Nicolas Cage uses Chinese Wing Chun to train and kill.
The killer theme has been put on screen for dozens of years. It is easy to make the killing processes and scenes good, but difficult to make the difference. Unfortunately, Bangkok Dangerous makes no difference from other killer films. The Hollywood leading man, the Bangkok story place, it is really not stimulating, except the other Asian actors, because you know the end when you know the beginning. Our killer, Nicolas Cage, starts in the so cool voice-over, a little lonely, and with the cold and indifferent look. The film is meant to shoot a man in the night, so whole film is almost shot in the Bangkok night, but it is never thought that the killer dies silently in Bangkok, without value.
Bangkok Dangerous is a 2008 crime thriller film written and directed by the Pang Brothers, and starring Nicolas Cage. Killer Joe (by Nicolas Cage) is a quiet man, he disappears quietly somewhere in the world after he finishes the job. This time, he goes to Thailand in the name of vocation to launch the new job. In Bangkok, he meets a deaf-mute girl, Fon. He fabricates new identity to get close to Fon. In order to reduce his chances of exposure, Joe chooses Kong as his assistant, a corner boy, to do some dangerous liaison work. Joe finds Kong smart and capable, and he accepts Kong as his student and friend. Because of his beloved Fon, it is a violation of the regulations for Joe to abandon the assassination, which greatly infuriates the buyers. The buyers begin to insanely assault Joe. Joe fights back the gangsters, for his new life, lover and friend.
After all, Nicolas Cage is good actor, not handsome, but sexy. He treats actor’s lines well. When watching such an unpopular film, most people don’t know Thai language, and the leading lady is deaf and mute, so the Nicolas Cage actor’s lines is very important. Especially his voice-over sounds very aesthetic. He will add his creativity to the role in the film. He is the kind of charismatic actor who handles and grasps the role appropriately.
But, his hairstyle is a real failure in the film, because the hair scatters scruffy. I don’t know why the girl would fall in love with such an old sloppy bald-headed man.
Nicolas Cage teaches Kong Wing Chun.
In the film, Nicolas Cage teaches Kong Wing Chun, which is commendable melee action scene. It is said that Steven Seagal and Robert Downey Jr. all studied Wing Chun. Now, it is found that Nicolas Cage studied Wing Chun, too. There are two plots.
One is the dagger lesson. In the beginning, Kong asks Nicolas Cage to teach him to fight, but Nicolas Cage takes up a dagger to try to kill Kong who knows too much. Kong is so agile to block Nicolas Cage’s hand when the dagger is next to his neck. After several trials, Nicolas Cage finds him a man of great potential, and accepts him as student. The other lesson is the chi sau training, a way of dual practice of Wing Chun. But here we know that Nicolas Cage is not familiar with the Wing Chun theory. The Wing Chun theory is to withdraw the chest, erect the back, loose the shoulders down, and punch out in the middle line of the body. But Nicolas Cage raises his shoulders, and punch out in the side line of the body.
The Chinese Wing Chun.
Wing Chun, a traditional Chinese martial art, belongs to the southern China school of fist martial art and is based on the “Central Line of Human Body” theory. With its focus on defense, Wing Chun develops an active and concise system of defense and the proper use of force in necessary circumstance. The basic Empty hand forms of Wing Chun are Siu Lim Tao, chum kiu and Bil Gee, and major practice method is chi sau, a way of dual practice, and the main instrument used include man-shaped wood stool, sword and sticks, and auxiliary equipment include sandbags on walls, and three-star stools. It advocates the flexible movement of four limbs under the guidance of right concept and mindset.
The true origin of Wing Chun remains mystery now and is highly disputed. The history of Wing Chun is not seen in written documents, but passed on orally among people as folk-legends. It is widely believed that it originated in border areas in Sichuan and Yunnan Province, then gained prevalence in Fujian Province and eventually established itself as a prominent school of martial arts in Foshan, Guangdong Province.
It is explicit that Yip Man learned Wing Chun from Chan Wah Shun who was an accountant in an old-time Chinese private bank. As Chan Wah Shun charged a high fee, the art of Wing Chun did not reach out wide then. Yip Man showed prodigious ability for martial arts but was poor in physical health. In the hope of boosting his health, Yip Man was allowed to be one of Mr. Chan’s followers. Yip Man was both talented and diligent, so he was favored and instructed by Chan in person more often. And Chan Wah Shun asked his elder disciple Wu Zhongsu to practice with Yip Man a lot, further improved Yip Man’s skills.
After Chan Wah Shun died from stroke, Yip Man followed Wu Zhongsu and practiced hard for three years before he was even 15. After that, Yip Man went to St. Stephen’s College in Hong Kong as demanded by his father. And during his college time, he was able to meet Leung Bik, the Wing Chun master, with whom he practiced Wing Chun together. In 1949, Yip Man left Foshan for Hong Kong to teach Wing Chun art to make a living for the following 20 years.
There are many renowned disciples of Yip Man, in particular Bruce Lee who enjoyed worldwide reputation for being a master of Chinese martial arts and a movie start. Bruce Lee learned Wing Chun from Yip Man since he was young, and then left to study in the United States when he was 18. After his graduation, he founded the Jun Fan Gung Fu Instituteto pass on Chinese martial arts. During this time, he conducted in-depth study, drew on the strength of both Chinese and foreign martial arts, and eventually established his own martial art sect, Jeet Kune Do. In 1971, he returned to Hong Kong and started staring in films, and many of his films about Chinese Kung Fu were huge successes, earning the title of “King of Kung Fu” for himself and made Wing Chun world renown which he learned in his early days.
Nowadays, Wing Chun becomes the most famous Chinese martial arts in the West. In some countries, Wing Chun is the standard martial art for police and military forces. Though karate, Taekwondo, Brazil Jiu Jitsu are very popular with the Western Folk, there are many fanatical Wing Chun practitioners. With its rapid, efficient and practical style, Wing Chun greatly influences the world fight ring.
