Kung fu comedy is coming back to Toronto and now is the time to put aside any thought of any previous trailers you may have seen for Wuershan's The Butcher, The Chef And The Swordsman. Those lo-res, Chinese mainland videos were bootleg affairs, featuring unfinished footage and music not from the film itself but this? This is the real thing, the debut of the official international trailer for the film. The only question this trailer will leave you with is whether Wuershan may be the second coming of Stephen Chow because not since Chow was in his heyday has there been a kung fu comedy that promises as much as this. Here's the official synopsis:
Check the trailer below!The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman follows the journey of a mystical blade as it passes through the hands of three ambitious men. As the interwoven story unfolds, they find that the blade possesses the power to dramatically change the fate of each of its owners.
The Butcher is a simple man in love with a beautiful courtesan, but is rebuffed each time he approaches her. The Chef is a handsome loner obsessed with seeking vengeance for the slaughter of his family. The Swordsman, the son of a legendary warrior, is consumed by the desire to eclipse his father in both power and fame.
Their stories comes full circle as each man takes possession of the mystical blade and discovers its double edge--- the great power it bestows is matched by even greater danger.
Actually I'm left wondering if this will ever be released in any capacity here. Trying to use Doug Liman's name to promote this particular film is really random and reminds me of Brett Ratner's wholly useless appearances on Dragon Dynasty's bonus features. Harnessing the selling power of Liman feels misguided and poorly thought out - the hallmark of any US campaign promoting an Asian film - so Fox may be seriously considering releasing it. But that is an impressive trailer on its own terms. TOO impressive for the US market. I'm confused.
Stopped watching at the inclusion of the Chef. I also had to google Doug Liman.