(Global Times) Looking for a way to fit into the Chinese mainland market has been one of the biggest challenges for many Hong Kong filmmakers since they first started heading north. Now, about a decade later, it seems that some have found a way to get their foot in the door: Create political mainstream works in cooperation with the government.
Fans of Hong Kong cop and gangster films are familiar with Alan Mak and Felix Chong, the duo behind the Infernal Affairs franchise. Now with their latest work Extraordinary Mission, they are trying to test a new model: Cooperate with a whole mainland crew as well as the mainland police.
Focusing on an anti-drug police force in the Chinese mainland, Extraordinary Mission boasts a cast including mainland pop star Huang Xuan as the film's hero and veteran actor Duan Yihong as the main villain. One notable aspect of the film is that the list of production companies includes The Ministry of Public Security's Shield Entertainment Center, a state-run company that provides support to the entertainment industry for police-related TV and film works.
The past few years have seen a few Hong Kong filmmakers work on political mainstream works. For example, Hark Tsui's The Taking Of Tiger Mountain was a remake of an old red classic. The film was a breath of fresh air for red films, a genre which many moviegoers in China felt had become old-fashioned and boring.
Last year's Operation Mekong was another example. Directed by Hong Kong director Dante Lam, the police action blockbuster won applause as well as large box-office returns.
Set for release on Friday, Extraordinary Mission has received middling reviews after several limited showings at colleges across the mainland.
"Extraordinary Mission has once again proved that crime films are the easiest film for Hong Kong directors to make. The crudeness of drug dealers and the painful struggles experienced by undercover policemen are something often seen in Hong Kong films and can easily earn audience applause by simply copying and pasting these elements into a new work," netizen Jingyujun wrote on Chinese movie site Mtime. "However, the climax comes too late and the emotional parts are overdone."
"While The Dead End and Operation Mekong were both successful, this new Mak and Chong film is a pale reflection of old Hong Kong films. The only thing worth applauding is Duan Yihong's performance," Judandan, another netizen, wrote.
Despite these less-than-stellar reviews, cooperation between Hong Kong filmmakers and the mainland authority has great potential: While the former bring their filmmaking experience, they still lack knowledge of what mainland audiences want to see in theaters. The latter need veteran filmmakers to help them tell the stories they want in a way that will attract audiences to cinemas.
Having worked on numerous crime films, director Mak explained to the audience after a screening of the film in Beijing on Sunday that what he found to be the biggest difference between policemen in Hong Kong and the mainland is the patriotism and willingness to sacrifice that policemen in the mainland possess.
"It should be valued and made known to others," Mak said.
Shield Entertainment Center Party chief Li Suifang pointed out that "it is a life and death battle each time an anti-drug policeman goes on a mission."
Speaking on stage at the Sunday screening, Chinese mainland film critic Ye Hang said Extraordinary Mission is a definitive "yes" answer to the question of whether Hong Kong filmmakers can enter the Chinese market.
"It brought the advantages of Hong Kong films - filmmaking prowess and action scenes - to a mainland mainstream commercial film," Ye said.
Source: Global Times by Wei Xi