2" and " Jedi Chase " are still fresh in my mind. Directing "Customs Front" this time, it is still a familiar recipe and a familiar taste.
Nicholas Tse's last work was "Fury: Serious Case" in 2021. After disappearing for three years, his energy was mainly concentrated on this movie. In the film, he is not only the lead actor, but also the action director of the film.
Jackie Chan Big Brother, Jet Li and Donnie Yen have aged, Nicholas Tse has become the backbone of domestic action films.
He likes martial arts and action. Having experienced the glory of Hong Kong action movies in the 1980s, he has always maintained the style of an old-school action director.
When filming "Customs Front", Nicholas Tse had very high requirements for action scenes.
In a 64-move fighting scene, in order to preserve the tension of the film and the smoothness of the audience's perception to the greatest extent, he was stunned for one shot. During this period, one actor used a wrong move and had to start all over again.
At the same time, he did not use green screen, special effects or post-production for all the actions in the movie. All the actions were performed by the actors themselves.
The scene in the container was seven stories high, and it was raining and slippery. He was so stunned that he pulled the photographer up and finished filming together.
fought with Jacky Cheung's stick. He repeatedly asked Jacky Cheung to fight for real. Although the stick was real, the beating was too fake to capture the feeling.
In the explosion scene of the chase, the explosion point was about one meter away from him. He insisted on filming it realistically and had to light a fire after the explosion, which greatly increased the risk.
Even in the explosion scene with Liu Yase, , he had to bury the explosive spot and take Liu Yase through it personally. In the behind-the-scenes, you can even see shrapnel flying through Liu Yase's hair.
After the filming of the scene, Liu Yase was so shocked that her face was covered with bloodshot eyes, and the crew on the set was so frightened that they broke out in cold sweats.
Holding your breath underwater, falling from a high altitude, being beaten, and exploding... Nicholas Tse, with his ethics as an action actor and director, ensured the purity of the action in Hong Kong films. Although the filming was difficult, the viewing experience was really enjoyable.
Not only that, Nicholas Tse also found Jacky Cheung, who had been away from the screen for 8 years, to play his boss Cheung Yun-nan, who is also a teacher and friend.
It has been 14 years since the two last collaborated, and Jacky Cheung also experienced an action scene on the big screen for the first time.
Although he is the king of singers, Jacky Cheung does not spare any effort when it comes to acting.
beat Nicholas Tse really hard, but his performance was also really superb.
Zhang Yunnan is a high-functioning manic-depressive patient who often has problems with his mental and emotional state.
A small emotion can cause him to explode, and Jacky Cheung's performance is vivid, especially the process from calm to violent and Zhang Yunnan's mental state when he is sick. It is simply an Academy Award-winning performance. .
There is a scene where he is burning himself with an iron, which makes people feel scared. This is the foundation of a good actor.
In addition to these people, the film also includes Ng Chun-yu who plays the two bosses, Lam Jiaxin who plays Zhang Yunnan's "boss's girlfriend", and Interpol Liu Yase, who jointly investigates the case with Zhou Zhengli and is not afraid of danger.
The emperors and queens gathered together to present the best "Customs Front". For the audience, this is not only a visual feast, but also an acting award.
You can't really experience the immersive feeling of watching top actors perform in other movies.
03. Deeply exploring human nature and innovative in genre, this Hong Kong film will become popular all over the country.
Good Hong Kong films focus on the core.
The same is true for "Customs Front".
Every character in the film has a distinct personality and a dark part of human nature. They are entangled together, which is very scary to think about.
Zhou Zhengli is an upright person, believes deeply in his beliefs, and will work hard for what he believes in, but sometimes he is too upright, resulting in no prospects for investigation or promotion.
In comparison, Zhang Yunnan is more sympathetic.
He is a pleaser who always thinks of others, but keeps all the negative things to himself, which indirectly leads to his "high-functioning bipolar disorder".
's boss Guo Ziqiang described him as "low-level", and he gritted his teeth and resisted everything.
Zhang Yunnan is a typical person who lives and works wearing a mask. He is the most profound and complex character in "Customs Front".
Under Jacky Cheung's interpretation, the contradiction between the instinct of being oneself and thinking about others, the kind of dealing with one's own emotional lows and the excitement of a volcano about to erupt in the heart are well combined.
Especially during the private communication and work with Shao Yaying, the out-of-body part made Mr. Tomato break into a cold sweat, and suddenly he thought of the unique style of Hong Kong movies, "everything goes too far and everything goes crazy".
In the story, each character is wrestling with each other, and each character has an undercurrent in his heart. Pay attention to the tiny details and body movements, and understand the inadvertent clues. You will gain a different perception when watching "Customs Front" .
Although the movie is a typed Hong Kong movie in terms of format, it is also a "different" Hong Kong movie in terms of character creation and story telling.
It introduces the theme of customs for the first time, bringing this unknown job and police type in Hong Kong into the audience's field of vision, allowing the audience to see the image of the customs police for the first time, which is rarely seen in Hong Kong movies.
Although it has an undercover agent, it is not just an undercover agent. Instead, it shows the complex relationship between people through the presentation of human nature and the progression of the story. It focuses on the case, but is higher than the case. The case is the shell, but the core is people.
It tells a brand-new Hong Kong story in a classic way. It also uses a way that everyone loves to put an atypical action blockbuster on the big screen. It makes people feel happy and comfortable, and has endless aftertaste.
html On June 28, "Customs Front" will be released.Mr. Tomato is planning to watch it a second time after its official release to find out more details and experience more of the charm of Hong Kong films.
In the hot summer, only "Customs Front" can relieve the heat in the theater. This is a shot in the arm to keep us going!
(Movie Rotten Tomatoes Editorial Department: Miaomiao)
