Sohu Entertainment Special Article (Hamai/Wen Xuan Anti-Shadow/Tu Keming/Video) Three years after the release of "Rage: A Serious Case", Nicholas Tse broke into the summer file again with his new film "Customs Front". It's no longer just a movie starring him, he's also deeply involved as an action director.
Because of the invitation of director Chen Musheng, "Chef" Nicholas Tse returned to the film industry. Because of the departure of director Chen Musheng, Nicholas Tse decided to form a team he trusted himself and continue to fight action scenes. In his opinion, action movies are a powerful weapon for Chinese films to go global, and it would be a pity to give up.
"I will make every movement more and more difficult, and every limit more and more dangerous"
Nicholas Tse was 19 years old and filmed "SWAT New Humans" with director Chen Musheng, and tried to hang tightropes and blast in it. Then there's "New Police Story," which has a very thrilling scene in which he rolls off the wall outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center with his whole body tied. and then "The True Colors of Men", which was kicked by Wu Jing in the air. There is also an extremely contrasting villain in "New Shaolin Temple".
Almost all of his most thrilling and exciting scenes were filmed with director Chen Musheng, so when this "friend of life and death" Bole asked him to shoot "Rage: Serious Case" again, he couldn't refuse. Making this action movie made him regain that "pleasure" again.
It's a pity that before the movie was released, director Chen Musheng passed away. Nicholas Tse, who had just rekindled his passion, didn't know how to continue for a while, because he knew that if he continued to make action movies, his requirements would be that "every action will become more and more difficult, and the limits of each time will become more and more exaggerated and dangerous", but the action movie team he trusts and has the most tacit understanding is no longer there. And when making action movies, the most important thing is safety.
After that, Nicholas Tse spent a long time trying to rediscover his team and direction.
decided to start as an action director from "Customs Front", on the one hand, he has always been interested in. "In the past action movies, I was actually involved in a lot of design and so on."
On the other hand, I want to build a reliable and stable team that can realize my own pursuit of limits. "I've had some partners I've known for years. From the family class, I know a lot of martial arts from the side of (Jackie Chan) big brother. I have known Weiya and Wire for 20 years. I've known Mr. Demolition for at least 20 years. If it were someone else, I would definitely not let him up, and if it was someone else, he wouldn't dare to blow it up. ”
"The first idea of all action design is storytelling"
"Customs Front" is a subject that has not been filmed in Hong Kong films in the past, because it is related to the sea, fresh and challenging, Nicholas Tse is very interested in this project, and he feels that it will be a pity not to shoot it.
In this movie, there are fierce gunfights, explosions, and action scenes in various environments, and you can see the shadows of many predecessors.
In terms of explosives, Nicholas Tse has gained the most experience from the two directors Chen Musheng and Lin Chaoxian. Nicholas Tse said frankly that he is now so confident and experienced in the explosion points he set up for blasting, all of which were given by directors Chen Musheng and Lin Chaoxian. "This kind of thing is more difficult to say, I want to practice explosives today, I'll set up ten of my own, you can't do it. So this kind of experience accumulated in the past is very valuable to me. ”
In action scenes, Nicholas Tse said that he learned a lot from Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Sammo Hung, Yuan Heping and other predecessors. "When I was a kid, I used to imitate it at home, why did the camera pose like this? Why is the handle of the beating stick held like this? Doesn't it hurt for big brother to fall from there? Their influence on me was too great. ”
This time, Nicholas Tse designed a lot of thrilling action scenes, such as the bandits driving trucks and planes to break into the customs warehouse to grab the seized arms shortly after the opening, and Zhou Zhengli, played by Nicholas Tse, fought for his life to save the container that was lifted away by the plane, fell from the air, fell on the car, and then fell to the ground, and was almost hit by the falling car.
Designing this scene, others, including the director, felt that Nicholas Tse "had a problem with his brain". In order to convince them, he spent seven days trying it out in an open space where the container was not hoisted so high, and showed them the film. "I want them to know that number one is good-looking. The second is security. The third is that it is necessary to shoot like this. And, we have the ability to execute. ”
However, Nicholas Tse feels that he does not design all the actions to show off his skills, but to use this "body language" to serve the plot and the characters, and suitability is the most important thing. "The first thing I do is tell a story. There is no difference between actions and lines, one is the expression of body language, and the other is the expression of line language, both of which are created for this scene and the joys and sorrows of this character. ”
As for why he is obsessed with thrilling and exciting, he bluntly said that it is to make the audience nervous. "If the actors don't experience this sense of crisis, I believe the audience won't feel nervous. You play the interior set, you can't play it. ”
"Acting against Jacky Cheung is a dream come true, and cooperation is very comfortable"
In addition to action scenes, Nicholas Tse also attracted Nicholas Tse to participate in this project. He said he liked the script very much and was pleasantly surprised. "Although we are classified as an action movie, the character scenes in this time, the complexity and realism in the workplace are very full."
In the movie, Jacky Cheung plays a high-functioning manic-depressive patient, because of his high emotional intelligence and ability to control his emotions, he is like a normal person in front of his colleagues, but in fact he is broken under psychological pressure. Nicholas Tse's role is not good at getting along with people and does not understand workplace politics, but he has his own principles and bottom line, and he has a very strong sense of responsibility. The two have a master-apprentice relationship.
Nicholas Tse said that he himself can empathize with this character. "If I wasn't in the entertainment industry, in fact, I was the same as him, I wasn't good at communication, I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to do my part. And then I'm a more framed, more rigid person, in many ways. ”
Compared with his own role, Nicholas Tse's role of Jacky Cheung is more complex and difficult to play. "It's about manic depression, and I also asked a lot of experts, that is, many urban people now have varying degrees of anxiety and depression, but we don't know it ourselves. It's so difficult to play, but I think he's very good at it. He said that he would find some experience for himself, or he felt that he couldn't breathe, and he remembered the condition of his body very well, and then he would perform it as a basis, which I thought was very difficult. ”
Of course, in an action movie, Jacky Cheung also has action scenes, such as the opening shootout, in which he and Nicholas Tse practice sticks in the middle. Jacky Cheung said that he was very grateful to Nicholas Tse, who was more accommodating to him in terms of action scenes, did not make him feel difficult, nor hard, and filmed very comfortably, which was quite enjoyable.
Nicholas Tse also feels very comfortable working with Jacky Cheung. "I didn't expect to be able to play opposite Brother Xueyou, in the past, we did shoot in the same play, and we didn't communicate, so I can play with him, I think I'm very lucky, it's a work that realizes my dream. You can fight with him again, and you can also help him write songs. And this relationship is very natural, even in the master-apprentice relationship in the play, or in private, it is a state of no pressure at all, and I feel very comfortable. ”
"Action movies are a powerful tool for Chinese films to go global, it's a pity to give up"
After "Customs Front", Nicholas Tse filmed "Rage Spreads", and he also served as the action director for this film.
Nicholas Tse thinks that action movies are one of the biggest weapons that Chinese movies can go around the world, and it would be a pity to give it up now.
He also admits that Hong Kong-made action movies have routines and patterns, which make the audience aesthetically fatigued. But he believes that the audience's demand for action movies will always be there. "There is nothing in the world that is eternally popular, whether it's clothing, people, music, or movies. When and what is popular, that's not what we say, maybe it's just time. But I believe that as long as this thing is good enough, everyone can see it. ”
To be good, in addition to the script should be more delicately written, there should be more categories, and the tradition should be kept, and the action should be real, rather than relying on special effects. "There is no sense of crisis in the computer special effects, and the actors' micro-expressions do not have this sense of oppression, which can be seen. I put the broken glass next to the actors, and the air currents alone made their hair, their clothes, and their nervous expressions not played. In addition, in fact, many of our movies do not have the budget to make perfect special effects, and in my eyes, many special effects are very flawed. And there are too many special effects, I think that's called a special effects movie, not an action movie. ”
Nicholas Tse also noticed the problem of Hong Kong actors, and he felt that the biggest reason may be that there are fewer Hong Kong movies. "You have fewer jobs, fewer opportunities, and fewer outlets. So let's try to shoot more solid and better things, first of all, the story is good, and then you act, just to make the story more colorful. I think it's important to be honest anyway. ”
Doing things honestly is what Nicholas Tse has always insisted on, whether he is a singer, an actor, or a chef, he requires himself to do his best and do the best. This high demand for self allows him to have an enviable good state, and age and appearance anxiety do not exist in him.
In Nicholas Tse's view, there is no secret to this, that is, "you have to be ruthless enough with yourself". "The method I exercise, the amount of time, and the amount of energy I put into my work...... It's not just the time to shoot, it's just that I'm exercising every second. Your body can withstand it, and once you get used to it, you will naturally stay in good shape. ”