''Petaling Street Warriors'' () is a film co-directed by James Lee Thim Heng and

Sampson Yuen Sampson Yuen Choi-Hin ( zh, 袁再显; born 1958) is a Hong-Kong producer and director who has worked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. He is best known for directing ''Who is the Winner'' (1993), ''Petaling Street Warriors'' (2011), ''Million ...

Choi-Hin through Malaysian production company, Juita Entertainment, a subsidiary of Juita Viden. Jointly presented by Juita Viden and Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), it is the first period kungfu comedy to be produced locally in Malaysia and Singapore, with famed action choreographer from Hong Kong, Yuk-Sing Ma, who have worked on Hong Kong and China's blockbusters, such as Storm Riders 2 and A Chinese Fairy Tale. The story took two years of research work and preparation. The production of the film took place earlier than Namewee's Nasi Lemak 2.0, but as Nasi Lemak 2.0 was released earlier, ''Petaling Street Warriors'' thus has become the second full-length movie Namewee would star in 2011. After viewing the film as it underwent post-production work in Hong Kong, numerous Hong Kong filmmakers call the film as the "watershed" and "milestone" in the history of Malaysian Chinese film industry. ''Petaling Street Warriors'' would be released in cinemas nationwide in Malaysia (1 December 2011) and Singapore (29 December 2011). Cinema chains that will be playing the film in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

include GSC, TGV,

Cathay Cathay (; ) is a historical name for China that was used in Europe. During the early modern period, the term ''Cathay'' initially evolved as a term referring to what is now Northern China, completely separate and distinct from China, which ...

, Big, LFS, MBO, Star, First World, Mega Prai and also Brunei Mall. In Singapore, the film will be shown via Shaw, Cathay, Eng Wah, Filmgarde Cineplex and Golden Village's circuits. Its gala premieres have been held at 9:30 pm on 25 November 2011 at GSC Pavilion KL, Malaysia, and at 8:45 pm on 19 December 2011 at Shaw Theatres LIDO, Singapore. Although its official showing date in Singapore is 5 January, its sneak preview screenings has started since 23 December. Since opening on 1 December, its first 4-day box office collection (MYR1.4 million) has surpassed that of Nasi Lemak 2.0 (MYR 1 million). It was also the highest-grossing

Chinese film The cinema of China is one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan. Cinema was introduced in China in 1896 and the first Chinese film, '' Dingjun Mountain'' ...

in the week it was first shown. The movie is also available in original and dubbed-in-Malay versions on Astro First between 12 January and 15 February 2012

Based on a controversial legend

The film is inspired by a controversial legend about the

Jianwen Emperor The Jianwen Emperor (5 December 1377 – ?), personal name Zhu Yunwen (), was the second Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1398 to 1402. The era name of his reign, Jianwen, means "establishing civility" and represented a sharp chan ...

of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, who is rumoured to have fled to Southeast Asia when he was dethroned in the year 1402 by his uncle, Zhu Di, who later became the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

. Some historians have even argued that the true purpose of the Voyages of

Zheng he Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferred ...

– which began three years after the Yongle Emperor ascended the throne – was not for the sake of trade or the promotion of national pride, but to seek out the Jianwen Emperor who was suspected to be hiding in the region. During the seven voyages, Zheng He's fleets had stopped in

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

(now a

Malaysian state The states and federal territories of Malaysia are the principal administrative divisions of Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states (''Negeri'') and 3 federal territories (''Wilayah Persekutuan''). States and federal territories Ele ...

) for five times. Malacca served as a transit centre for replenishment of supplies for his fleets.

History

The role of Liu Kun 刘坤 was at first offered to

Chapman To Chapman To (, born 8 June 1972), born Edward Ng Cheuk-cheung (), is a Hong Kong actor. He is best known for his roles in films such as ''Infernal Affairs'' and '' Initial D''. He is also the founder of his own multimedia platform known as "Chapman ...

Man Zaak, but the shooting dates clashed with his schedule. As a result, the Malaysian controversial singer, Namewee, was chosen to take up the role. At that time, his Nasi Lemak 2.0 was not made yet, so this is actually Namewee's first involvement as an actor in any full-length features. ''Petaling Street Warriors'' was initially planned to be released at the same time in Singapore and

during Chinese New Year of 2012.

Plot

Set against the background of Petaling Street in 1908, ''Petaling Street Warriors'' tells the story of a pair of married couple, Shi Duyao (Mark Lee) and Zhung Lichun (Yeo Yann Yann), who operate a Hokkien mee stall in Petaling Street, where they suffer from the inefficiency of the colonial government and suppression by the Chinese gangsters. While trying to impress his wife, Duyao encounters a mysterious yet strikingly beautiful kungfu expert, Xiaoju (Chris Tong), who claims that Duyao is a descendant of the missing Jianwen Emperor of the Ming dynasty. To stop a group of Qing warriors and Japanese ninjas from robbing a treasure map that Duyao doesn't even know he has, Lichun and her cousin, Liu Kun (Namewee), finally reveal their kungfu, turning Petaling Street into the ultimate battleground. Facing enemies of unthinkable powers, could Duyao unravel the mystery of his real identity and come to his wife's rescue just in time?

Catchphrase

The main character, Shi Duyao, often utters a catchphrase "jidut". While "ji" is understood to be "chicken" in Mandarin, "dut" has no meaning. As he uses "jidut" to express his happy and upset moods, "jidut" could either mean "damn it" or "hell, yeah", depending on the situations.

Cast

* Mark Lee 李国煌 as Shi Duyao 史都耀 *

Yeo Yann Yann Yeo Yann Yann (born 20 February 1977) is a Malaysian actress. She has worked in theatre, television, and film. Her credits include '' Singapore Dreaming'', ''Thunderstorm'', ''881'', ''Ilo Ilo'' and ''Wet Season''. She is a pioneer-graduate ...

杨雁雁 as Zhung Lichun 钟离春 *

Namewee use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

黄明志 as Liu Kun 刘坤 *

Chris Tong Tong Bing Yu (formerly known as Chris Tong; born ; born on 14 June 1983) is a Malaysian actress, host, singer, and producer. She was the champion of Miss Malaysia Chinese Cosmos International 2006, later representing Malaysia in Switzerland a ...

童冰玉 as Xiaoju 小菊 * Frederick Lee 李洺中 as Ma Fuyi 马福仪 * Sunny Pang 冯推守 as Wilson Ng 吴卫生 * Alvin Wong 王骏 as Yong Kok 杨过 * Ramasundran Rengan as Rajoo *

Henry Thia Henry Thia (; born 25 February 1952), also known as , is a Singaporean actor and comedian. Career Thia was a member of the main cast of ''Comedy Nite'' throughout its run. Although he had many roles in various sketches, his most memorable role ...

程旭辉 as casino boss, Jay Chow 周董 * Chua Bee Seong 蔡炜祥 as Fok Yip Fei 霍叶飞 * Nick Dorian as Captain McBribe * Chen Huen Phuei 曾宏辉 as translator-police officer *

John Cheng John Cheng Yeow Nam (also credited as Zhong Yao Nan; known in entertainment circle as Ah Nan or Ah Nam) (1961 – 22 January 2013) was a Singaporean actor and Getai compere who made his screen debut in ''Money No Enough'' and was most notable ...

钟耀南 as the head of Hokkien gang * Tung Yew Ngai 邓有毅 as the right-hand man of Hokkien gang *

Rosanne Lui Roseanne, Rosanne, Roseann or Rose Ann is a feminine given name, and may refer to: Topics * Roseanne Barr (born 1952), also known to use the mononym Roseanne, an American performer with several eponymous TV shows: ** '' Roseanne'', sitcom ** '' ...

吕珊 as Selina * Brandon Yuen as the head of Cantonese gang * Wong Wai Hoong 黄伟雄 as the right-hand man of Cantonese gang * Goh You Ping 吴友凭 as spy * Gan Hui Yee 颜慧仪 as Mahjie * Chee Cheong Hoe 朱宥六 as fortune teller * Berg Lee Seng Wan as mamasan * Ho Yuhang 何宇恒 as one of the heads of Three Knives Gang * Kin Wah 周梓华 as one of the heads of Three Knives Gang * Daniel Wong Kian Huat 王健发 as one of the heads of Three Knives Gang *

Rayson Tan Rayson Tan (; born 12 January 1965) is a Singaporean actor. Career Before joining MediaCorp, Tan worked as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. In 1990, he emerged as the 2nd Runner-Up in Singapore's Star Search Singapore talent compet ...

陈泰铭 as

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

Steve Yap ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

叶良财 as the

* Chen Puie Heng 陈沛兴 as imperial guard * Chye Yang 蔡子洋 as imperial guard * Chong Yun Wah 张詠华 as imperial guard * Agnes Wong 王柔霖 as imperial guard

Anachronism

Scenes of comical anachronism were seen in the fight scene between Shi Duyao and the Qing eunuch, in which caricatures of

Ip Man Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, ( / 叶问; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972) was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martial art ...

Wong Fei Hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 9 July 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the subject of numerous martial arts films and televis ...

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

and even

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

were seen.

Box office

''Petaling Street Warriors'' managed to rake in MYR1.4 million in its first four days compared to MYR434,000 by Hong Kong's Magic To Wins. Nasi Lemak 2.0's record is MYR1 million for its first four days. Its first six-day box office record is MYR1.73 million.

Critical response

Response from Hongkong Filmmakers

While undergoing post-production work in Hong Kong, it has received good response from numerous Hong Kong filmmakers. Ketsarinh Lan, producer of Painted Skin and A Chinese Fairy Tale, and chairman & CEO of Golden Sun Films Distribution Limited, thinks that it has a good story and great entertainment value. After viewing the movie, Percy Fung, the person in charge of the post-production & visual effects for Hero, The Banquet, The Assembly, and

Kung Fu Dunk ''Kung Fu Dunk'' (), also known by its former title ''Slam Dunk'', is a 2008 Chinese-language action comedy film. It was directed by Taiwanese director Kevin Chu and filmed in Taiwan and mainland China. The film was previously titled ''Slam Dunk'' ...

, believes that ''Petaling Street Warriors'' has reached the production standard of Hong Kong films, and it would become a watershed in the history of Malaysian Chinese film industry. Cheung Ka Lik, post production producer of Digital Magic Hong Kong, calls this film a milestone for its genre and production quality.

Response from Malaysia

According to a film review on ''

New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as ''The Straits Times'' on 15 July 1845. It was relaunched as the ' ...

'', "the fighting scenes are quite impressive and are on par with their overseas counterparts. Film reviewer, Jun Kin, described the film as "reeking of raw touches of a similar themed film called ''

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 ...

'' by

Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''. Early life and education Stephen Chow was born in British ...

". Malaysian blogger, Kaillery, claims that ''Petaling Street Warriors'' is a "comedy with depth" due to its reference to current political events and its well-grounded links to the political atmosphere of the year 1908. In his blog review, blogger SCKHSMC2007 described the film as "in line and in tune to what most people are thirsting for", and gave the film a rating of 8/10. Online film reviewer, The Movie Blogger Fella, claims ''Petaling Street Warriors'' to be "a smart film, something its detractors clearly fail to recognise". Malaysian writer and independent filmmaker, Amir Muhammad, claims that ''Petaling Street Warriors'' reminded him of the robust iconoclasm of

Ali Baba Bujang Lapok ''Ali Baba Bujang Lapok'' ("Ali Baba the Old Bachelor") is a 1961 Malay comedy film directed by, written by and starring Malaysian silver-screen legend P. Ramlee and produced in Singapore by Malay Film Productions Ltd. Based loosely on the sto ...

. According to his blog review, "the movie was effortlessly political as it flipped about notions of citizenship and governance", and it "shows that mish-mash of pop genres, when handled with wit and verve, can be utterly zany and utterly serious at the same time". He explained that the ending of ''Petaling Street Warriors'' is "in the spirit of democratic optimism: it's only when we give up inherited privileges that we can truly live (together)".

Response from Singapore

Stefan S through his blog, A Nutshell Review, claims that ''Petaling Street Warriors'' "is steep in political and social allusions if you dig beyond its entertaining surface, and doing so without being overtly offensive in the points its trying to make, falling back on good ol' humour to diffuse any potential unhappiness", and it's "a film that's plenty of fun, chock full of stars to provide it that boost in entertainment value". While the movie is slammed for stealing the resurrection scene from Kung Fu Hustle by some readers of Lianhe Zhaobao, its Facebook admin claims that the idea came from a classic Hong Kong TV series, Silk (Tian Can Bian), from which

conceived its resurrection scene at the very first place. According to the admin, it is a parody scene purposely created by Hong Kong choreographer Ma Yuk-Sing to make fun of this cliché plot.

References

External links

* {{Blogspot, petalingstreetwarriors, Official page 2011 films Malaysian action comedy films Films directed by James Lee Chinese-language Malaysian films 2010s English-language films