Escort (2001 film)

Escort
poster
Chinese	押解的故事
Mandarin	Yājiè de Gùshì
Literally	The Story of Escorting
Directed by	Qi Xing
Produced by	Teng Wenji
Written by	Wang Liang Qi Xing
Starring	Ge Zhijun Fu Biao Li Zhanhe Li Yunjuan
Music by	Xiang Min
Cinematography	Wang Dong
Edited by	Ma Lei
Production company	China Film Group Corp. Beijing Film Studio China Movie Channel
Release date	October 1, 2001 (2001-10-01) [1]
Running time	93 minutes (international) 89 minutes (domestic)
Country	China
Language	Mandarin

Escort is a 2001 Chinese black comedy film directed by Qi Xing, starring Ge Zhijun and Li Zhanhe as two plainclothes police officers trying to escort an especially obedient criminal (Fu Biao) out of an impoverished and desolate area in Shaanxi. The film marks Qi's directorial debut.

Characters

• Fu Biao as Yu Tai, a swindler who hasn't been home for many years. Too homesick and too poor to leave the area by himself, he happily follows the 2 police officers so that they can take him home.
• Ge Zhijun as Old Li, an old officer about to retire. A widower, he worries about his future and his daughter's future.
• Li Zhanhe as Zhang Lei, a young officer. He is a little frustrated with the trip as he really misses his wife.
• Li Yunjuan as a hard-working, kind and pleasant landlady. Widowed, she has a teenage son named Ningning (Xu Yang).

Reception

Internationally, the film was shown at the 2006 Thessaloniki International Film Festival after Fu Biao's death.^[2] It was also screened at the 2002 Far East Film Festival in Italy.^[3]

Shelly Kraicer characterizes the film as having "rough and ready shooting style", "solid scripting and unhurried pace", as well as "superb comic performances".^[3]

Awards and nominations

• 2001 21st Golden Rooster Awards
  • Won — Best Actor (Ge Zhijun)
  • Won — Best Supporting Actor (Fu Biao)
  • Won — Best Directorial Debut (Qi Xing)
  • Nominated — Best Writing (Wang Liang & Qi Xing)
• 2002 2nd Chinese Film Media Awards
  • Nominated — Best Actor (Ge Zhijun)
  • Nominated — Best Actor (Fu Biao)
• 2002 9th Beijing College Student Film Festival
  • Won — Best Actor (Fu Biao)

References