Turning Point (2009 action film)
| Turning Point | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Herman Yau |
| Produced by | Tommy Leung |
| Screenplay by |
Yip Tin Shing Poon Man Hung Wong Yeung Tat |
| Story by | Sharon Au |
| Starring |
Michael Tse Anthony Wong Francis Ng Felix Wong Wayne Lai Fala Chen Eric Tsang Yuen Biao |
| Music by | Mak Chun Hung |
| Cinematography | Chan Kwong Hung |
| Edited by | Chung Wai Chiu |
Production company |
Shaw Brothers Studio Television Broadcasts Limited |
| Distributed by | Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language |
Cantonese Hokkien |
| Box office | US$2,020,712[1] |
Turning Point (simplified Chinese: Laughing Gor之变节; traditional Chinese: Laughing Gor之變節; pinyin: Laughing Gor Zhì Bìan Jié; Jyutping: Laughing Gor Zi1 Bin3 Zit3) is a 2009 Hong Kong film directed by Herman Yau and starring Michael Tse in the title role of "Laughing Gor" and co-starring veteran actors Francis Ng and Anthony Wong. Released in Hong Kong on 13 August 2009, this is the first film to be produced by Shaw Brothers since 2003's Drunken Monkey.
Michael Tse's performance as "Laughing Gor" in the TVB television serial E.U was well received, and due to his popularity, TVB general manager Stephen Chan Chi Wan, during an interview with Tse in Be My Guest on 1 April 2009, announced that a prequel/spin-off featuring "Laughing Gor" would be made and presented Tse a contract for the film.
Plot
The story takes place before the early year of 2000 when Laughing (Michael Tse) is an undercover cop, but because of a drug case, Inspector Poon (Felix Wong) has been trying to track him down.
Laughing is supposedly an undercover cop who has infiltrated a triad organization. However, before he became a cop, Laughing was a member of the triads and worked for the triad leader Lai Tin Yat aka Brother One (Anthony Wong). Brother was very good to Laughing, and Laughing looked up to him as his elder brother. In order to strengthen his business and illegal activities, Brother One arranges for Laughing to join the Police Force and become his mole to gather information about the plans and counter-plans for operations by the police.
Laughing graduated from Police Academy with outstanding results but before he was assigned to a post as a police officer, his "bad boy" image attracted the attention of the Head of District Anti-Triad Squad, Superintendent Sin (Yuen Biao) who arranges his assignment as an undercover cop to infiltrate the mob syndicate.
Laughing is now a "double" agent. Brother One was happy with this turn of events as Laughing was assigned to infiltrate the mob of his triad rival sibling Zatoi (Francis Ng), who tries to make life difficult for Laughing. To further complicate the situation, Laughing falls in love with Zatoi's sister, Karen (Fala Chen).
How will Laughing contend with the law, the triad brotherhood, and his love affair? No matter which camp he sides with, he is doomed to be a traitor to the other. Which path will Laughing ultimately choose to follow?
Cast
Ching Hing Society (Brother One's Gang)
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Anthony Wong | Lai Tin Yat / Brother One 黎天一 | Main villain Zatoi's rival Triad Boss Former undercover cop Killed by Laughing |
| Michael Tse | Leung Siu Tong / Laughing Gor 梁笑棠 / Laughing哥 | Brother One's follower Undercover Cop PC66715 |
| Kenny Wong (黃德斌) | Che Chai 車仔 | Brother One's follower Undercover Cop PC4278 |
| Dickson Wong (黃文迪) | Brother One's follower | |
| Oscar Leung (梁烈唯) | Siu Lung 小龍 | Laughing's underling |
| Tracy Ip | Brother One's girlfriend Lawyer | |
| Lorretta Chow | Brother One's girlfriend | |
| Koni Lui | Brother One's girlfriend | |
| Sherry Chen | Brother One's girlfriend | |
| Lin Chi Hung (連志雄) | Laughing's follower | |
| Chow Chi Ho (周志豪) | Laughing's follower | |
Ching Hing Society (Zatoi's Gang)
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Francis Ng | Zatoi 座頭 | Triad Boss Brother One's rival Karen's older brother Killed by Brother One while saving Karen |
| Johnson Lee | Child 阿巢 | Zatoi's men Actually Brother One's follower |
| Ngo Ka-nin | No Fight 撈輝 | Zatoi's follower |
| Edwin Siu | Zatoi's lawyer | |
| Fala Chen | Karen | Zatoi's younger sister Non-triad member College student Laughing's girlfriend Killed by Brother One |
Ching Hing Society (The Elders)
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Eric Tsang | Master Ford 福爺 | Head of Ching Hing Society |
| Lee Ka Ting (李家鼎) | Master Ting 鼎爺 | |
Police unit
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Yuen Biao | Sin Sir 冼Sir | OCTB Superintendent |
| Felix Wong | Poon Man Kei 潘文基 | OCTB Senior Inspector |
| Wayne Lai | Mo 阿武 | OCTB Inspector Killed by Brother One |
| Tai Chi Wai (戴志偉) | Police Trainer Laughing's trainer | |
| Ron Ng | Police Constable PC26168 | |
| Sammul Chan | Police Constable PC32017 | |
| Benjamin Yuen | OCTB officer | |
| Matthew Ko | OTCB officer | |
| Anna Yau (丘凱敏) | Sin Sir's wife | |
Other
| Cast | Role | Description |
| Sung Poon Chung (宋本中) | Robber | |
| Lai Tung Hong (黎桐康) | Killer | |
| Alan Chui (徐忠信) | Master Da 台灣拆家 | Taiwanese drug dealer |
| Wong So Fun (黃素歡) | Amy | Waitress |
Release
Due to Laughing's character already flavoured among local audiences, the film performed outstanding in Hong Kong's Box office, earning $675,295 in 35 screenings with $19,294 per average topping the charts during its opening weekend.[2] Till today, the film finally grossed $2,020,712 [3] (HK 15.7 million), one of the four domestic films to be placing into the top 10 in the summer.[4]
Conflicts between E.U. and Turning Point
The production company that produced Turning Point made the unusual decision to exclude the very story writers of E.U. to have another group to fill in Laughing's prequel story. Due to the lack of consideration of canon, a series of plot conflicts between the series and movie were revealed. Most of the established lore of Laughing in E.U. were ignored and replaced by an alternate reality time line of Laughing's life as an undercover cop:
- Laughing was shown to join the police academy for his idealism for justice and honor. His motivations also convinced his girlfriend, Wendy, to also join the academy to become good peacekeepers; the movie replaces his original undercover recruiter, officer Kwok Pui, with officer Sin. Wendy's involvement in E.U. was ignored in the movie.
- Laughing's diary clearly mentions his 10-year stint undercover was largely involved in Yik-Tin's triad to expose their activities; the movie mentions his involvement with another triad that greatly conflicts with the time-line within his diary.
- The movie revolves more of Laughing's life as an underling rather than a gang boss.
- The 5 dollar HK coin Laughing has was given to him by Brother One, but in E.U. it was just an ordinary coin Laughing was going to give Wendy just to buy a drink.
- In E.U. it was said that Laughing had never killed anyone but in Turning Point he killed his boss Brother One.
- In E.U. when Laughing met Hau, he was bald, but in Turning Point he wasn't.
Award nomination
- Nominated: Best New Performer (Fala Chen)
Note: Wang Po Chieh's original nomination for the Best New Performer for Bodyguards and Assassins was withdrawn after he was confirmed to be an actor in the 2008 Taiwan film Winds of September. His nomination was replaced by Fala Chen.[5]
Sequels
In 2011, Lives of Omission TV series sequel was released.
In 2011, Turning Point 2 film was released.
References
- ↑ Box Office Mojo
- ↑ Hong Kong Box OfficeAugust 13–16, 2009
- ↑ HONG KONGYEARLY BOX OFFICE
- ↑ Hong Kong movies make a dramatic showing at the box office
- ↑ 最佳新演員候選人 更正通知 (Press release) (in Chinese). Hong Kong Film Awards Association. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
External links
- Official Website: Laughing Gor之變節 - tvb.com
- Laughing gor chi bin chit at the Internet Movie Database
- Turning Point at the Hong Kong Movie Database
- Laughing Gor-Turning Point at Hong Kong Cinemagic
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