Huayu Entertainment Starts with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

The movie that Gulnazar mentioned is called "Police Story 2013".

Police Story, Jackie Chan's big IP!

Actually, this is a case of title fraud, because "Police Story 2013" has absolutely nothing to do with the previous "Police Story" films.

The 03 film "New Police Story" is more authentic than this.

This time, Jackie Chan plays Chung Man, a police officer from mainland China, rather than Chan Ka Kui, a police officer from Hong Kong Island.

The director of "Police Story 2013" is Ding Sheng. He had previously collaborated with Jackie Chan on "Little Big Soldier," which had decent box office and critical reception and was considered one of Jackie Chan's higher-quality films after the turn of the century.

So this time, Jackie Chan readily accepted the invitation.

Ding Sheng also directed two "Hard Man" series films, both starring Liu Huohua.

There's nothing special about old friends rekindling their romance, but then the latter got injured at this time, which is a bit awkward.

Should we wait for him?

It's common for filming schedules to be adjusted before filming even begins.

But it doesn't matter to others, it's not easy to schedule a time with Brother Cheng Long. If we can't film this time, who knows when we'll be able to film next time.

Ding Sheng did not actually issue any audition notices to the public.

Gulnazar, who had already been cast in the role and was already part of the production team, recommended Jiang Yang after hearing about the matter.

Since that's the case, then let's meet.

Ding Sheng initially preferred to wait for Liu Huohua to recover, but he hadn't made up his mind and was still hesitating.

If someone is willing to audition, it wouldn't hurt to meet them.

When he received the information, his first impression was that Jiang Yang was too young, but it wasn't a big problem. In the film, the character Wu Jiang is the older brother of Xiao Wei, played by Gulnazar.

Jiang Yang is a year older than Gulnazar.

Upon meeting him in person, Ding Sheng realized he had worried unnecessarily.

Jiang Yang's physique and appearance are so imposing that his age of over twenty is not a problem at all.

With a beard, he could play a thirty-year-old.

Ding Sheng had Jiang Yang try out two scenes, each corresponding to a different state of the character.

Wu Jiang in "Police Story 2013" is a gang leader who started out fighting in underground boxing matches. When he first appears, his apparent identity is that of a bar owner.

His sister, Xiaowei, died in an accident and came back specifically to seek revenge; this is the starting point of the whole story.

Wu Jiang has two faces: the first is shrewd and sophisticated, and the second is ruthless and vicious. The former is just a disguise, and the latter is his true nature.

So when Jiang Yang was playing the bar owner, only his mouth was smiling, not his eyes.

This is a performance style that openly declares, "I'm a ruthless person."

But this secret isn't for the main characters in the film; it's for the audience outside the film. It's a genre film, so it doesn't need to be too complicated and rigid.

If Gary Oldman played the role of Leon in "The Professional," audiences would only wonder if he was on drugs.

The second form is cold-blooded.

Wu Jiang's true nature is brutal; he treats human life as worthless, a trait determined by his upbringing.

The only thing he cherished was his younger sister.

After Xiaowei's death, Wu Jiang laid a trap, bringing together everyone involved in the accident, all in order to organize a "trial".

That's what he thinks.

Wu Jiang disregarded the lives of everyone, including himself, and clearly had no intention of escaping alive after this incident.

This aligns with his eventual suicide in the story, because after his sister's death, he lost his will to live and only clung to life with the will to seek revenge.

Jiang Yang's performance was fine in both situations, and Ding Sheng nodded in approval.

But it's not enough.

Since Liu Huohua could also do these things, Jiang Yang did not show any particular advantage.

"I also have another little talent."

"What is it?"

Jiang Yang had clearly prepared for the audition, which piqued Ding Sheng's interest.

He pulled a butterfly knife from his pocket. The characteristic of this kind of knife is that it is very flashy. He flicked it back and forth between his fingers, creating afterimages that dazzled the eyes.

Ding Sheng's expression turned serious; the knife was already sharpened.

My finger flew away by accident!

Jiang Yang dared to wield it so confidently; the butterfly knife was as agile in his hands as a yo-yo.

Yes, a butterfly knife is still a knife.

He found that the "Number One Blade in the World" was still quite useful.

This show of skill was purely for show, but it was very successful, leaving Ding Sheng in a dilemma.

To be honest, he hadn't considered changing the person before he came, but after meeting Jiang Yang, he found that this candidate far exceeded his expectations.

I'm a little tempted.

Liu Huohua's acting skills and image in "Police Story 2013" were fine.

If I had to nitpick, it would be the action scenes.

almost none.

He played a major villain, but he didn't have any fight scenes with Jackie Chan. In the end, they just faced off with guns, which was a bit lacking.

Because Liu Huohua started out as a melancholic young man in art films, and later shifted towards a tough guy image, he had a good appearance, but ultimately he was not a professional martial arts actor.

Even if he weren't injured, let alone now that he's injured, he still wouldn't be able to fight.

Seeing Jiang Yang's flamboyant butterfly knife technique, Ding Sheng couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation for more.

"Besides this, what else can you do?"

Jiang Yang smiled slightly.

I'm not afraid you'll want to watch it, I'm just afraid you won't be interested.

He observed the surroundings for a while. The two of them were in a coffee shop on the top floor of the mall, facing the atrium with a wide view and a direct view of the first floor.

Jiang Yang pointed to a spot not far away.

"Do you see that?"

"What?"

Ding Sheng looked in the direction he was pointing, first feeling puzzled, then his heart skipped a beat.

Those are lampposts in the shopping mall.

Ding Sheng probably never would have imagined this, but it just so happens to be a Jackie Chan movie, and it's called "Police Story 2013," making it hard not to think of the dramatic jump in the first "Police Story" film in 1985...

"Holy crap, what are you doing?!"

Ding Sheng was completely shocked, and his voice trembled.

Jiang Yang remained calm.

He stood next to the railing and began to point.

"There's a lamppost right here, and I think it's entirely possible to replicate Jackie Chan's thrilling stunt in 'Police Story 1'."

"Look down there, the first floor of the mall has a children's play area, the kind with foam balls, which can be used as cushioning mats."

"Furthermore, there are no LED strip lights in the mall today, so there is no risk of electric shock."

"All things considered, it's safer than that time."

Upon hearing that this was indeed what he thought, Ding Sheng felt a chill run down his spine.

I want to see your skills, not your suicide attempt.

"Brother Cheng Long dared to jump, which was a bold attempt without any protection or wires, but it wasn't without preparation."

"The entire shopping mall was closed off for filming, creating a professional working environment with a large group of staff around."

"The ambulance might be parked right outside."

"If you jump now, that's called suicide by jumping off a building."

"The air cushion on the first floor of the mall was probably designed to cushion someone's fall, but they certainly didn't expect someone crazy enough to jump down on their own!"

Jiang Yang didn't necessarily have to do anything outrageous; he shrugged.

"I'm about 80-90% sure."

He's not exaggerating; he's actually 100% certain, otherwise he wouldn't have brought it up.

If Ding Sheng wanted to see it, he really dared to jump.

He dares, but Ding Sheng doesn't!

But looking at Jiang Yang's "I'll show you if you don't believe me" expression, Ding Sheng suddenly had a flash of realization: Is this the temperament of a desperado?

Damn, that's insane!

But it felt so good...

I suddenly feel like I want to see him fight Jackie Chan.

When Ding Sheng persuaded Cheng Long to star in "Police Story 2013", he promised the latter that the film would only have dialogue scenes and no action scenes.

Cheng Long: Is it authentic?

Ding Sheng: I was lying to you!

Even Jackie Chan himself probably doesn't believe that someone would ask him to act in a film that only has dialogue scenes and no action scenes.

It's an open secret.

Ding Sheng will definitely add a few more fight scenes for Jackie Chan, so the question is, who will he fight?

Liu Huohua will not fight.

In the original "Police Story 2013", the most intense hand-to-hand combat took place between Jackie Chan and Wu Jiang's henchmen.

The actor who played that underling is Liu Hailong, a professional Sanda champion.

The younger brother has already fought, so theoretically the older brother should have an even fiercer fight to come.

But actually, no.

If it were Jiang Yang, this regret wouldn't exist.

After thinking it over, Ding Sheng decided to apologize to his old friend Liu Huohua, saying there would be another chance next time.

"Looks like I have no choice but to give you this role."

Jiang Yang smiled slightly.

"Seriously, you really don't want to see me jump off a lamppost?"