''Gallants'' (''Da lui toi'' 打擂台) is a 2010 Hong Kong

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Derek Kwok and

Clement Cheng Clement Sze-Kit Cheng () is a Hong Kong-Canadian screenwriter, film director, and visual effects art director. Early life Born in Hong Kong, Cheng moved to Canada with his family as a child. In 1997, he returned to Hong Kong to witness the t ...

, starring

Leung Siu-lung Bruce Leung Siu-lung (born Leung Choi-sang; 28 April 1948) is a Hong Kong martial artist and actor who has appeared in many Hong Kong martial arts movies. He often appeared billed as "Bruce Leung", "Bruce Liang", "Bruce Leong", or "Bruce Leung Siu ...

Chen Kuan-tai Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and Hong Kong martial arts film star. Background A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in Shaw Brothers productions, and was one of th ...

and

Teddy Robin Wai Pang Kwan (; born 20 March 1945 in Guilin, Guangxi), known professionally as Teddy Robin (), is a Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director and producer. He began his music career in mid 1960s when Hong Kong English pop w ...

. The film is set in modern times, but is in the style of Hong Kong action comedy films from the 1960s and 1970s. The film premiered at the Hong Kong Film Festival on 26 March 2010. The film has received favourable reviews on its festival shows in North America.

Plot

In modern-day Hong Kong, Leung King-cheung (Wong You-nam) received a job from his real estate company to handle a dispute in a village in the

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

. Leung arrives and meets with two old martial artists, Tiger (

) and Dragon (

), who are being bullied by the young Chung Sang-mang (

MC Jin Jin Au-Yeung (; born June 4, 1982), known professionally as MC Jin, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and comedian of Chinese descent. Jin is notable for being the first Asian American solo rapper to be signed to a major record label ...

) and his crew. Chung wants Dragon and Tiger to sell their lease on a tea house which was used as a training dojo by their comatose master Law San (

). When Law suddenly wakes up from his 30-year coma, he is determined to restart his school by taking on Chung and his master Pong Ching ( Michael Chan).

Production

''Gallants'' is the directoral debut of

and the third film for his friend director Derek Kwok, as well as a production debut of actor

Gordon Lam Gordon Lam Ka-tung (林家棟; born 21 September 1967) is a Hong Kong actor, film producer and screenwriter. Initially known for his supporting roles in films directed by Andrew Lau and Johnnie To, Lam eventually became a lead actor in the Hon ...

. The film is produced by

Andy Lau Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...

Focus Films Focus Films Ltd. is an independent feature film development and production company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1982 by David Pupkewitz and Marsha Levin and is based in Finchley Road, London. Background Focus's early successes with te ...

, with Lau also serving as executive producer. ''Gallants'' was originally conceived as being about a musical group in the 1960s and 1970s. One member suffers a stroke and begins to realise he has not done anything of importance in his life. Feeling that he may die soon, his last wish is to go back to his youth, find all his friends, and do one final show. Finding it difficult to sell the story about musicians, the writers changed the theme of the plot to being about kung fu masters instead. For the cast, Cheng and Kwok felt that if they could not get the actors

and

Bruce Leung Bruce Leung Siu-lung (born Leung Choi-sang; 28 April 1948) is a Hong Kong martial artist and actor who has appeared in many Hong Kong martial arts movies. He often appeared billed as "Bruce Leung", "Bruce Liang", "Bruce Leong", or "Bruce Leung Si ...

, they would not make the film. ''Gallants'' was shot in 18 days.

Release

''Gallants'' had its premiere at the

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), is one of Asia’s oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens around 230 films ...

on 26 March 2010. It was released in China and Hong Kong on 4 June 2010. ''Gallants'' had its North American premiere at the

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

on 6 July 2010. In Hong Kong, ''Gallants'' was the third highest-grossing film on its opening weekend. It grossed a total of $585,848 on its theatrical run.

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praised the actors in ''Gallants'', noting the charisma of Bruce Leung and Chen Kuan-tai while saying that Teddy Robin "steals the show". Film Business Asia gave ''Gallants'' a 6 out of 10 rating, calling it a "Likable but over-loose tribute to Hong Kong martial arts films of the '60s and '70s." The

Independent Film Channel IFC (formerly known as the Independent Film Channel) is an American basic cable channel owned by AMC Networks, originally launching in 1994 as a TV channel devoted to independent films. The Independent Film Channel originally operated as a com ...

gave the film a positive review, noting "This could have been an exercise in cheap nostalgia, and it's not. Taken entirely on its own, it's a wholly entertaining and touching movie about friendship and growing old." ''

The Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'' gave the film three and a half stars, praising the comedic skills of Bruce Leung and Chen Kuan-tai, stating that ''Gallant'' "has plenty of successful gags, if a few that seem a bit too suited for Nickelodeon at prime-time." ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' magazine gave the film a four out of five rating, calling it a "very entertaining salute to old legends" comparing the film to ''

Kung Fu Hustle ''Kung Fu Hustle'' ( zh, c=功夫, l=Kung Fu) is a 2004 Cantonese-language action comedy film directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Stephen Chow. The film tells the story of a murderous neighbourhood gang, a poor village with unli ...

''. ''Gallants'' won the awards for best film and best actor (

) at the 17th

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...

s. On The 30th Hong Kong Film Awards, held on 17 April 2011, low-budget 'Gallants' won the prestigious 'best movie' award.香港电影金像奖，不少经典片段 – The Hong Kong Film Awards: Many classic moments
a news article about The 30th Hong Kong Film Festival, 17 April 2011
Thinking Chinese

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gallants (Film) 2010 films 2010 action comedy films 2010 martial arts films Hong Kong action comedy films Hong Kong martial arts comedy films 2010s martial arts comedy films Kung fu films Best Film HKFA Films set in Hong Kong Films directed by Derek Kwok 2010s Cantonese-language films 2010s Hong Kong films