''Stretch'' is a 2011 English-language French

sports film A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport, sporting event, athlete (and their sport), or follower of sport (and the spor ...

directed by

Charles de Meaux Charles de Meaux (born 1967) is a French film director and contemporary artist. His work combines fine arts and cinema. Biography In 1997 in order to produce his first film, Le pont du Trieur (co-written with Philippe Parreno), he founded the ...

and starring

Nicolas Cazalé Nicolas Cazalé (born 24 April 1977 in Pau, Gascony, France) is a French model and actor who is most noted for his role in the 2004 French film, ''Le Grand Voyage'' for which he won a Jury Award for Best Actor at the 2005 Newport International F ...

Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. From 2013 to 2017, she was included as the highest-paid celebrity in the ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list after ranking in the top 10 every year since 2006. She appeared on ''Time'' ...

and

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

. It marks Carradine's last screen appearance, as he died during filming in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. After his death, his widow Annie Bierman sued MK2 Productions, the film's production company, for negligence.David Carradine's Widow Files Wrongful Death Suit
/ref>

Synopsis

After failing a drug test in France, young

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Christophe moves to

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

, where he becomes involved in the city's fast-paced racing world. However, his luck seems to be running out when his trainer asks him to lose a race. With the help of beautiful Pamsy, he must find a way to avoid antagonizing the

Chinese mafia A triad ( zh , t=三合會 , s=三合会 , cy=sāam hahp wúi , j=saam1 hap6 wui6‑2 , hp=sān hé huì , first=t,j ) is a Chinese transnational organized crime syndicate based in Greater China and has outposts in various countries with signific ...

Cast

Production

De Meaux used his experiences as a former jockey while making the film. For his role as a jockey Cazalé was forced to lose a large amount of weight. ''Stretch'' was shot in France at the

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

and the

Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern Parisian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte in France was a grass, turf horse racing facility and Hippodrome, track for Thoroughbred flat racing. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Olle ...

. Other scenes were filmed in Bangkok,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and Macao. In Bangkok, three days before shooting wrapped David Carradine was found dead in his hotel, apparently from accidental

asphyxia Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...

tion. After Carradine's death, his widow Annie Bierman sued MK2 Productions, the film's production company, for

negligence Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...

. Meaux rewrote the script and reduced his screen time to around three minutes although the characters frequently talk about Carradine's character and David is heard off camera.Stretch: David Carradine and a phantom
(in French) The film's release was delayed when Carradine's widow accused MK2 of negligence and sued them for

wrongful death Wrongful death claim is a claim against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute. In wrongful death cases, survivors are compensated for the harm, l ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stretch 2011 films 2010s English-language films English-language French films 2011 thriller films French thriller films French horse racing films 2010s French films