Hong Kong's Herman Yau is no stranger to the restrictive Category III rating - Hong Kong's strictest rating - having earned the Cat III label for a pair of films that are now considered true legends of the type, The Untold Story and Ebola Syndrome. And so fans have been tracking Yau's upcoming Cat III action film Rebellion for a good while now, hoping that this would be a return to form for the prolific but inconsistent director.
Judging from the freshly released trailer, however, I would hazard that Rebellion is going to leave the gore hounds cold. You see, not only can you get a Cat III for excessive violence or sexual content but also for including realistic depictions of gang activity and culture, which would appear to be what drew the rating this time out. This isn't to say the film doesn't look good, however - it looks like the best thing Yau has done in years to these eyes - just that you need to put aside expectations of gore.
The interesting thing to me here is the casting. Shawn Yue is in the lead and Yue's career has followed a pretty intriguing path. Starting as a pretty boy pop singer turned actor, generally cast just to put teenage girls in the seats, Yue has worked hard at his craft and slowly become one of the most reliable actors of his generation. What's more, it's becoming increasingly clear that Yue is also one of the most daring actors of his generation, consistently choosing dark, ugly, violent anti-heroes to play - a far cry from the 'safe' parts chosen by most of his peers in insanely image conscious Hong Kong. The only other actor of Yue's generation who seems to show so little concern for his public image is Nic Tse - another one who has come a long, long way from his roots - but Yue is even darker.
But I'm rambling enough. The trailer is below the break. Check it out.
HK throw out too many of these films these days. I feel I've seen this film several times already.
@misteresh: Aye, HK releases too many of that Gang/crime crap movies. I think they're anxious to find a Infernal Affairs killer or something.
Looks generic yes, but i'll give it a chance just for Herman.
Jun Kung!
Well often movies reflect the background the director has. Given that Hong Kong itself is just a city... I am not expecting them to reinvent themselves all the time. It does need a shot in the arm though... I mean, there's a lot to draw inspiration from besides triads, but I am not sure what will actually make them money
wow the sound is all fucked up on this player, gives me a headache