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Protégé (film)

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Protégé
Protégé film poster
Directed byDerek Yee
Written byDerek Yee
Produced byPeter Chan
StarringAndy Lau
Daniel Wu
Louis Koo
Zhang Jingchu
CinematographyVenus Keung
Chan Wai-lin
Edited byKong Chi-leung
Music byPeter Kam
Distributed bySingapore:
Golden Village Pictures
MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
Hong Kong:
Gala Film Distribution
Release date
  • 13 February 2007 (2007-02-13)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguagesCantonese
English
Thai
Box officeHK26,280,000

Protégé (traditional Chinese: 門徒; simplified Chinese: 门徒) is a 2007 Hong Kong crime film written and directed by Derek Yee, who also co-stars in the film. The film stars Andy Lau, Daniel Wu, Louis Koo and Zhang Jingchu. The film was released in the Hong Kong on 13 February 2007.

Plot

Undercover officer Nick had spent the last seven years penetrating into the core of a drug ring working his way up from a street dealer post to the managerial position handling cargo deliveries for Kwan - the biggest player in the local heroin market. When the ailing Kwan makes Nick his protégé, Nick cannot help but sway before money and power and starts to perform his role like a real drug trafficker. This, together with his affair with heroin addict Jane, causes Nick to becomes more and more confused about his true identity, and eventually leads to a disastrous end.

The film begins with a scene in a dark isolated rundown apartment building, and showing a heroin addict living poorly with her young daughter. The scene then forwards to the perspective of Officer Nick who is suffering from loneliness just after completing an undercover assignment. He recalls the entire story as to what happened and the events to lead to his emptiness.

Premise

Based on materials provided by retired undercover agents of the police force, "Protégé" attempts to realistically tell the story of undercover agents in the clandestine drug world, who struggle to constantly walk on the fine line between justice and crime, but who will never see the day of serving in the regular police force.

Critical reception

The film received generally positive reviews. Perry Lam, for example, wrote in Muse magazine, 'The movie is powerful precisely because it doesn't preach, and therefore spares us all the usual opinions, standard platitudes and naive assumptions about drug dealing and addiction.'[1]

Cast

DVD release

Region 1 DVD (United States and Canada)

On February 24, 2009 Dragon Dynasty, released "Protégé" on Region 1 DVD:

Special Features:

  • Feature Length Audio Commentary with Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan
  • The Making of Protégé Undercover & Over the Edge: An Exclusive Interview with Leading Man Daniel Wu
  • Chasing the Dragon: An Exclusive Interview with Leading Lady Zhang Jingchu
  • The Dealer: An Exclusive Interview with Producer Peter Chan
  • Original Theatrical Trailer

Awards and nominations

  • 27th Hong Kong Film Awards
    • Won: Best Supporting Actor (Andy Lau)
    • Won: Best Film Editing (Eric Kong)
    • Nominated: Best Film
    • Nominated: Best Director (Derek Yee)
    • Nominated: Best Screenplay (Xu Lan, Chun Tin-nam, Aubrey Lam)
    • Nominated: Best Actress (Zhang Jingchu)
    • Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Louis Koo)
    • Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Anita Yuen)
    • Nominated: Best New Performer (Tse Chi Tung)
    • Nominated: Best Cinematography (Venus Keung)
    • Nominated: Best Art Direction (Yee Chung-man, Kenneth Mak)
    • Nominated: Best Action Choreography (Chin Kar-lok)
    • Nominated: Best Original Film Score (Peter Kam)
    • Nominated: Best Sound Design (Kinson Tsang)
    • Nominated: Best Visual Effects (Ho Siu-lun, Chow Kim-hung, Ching Han-wong )

See also

References

  1. ^ Lam, Perry (2007). "The Good, the Bad and the Freakish". Muse Magazine (1): 77. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)