Louis Koo and Sun Honglei in Johnnie To’s “Drug War”

On November 11, it was announced that together with Back to 1942 <一九四二>, Johnnie To’s (杜琪峯) gangster movie, Drug War <毒戰>, will be the surprise films to round up for the 15 movies that compete in the International Rome Film Festival for best movie.

Drug War revolves around police captain Zhang (Sun Honglei 孙红雷) and his team attempt to bust a major cocaine ring in mainland China. Drug lord, Tommy Choi (Louis Koo 古天樂) bargains his way out of a death penalty by promising to help the police. However, Zhang becomes concerned of being double crossed by Choi and where his true intentions lie.

The film cast includes stars from Hong Kong and mainland China:  Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Wallace Chung (鐘漢良), Guangjie Li (李光洁), Michelle Ye (葉璇), Xiao Cong (肖聪), Yin Zhusheng (尹鑄勝), Gao Yunxiang (高云翔), Crystal Huang (黄奕), Wang Siya (王思雅 ), and  Siu Fai Cheung (張兆輝). Many of them have collaborated with Johnny before, guaranteeing good cast chemistry.

This will be Johnnie To’s first in gangster movie to be set in mainland China. It has been more than 30 years since the Hong Kong based director filmed his earlier movie, The Life-taking Golds, in mainland. From the riveting plot and outstanding cast, movie goers will be pleased by Johnnie’s new gritty crime thriller.

At a press conference yesterday in Beijing, Johnnie To, Louis Koo, Sun Honglei, Michelle Ye, and Gao Yunxiang were present to promote Drug War. Other than announcing the movie was selected to be included in Rome International Movie Festival’s Best Movie category, the director and casts discussed the filming process for the movie.

Gao Yunxiang has nothing but praise for the Johnnie,who is reputed to be a difficult personality to work with. Gao said that Johnnie had treated each cast member equally and was thankful to be presented with a challenging role. Gao said, “In his world, the movie comes first. Doesn’t matter if you are a super star or one playing a minor role, he will take care of you.”

“Drug Lord” Trailer

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Source: QQ.com