CHINA: Locally made low-budget heist flick trumps Hollywood blockbusters at summer box office

Record ID: 607450

  • Title: CHINA: Locally made low-budget heist flick trumps Hollywood blockbusters at summer box office
  • Date: 10th August 2006
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (RECENT) (REUTERS) DIRECTOR OF "CRAZY STONE", NING HAO, WALKING INTO A ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) NING HAO SAYING: "Entertainment is very important to movies. One of the most important functions of movies is to be entertaining. We should take that in mind. Because only when movies are entertaining will it fully realize its nature of commodity. Movie itself
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Reuters ID: LVACHRD9DPMFICFT6AKA24GKCIJV
  • Story Text: A low-budget Chinese heist flick has turned out to be an unlikely hit in the mainland's box office, brushing aside even Hollywood's blockbusters this summer.
    "Crazy Stone" serves up the best one can get of gangsters and grifters, chasing a precious gem in in grimy urban China.
    The movie was shot in Chongqing -- a smoggy teeming port on the banks of the Yangtze river, and a city worlds away from China's global pretensions and chic sensibilities.
    Corrupt businessmen, unpaid factory workers and the blind pursuit of fast money shown in "Crazy Stone" is a common theme to many Chinese cities in the throes of breakneck development.
    The villain appears to be the stereotypical shaven-headed gangster found in Hong Kong movies, but his penchant for shooting chickens with a crossbow renders his violence more ridiculous than chilling.
    Meanwhile, Bao, the ex-cop hero charged with guarding the priceless piece of jade in his boss's factory against a professional cat-burglar and a band of small-time crooks, struggles with urinary tract issues.
    Many scenes take place in rancid toilets. And Ning's film skirts around the moral homilies that punctuate most Chinese films.
    The film is in stark contrast to many arthouse or blockbuster Chinese movies that has been marketed to domestic or international audiences.
    The film's director, 29-year-old Ning Bao, says the main point of his film is to able to entertain audiences.
    "Entertainment is very important to movies. One of the most important functions of movies is to be entertaining. We should take that in mind. Because only when movies are entertaining will it fully realize its nature of commodity. Movie itself is a commodity. So I think the entertainment value is very important for locally made movies," he said.
    Since opening on June 30, Ning's dark farce has become China's most successful homegrown release this year, with box office takings exceeding $2 million -- a good taking in China's piracy-ravaged market.
    However, Ning Hao is treating his success with the cynicism of one of his anti-heroes. The director was blissfully ignorant of how his film was doing, when asked.
    Still, he was glad that his movie -- made for just 3.5 million yuan ($439,300) -- had been "accepted" by most of the audience, despite the rapid-fire dialogue delivered in a tangy dialect that calls for subtitles even for Chinese audiences.
    Ning wrote a screenplay for the film in 2000 but due to lack of funding he only finished the movie late last year.
    After spending six years in Beijing, going to film school and shooting advertisements and music videos for a living, Ning said he had a very hard time finding funding for this movie.
    Like every other young Chinese film director in China, finding financial support is the most difficult thing for a start-up. And Ning says young Chinese directors today should be more patient and be able to deal with such issues.
    "The most important thing is to learn to deal with yourself and balance yourself as a young movie director. No matter what you do nowadays as a beginner, people are not going to give you the best opportunities and a big sum of money. This is a common situation. When the situation and the opportunity is not ready yet, the most important thing is to adjust oneself to get ready. As a young director, we should never place blame on everything that's not ready for us. By saying we don't have money or nobody appreciates us, those are all excuses," he said.
    But now Ning Hao is a household name in China. Beijing's biggest movie theatre - Huaxing - has been screening the movie day and night through its summer season.
    Movie-goers say they enjoyed "Crazy Stone" much more than summer's usual offering of Hollywood blockbusters.
    "Hollywood movies are all the same. It's either explosion or action. Personally, I don't like that. There is nothing new you can expect from Hollywood movies. But some of the Chinese low budget movies or artistic movies are very interesting and diverse. So I like them better," said Ma Xinyu
    "Hollywood movies are not always better than Chinese movies. After a long day of work, I want to relax. That's why I want to see 'Crazy Stone' to laugh and relax after a tiring day," said Mr. Jiang.
    Though Ning was vague about his future plans, he was certain where the appeal of "Crazy Stone" -- a film without big stars or gaudy special effects -- lay for local audiences. And that's the entertainment that he has just prescribed for the hungry Chinese audiences.
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