UNITED STATES: PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER "THE ART OF WAR" STARRING AND PRODUCED BY WESLEY SNIPES PREMIERES IN LOS ANGELES

Record ID: 390006

  • Title: UNITED STATES: PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER "THE ART OF WAR" STARRING AND PRODUCED BY WESLEY SNIPES PREMIERES IN LOS ANGELES
  • Date: 23rd August 2000
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SNIPES "We tried to make it consistent with the story, believable for the character. We didn't just put in martial arts' scenes or action scenes that were for the sake of having them. You have to believe that this character can do that in this world. You as a man or woman saying if I was in that situation that
  • Embargoed: 7th September 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES /VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5F7T2ZNGSZ6VHV6XTT887HK3Z
  • Story Text: A new action-packed psychological thriller is hitting screens across America this week.
    "The Art of War", set in China, the United States and the UN, stars and is produced by Hollywood superstar Wesley Snipes.
    Thousands of fans turned up at the historical Mann's Chinese Theater in LA for the film's premiere.
    "The Art of War" is a new action thriller involving the United States, China and United Nations.
    Wesley Snipes, also the movie's executive producer, plays Neil Shaw, an American agent who must uncover an international plot to bring down the United Nations on the eve of an historic summit with China.
    Officially, Shaw doesn't exist. "What is interesting about it is you don't usually find those elements in an action film, substance, great plot, twists and turns that make you think. Hmmm, I don't know who it is. I don't know. That's great," says Snipes.
    A group of murdered Chinese refugees is found in a container in New York harbor, setting off a bizarre and mysterious chain of events leading to the murder of the Chinese U.N. Ambassador.
    Shaw is accused of the crime and must go underground.
    He must vanish from his life and work to clear his name.
    Snipes says the production team tried to make the story plausible: "We tried to make it consistent with the story, believable for the character. We didn't just put in martial arts' scenes or action scenes that were for the sake of having them. You have to believe that this character can do that in this world. You as a man or woman saying if I was in that situation that is something I can do. That is believable that is possible."
    Director Christian Duguay believes the film stands out amongst other action films: "In a complex story like this you need to use all the stylistic elements, not just to be cosmetic aspects, but to help you tell the story. You do not want a long dialogue explaining where you are and things like that. So I used all the elements to bring all details to the plot because it is a complex journey. I needed to have access to all those elements to make that streamline for the audience."
    Snipes says the film was not difficult to make. He hopes that audiences will fill the theaters. "No difficult parts actually,. This one was smooth. We put a lot of hard work into it but it went smooth".
    Duguay reckons audiences will enjoy the film, "It's a great ride. I think it is very entertaining so the audience is not just sitting there being passive about it. They are being more active and are more involved in the way the story unfolds."
    With Snipes at the center of the film, Duguay assembled and international cast to bring out the international flavor of the film. Actor Liliana Komorowska says she appreciated the opportunity the film provided to foreign actors and actresses: "It is an international film that was shot in Montreal and it was an excellent opportunity for the actors with accents in it and I am one of them."
    "The Art of War" hits screens across North America on Friday, August 25.
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