Wu ruofu biography of william

Asian superstar Andy Lau and Liu Ye (“Lan Yu,” “The Last Supper”) star in “Saving Mr. Wu,” a true crime story about the kidnapping of a film star.

The picture is directed by action specialist Ding Sheng, who previously directed Jackie Chan vehicles “Police Story 2013” and “Little Big Soldier,” and thrillers “Underdog Knight” parts 1 and 2.

The real story was one that gripped Hong Kong and China for 21 hours in real time. The movie realization is understood to bring to light new details of the police investigation, the cruelty of the kidnappers and the bravery of the kidnapped star.

Other cast includes Wang Qianyuan, Wu Ruofu and Lam Suet.

Production is the first under Ding’s own Beijing Going Zoom Media banner, with co-financiers including mainland China’s Shanghai New Media Group.

International sales are by Hong Kong’s Golden Network, which recently handled smash hit “Dragon Blade” with Jackie Chan, Adrien Brody and John Cusack.

While “Dragon Blade” was widely sold in Asia, the company added more sales further afield after its $117 million performance at the Chinese box office. Golden Network director Clarence Tang says the company is actively negotiating a sale to North America and expects to reveal further releases synched to the U.S. outing closer to Cannes.

Saving Mr. Wu, which recently played the New York Asian Film Festival, is a kidnapping thriller based on a true story. In fact, according to the festival’s website, the real-life actor involved in the case portrays a police officer in the film. Following this realistic, methodical retelling of the kidnapping tale is one of the thrills of Saving Mr. Wu, even if some of the drama seems underdeveloped.

Andy Lau plays Wu Ruofu, an actor who is abducted while meeting with a producer at a swanky restaurant. The leader of the culprits is Zhang Hua (played by Wang Qianyuan), a deranged and slick man who always seems two steps ahead of the authorities. His kidnapping capabilities are simple but effective: He flashes a fake police badge and tells the soon-to-be victim he is being brought into custody. This technique works on Wu and fellow kidnap victim Xiao Dou (played by Cai Lu), a man who has a tougher time holding everything together during the ransom proceedings.

Saving Mr. Wu, directed by Ding Sheng, has a fast pace and pitch-perfect procedural feel. One of the issues in the storytelling, though, is the odd choice of jumping back and forth in time. The actual kidnapping, ransom demands and police investigation are fairly straightforward, as far as cinematic crimes go. However, the needlessly complex time jumps make the simple plot too difficult to follow and too jarring to appreciate. Ding’s script would have been better served as a chronological story.

The acting from the two leads — Lau as Wu and Wang as Zhang — are precise and powerfully thrilling. They often go head to head, toe to toe, although Zhang is clearly in the dominant position. He is a ruthless kidnapper and violent criminal, someone who wants millions in money to buy more guns, presumably to wreak more havoc. One gets the feeling that Zhang is in the business of criminality for the twisted thrill of being chased by the police. The actual dollar figures and larger goals don’t

Issue 78

The AFI FEST presented by Audi is a great opportunity to catch up with films you have missed somewhere else, while offering Angelinos who don’t travel a showcase for those that, otherwise, may not make it to our shores – and for this we are immensely grateful. One of the works that was intently expected, after its world premiere in Locarno and sold-out screenings in New York, was Chantal Akerman’s No Home Movie, as news of her death had deeply struck the local film community. Long lines of ticket holders and hopefuls on wait list started early. This enthusiasm received on both coasts met an echo with the decision made by a daring distribution outfit, Icarus, to acquire the film and distribute it starting 1 April.

No Home Movie starts on a long shot (about four minutes long), in a non-descript desert swept by a violent wind, with a meagre tree that twists and bends, suffering maybe, yet resisting. And the shot lasts, without title or voice over, with the sound of the wind as sole accompaniment. And we start thinking. What is in this shot that is so haunting? In our mind we outline the image of a woman, herself twisting and shaking, and resisting, under the gust of the wind, holding a Blackberry, to capture this image. If you know something about Akerman’s work, you can guess where the desert is. In an interview about Là-bas (2006), shot in Israel, she said: “When Jews in France say to each other ‘Tu vas là-bas?’ they usually mean: ‘are you going to Israel?’ We have the place where we live and we have ‘là-bas’.” So, reoccurring a few times, this shot taken in Israel introduces us to the no home part of the movie. It’s là-bas, where the filmmaker does not live. But a là-bas that could have been home. If only…

Akerman does not go as far as the destruction of the Temple and the geographical origin of the Jewish people (she’s no Zionist), but simply questi