Shaolin Soccer
From Hkadb
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Easily Stephen Chow's most ambitious film, it combined the usual Chow "mo lei tau" nonsense comedy with a sports storyline and special effects. The result: the biggest local moneymaker in Hong Kong history, and a critically-lauded effort which took home Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor and a bunch of others.
Domestic: $489,600 1.1% + Overseas: $42,287,160 98.9% = Worldwide: $42,776,760
DOMESTIC SUMMARY Opening Weekend: $39,167 (6 theaters, $6,527 average) % of Total Gross: 8.0% Widest Release: 14 theaters Close Date: August 26, 2004
This action comedy broke Hong Kong box office records when it was released in the summer of 2001.
It has since become a cult classic.
Miramax bought up worldwide distribution rights in May of 2002.
[edit] Title
- Chinese: 少林足�
- English: Shaolin Soccer
To some American audiences,Shaolin Soccer might look a little shoddy in terms of special effects. They don’t look particularly real or polished. Yet, I think the half-finished look of the effects fit the tone of the movie. I like to think of this movie as live action anime. If you watch Japanimation and fire suddenly appears behind a warrior character to emphasize his/her mystique, do you question it? No, and you shouldn’t here, either. This movie laughs with its audience while giving them good reason to stand up and cheer. It has fun with the Sports Movie conventions while also expanding them a bit. If John McTiernan had seen Shaolin Soccer before he made “Rollerball,� things might have turned out differently.
[edit] Year
- 2001
Miramax bought up worldwide distribution rights in May of 2002
[edit] Cast
- Stephen Chow Sing-Chi
- Vicki Zhao Wei
- Ng Man-Tat
- Patrick Tse Yin
- Wong Yat-Fei
- Tin Kai-Man
- Lam Chi-Sin
- Lam Tze-Chung
- Chan Kwok-Kwan
- Lee Wai
- Cheung Ming-Ming
- Mok Mei-Lam
- Sik Chi-Wan
- Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu
- Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi
- Karen Mok Man-Wai
- Lee Kin-Yan
[edit] Director
Stephen Chow Sing-Chi & Lee Lik-Chee
[edit] Genre
- Action
- Drama
- Comedy
[edit] Summary
Chow stars as Sing, a Shaolin disciple famed for his "Mighty Steel Leg". He's inspired to start a soccer team composed of Shaolin martial artists after he meets Fung (Ng Man-Tat). Fung was once a brilliant soccer player called "Golden Leg Fung", but he became crippled after throwing a match some twenty years ago. His rival Hung (Patrick Tse) was the cause of Fung's injury, and now leads an intimidating soccer team with the unsubtle moniker "Evil Team". Fung's goal is to meet his old rival on the playing field, but first they have to get a team together.
