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Caught in Time

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Caught in Time
Original promotional poster
Simplified Chinese除暴
Literal meaningeliminate the violent criminals
Hanyu Pinyinchúbào
Directed byLau Ho-Leung (劉浩良)
Screenplay byLau Ho-Leung
Liang Hong (洪亮)
Produced byHan Sanping
Starring
Production
companies
Emperor Motion Pictures
Lian Ray Pictures
正夫影业
Distributed byEmperor Motion Pictures
Release date
  • 20 November 2020 (2020-11-20)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesHong Kong
Mainland China
LanguageStandard Chinese
Box officeRMB 538 million,[1] US$80,620,075[2]

Caught in Time (Chinese: 除暴) is a 2020 Hong Kong/Chinese crime action film based on the robber and serial killer Zhang Jun. It is the second film from director Lau Ho-Leung, after Two Thumbs Up. It stars Wang Qianyuan, Daniel Wu, Jessie Li, and Michelle Wai.[3]

Plot

Set in southern China in the 1990s, the film follows detective Zhong Cheng as he tracks the "Eagle Gang", a sophisticated, well-trained, and ruthless group of robbers led by gangster Zhang Sun (codename "Falcon"), over the course of years.[4][5][6][7] The gang members commit a series of horrendous crimes, and Zhang Sun taunts the detective by pulling down his mask to show his face. A cat-and-mouse game ensues as Zhong Cheng works to find the gang.[8] The chase ends with a shirtless battle between Zhong Cheng and Zhang Sun in a bathhouse.[9]

The film is based on a real string of robberies and murders committed by Zhang Jun, who was dubbed "China's number one outlaw" when he was active in the 1990s. Zhang Jun killed or injured around 50 people before being apprehended in September 2000 and executed the next year.[10][11]

Cast

Production

Production officially started on 13 November 2018 in Jiangmen, Guangdong,[15] and principal photography was finished in January 2019.[16] Filming locations included Heshan,[17] Jiangmen,[18] and Zhongshan, Guangdong.[16] Reportedly, Wang Qianyuan and Daniel Wu nearly injured themselves trying to make the action as realistic as possible.[16] Wang also said in an interview that in preparation for the shirtless fight scene at the end of the film, he and Wu spent 40 days on a diet and exercise regimen to tone their muscles.[19] Michelle Wai started getting tanned and gaining weight about six months before shooting began in preparation for her role as a 1990s police officer.[20] The production used a total of 48 guns, 6,243 blank cartridges, and 4,312 explosive cartridges.[16]

The film's working title was 限期破案; Xiànqī Pò'àn, literally "Solving the case in time", but in September 2020 the title was changed to 除暴; Chúbào, literally "Getting rid of outlaws", in support of the ongoing law enforcement campaign to crack down on underworld crimes.[6]

Release and reception

Though originally planned for a 2019 release,[16] the film was released in China on 20 November 2020, after screenings on 14 and 15 November. Screening audiences rated it 8.8 out of 10 on Taopiaopiao and Maoyan. Among their reactions were sentiments like "Now I understand why China is one of the safest countries in the world nowadays" and "Being a police officer back then was really tough".[21] It was also released in Australia on 10 December 2020.[22][4]

The weekend of its release, Caught in Time was the top-grossing film internationally.[23] It was the box office number-one film in China for weeks 47–48 of 2020.

It received mixed reviews.[24] Jiemian News wrote that the film was bold and innovative for adapting the style of classic Hong Kong crime films to the context of mainland China, but noted that not all viewers were pleased with this choice.[11] Critic Dong Jing said that after an exciting first half, the second half of the film was disappointing and Zhong Cheng's character was not developed enough, but she still felt the film was worth watching.[25] The film was praised for its detailed recreation of 1990s China.[9]

Viewers enjoyed the final fight scene in the bathhouse. While commentators praised the realistic punches, they also joked that the men kept their towels on improbably well. "Daniel Wu's towel never falls off even when he fights" became one of the top searches on Weibo.[9]

Sequel

On 3 December 2020, a sequel was announced. Caught in Time 2 will feature the same cast, and director Lau Ho-Leung is writing the screenplay.[26][needs update]

References

  1. ^ "除暴". 貓眼電影. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. ^ "The biggest movies of 2020 by box-office". Digital Spy. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  3. ^ 沈洛嘉 (15 January 2019). "【除暴】吳彥祖繼《旺角黑夜》再演內地犯 大賊造型夠兇狠". 香港01. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b Gray, Richard (9 December 2020). "Review: Caught In Time". The Reel Bits. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Trailer [2]: 'Caught in Time'". Far East Films. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "王千源吴彦祖新片《限期破案》更名《除暴》". 3g.163.com (in Chinese). 24 September 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Caught in Time tops China's box office". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  8. ^ "王千源&吴彦祖新片《除暴》定档". Mtime. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "电影《除暴》首周末票房破2亿 - 粉丝网星闻". news.ifensi.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "《除暴》近期最爽！吴彦祖演中国第一悍匪，原型5个情妇，极凶残_张君". www.sohu.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  11. ^ a b "《除暴》与"香港悍匪电影宇宙"". 界面. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  12. ^ "专访《除暴》主演卫诗雅：演戏是我生命中的能量". 豆瓣 (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  13. ^ "王千源吳彥祖《除暴》破3億鮑起靜神演技一個眼神詮釋悍匪母親". ent.ynet.com 北青網 (in Chinese (China)). 27 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  14. ^ "《除暴》破3億，鮑起靜出鏡2分鍾展教科書級演技". k.sina.cn 新浪網 揚子晚報 (in Chinese (China)). Sina Corp. 28 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  15. ^ "吴彦祖王千源警匪片《限期破案》开机". content.mtime.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d e "王千源吴彦祖主演《限期破案》杀青". Mtime时光网. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  17. ^ "火了！热播大片《除暴》在鹤山取景，你看过了吗？". 鹤山发布 (in Chinese). 27 November 2020. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  18. ^ "电影《除暴》热映，江门取景地走红朋友圈！跟着影片游五邑"天然影棚"". 江门市广电文化旅游局 (in Chinese). 27 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  19. ^ "文艺星开讲丨王千源：别丢掉，对表演的执着与热爱". culture.people.com.cn. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  20. ^ "韩三平：90年代犯罪猖獗，电影反映真实情况 - Mtime时光网 文章详情". content.mtime.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  21. ^ "导演刘浩良为《除暴》主题曲MV作词". ent.ynet.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Caught in Time - Financial Information Australia". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  23. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (24 November 2020). "'Demon Slayer' Overtakes 'Frozen' In Japan, Now Market's 3rd Biggest Film Ever – International Box Office". Deadline. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Box office hopes to finish strong". China Daily. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  25. ^ "《除暴》： 吴彦祖、王千源、韩三平"三王牌"打了一个遗憾". 界面. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  26. ^ "《除暴》大卖，《除暴2》官宣启动". 时光网 (in Chinese). 3 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
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