A World Without Thieves

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A World Without Thieves
Directed by	Feng Xiaogang
Produced by	Liu Zhenyun Wang Zhonglei Yan Yujing
Written by	Feng Xiaogang Wang Gang Lin Lisheng Zhang Jialu Based on a novelette by Zhao Benfu
Starring	Andy Lau Rene Liu Ge You Li Bingbing
Music by	Wang Liguang
Editing by	Liu Miaomiao
Distributed by	Media Asia Distribution
Release date(s)	5 December 2004 9 December 2004 21 January 2005
Running time	113 min.
Country	China Hong Kong
Language	Mandarin Chinese
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

A World Without Thieves (Simplified Chinese: 天下无贼; Traditional Chinese: 天下無賊; pinyin: Tiānxià Wú Zéi) is an award-winning Chinese action / drama film directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Andy Lau, Rene Liu, Ge You and Li Bingbing. Adapted from a novelette of the same title by Zhao Benfu, the film was first released in Shanghai, China on 5 December 2004. It clinched the 2005 Golden Horse Award for Best Screenplay Adaptation.

The plot is centered around a naïve village boy who does not believe in the existence of thieves. Returning home on board a train with his work savings of ¥60,000 in cash, he soon becomes the target of many thieves. The film explores the theme of the fundamental human goodness and also addresses humorously the issue of rampant thievery on public transport in Mainland China.

[edit] Plot

The story is set primarily on a train bound inland from Tibet. Sha Gen (played by Wang Baoqiang), a naïve village boy working as construction worker in Tibet, was returning home to get married. Refusing to believe that thieves existed in the world, Sha Gen insists on carrying his five years of savings worth ¥60,000 with him rather than using remittance. As such, he has attracted the attention of Wang Bo (Andy Lau) and Wang Li (Rene Liu), a pair of lovers who are also highly skilled professional thieves. Wang Bo wanted to steal the ¥60,000 as a last hit to end their career but Wang Li, pregnant with their child and moved by Sha Gen's innocence, decided to protect the boy.

The situation is further complicated when a small gang of thieves led by Hu Li, also known as Uncle Li (Ge You), boards the train. Uncle Li instructs his followers, among whom are Xiao Ye (Li Bingbing) and Four-Eyes (Gordon Lam), to refrain from doing a job on the train. Tempted by the huge amount of cash carried by Sha Gen, however, some members disobey and strike, only to be counter-stolen by Wang Bo moments later. This exposes Wang's skills to Uncle Li, who becomes highly interested to recruit the former. As Wang declines, the contest between the Wangs and Uncle Li's gang quickly escalates, with Sha Gen, still completely unaware of the danger surrounding him, and his money as the prize.

While the two sides tussle, however, a plainclothes police detective (Zhang Hanyu) has been silently watching and awaiting his chance. As the police force eventually closes in, Uncle Li attempts to make off with Sha Gen's money but is confronted by Wang Bo, who has finally promised to lend his help to Wang Li to protect Sha Gen's innocence. The two engage in a violent hand-to-hand combat. Although Wang succeeds in retrieving the money, he is seriously injured in the fray, and subsequently dies. Uncle Li and his gang are all apprehended as the train pulls into station, but the police officer lets Wang Li go on compassionate grounds. Sha Gen goes home, still holding on to his savings, and still believing in a world without thieves.

[edit] Cast

• Andy Lau as Wang Bo, a masterful thief
• Rene Liu as Wang Li, also a masterful thief, Wang Bo's lover
• Ge You as Uncle Li, leader of a small gang of thieves
• Li Bingbing as Xiao Ye, follower of Uncle Li
• Wang Baoqiang as Sha Gen, village boy returning home carrying large amount of cash
• Fu Biao as General Manager Liu, previous victim of the Wangs, irrelevant to main storyline
• Gordon Lam as Four-Eyes, follower of Uncle Li
• Zhang Hanyu as police detective

[edit] Reception

The film recorded ¥100,000 in box office on its premier night in Beijing.^[1] Within ten days of release the total box office in Mainland China exceeded ¥80 million.^[2] This figure rose to ¥100 million on the last day of 2004. This, together with comparable achievement in box office by the Stephen Chow production Kung Fu Hustle, released within the same month, has been hailed as a new milestone in the Chinese film industry.^[3]

[edit] Awards and nominations

• Golden Horse Awards, 2005
  • Best Screenplay Adaptation — Feng Xiaogang, Wang Gang, Lin Lisheng, Zhang Jialu
  • Best Picture (nominated)
  • Best Action Choreography (nominated)
  • Best Editing (nominated)
• Hong Kong Film Awards, 2005
  • Best Asian Film (nominated)
• Golden Bauhinia Awards, 2005
  • Best Leading Actress — Rene Liu
  • Top Ten Chinese Films
• Montréal World Film Festival, 2005
  • Grand Prix des Amériques (nominated)
• Hundred Flowers Awards, 2006
  • Best Leading Actress — Rene Liu

[edit] Trivia

• The novelette of the same title, written by Zhao Benfu was first published in 1999. The original story is moderately different from the film adaptation.
• The full name of Uncle Li (played by Ge You) is Hu Li, which is phonetically the same as fox in Mandarin Chinese, so chosen for the perceived sly characteristics of the animal.
• The film was released in Hong Kong with Cantonese dubbing provided by Andy Lau (as himself), Anthony Wong (for the role of Uncle Li), and Chapman To (Sha Gen).
• Almost two months after the film's release, China Post voiced dissatisfaction over the film's misguiding information on the administrative charge of remitting money through China Post. In a scene, Sha Gen claimed that remitting ¥60,000 requires an administrative charge of ¥600. China Post verified that it would only require ¥100 and said it would not rule out seeking damages.^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (Chinese) Official site
• A World Without Thieves at the Internet Movie Database
• A World Without Thieves at All Movie Guide
• A World Without Thieves at Rotten Tomatoes

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