“Shamo” is a Hong Kong hard core fight movie adapted from a Japanese manga by Hashimoto Izo. While mainly the filmmakers are from Hong Kong, the flick is financed largely with Japanese funds, made an entertaining mix of Japanese and Hong Kong pop culture nowadays. The director is Cheang Poi Soi, who made last year’s popular violent action movie “Dog Bite Dog,” continued his previous style; “Shamo” is also exploring the very dark themes about violent tale of madness, revenge, and the will to survive. HK teen heartthrob Shawn Yue (Infernal Affairs 2, In Love With The Dead) adds to his various filmography by taking on the demanding lead role, and is attached by Francis Ng (The Mission), Bruce Liang (Kung Fu Hustle), Annie Liu (Exodus), Dylan Kuo (Taiwanese drama The Outsiders), Japanese kickboxer Masato (Lethal Ninja), and Terri Kwan (Turn Left, Turn Right). Sameway Productions who produced this film are one of the most interesting and compelling outfits working in Hong Kong today. Their visual aesthetic is compelling and unique and they show an admirable willingness to lay it all on the line telling extreme stories just like in “Shamo” which told with skewed angles, unexpected art direction, and more than a little creative craziness. The company is keep pushing Hong Kong cinema in a powerful and energetic direction.
Shawn Yue stars as Ryo Narushima, a Japanese teen imprisoned in a harrowing juvenile detention center for killing both of his parents in particularly vicious way. Ryo seems strangely timid for a multiple murderer on entering prison, however, and is immediately targeted by more established inmates for extreme humiliation, ranging from beatings to a graphic gang rape, all of it tacitly approved by the prison warden who would much rather see Ryo dead than reformed. Possible salvation for Ryo comes in the form of the prison’s karate instructor, Kenji Kurokawa (Francis Ng) an eccentric person who helps him to stand up for himself and weather the storm until he finally is freed from prison having acquired an impressive set of fighting skills and a burning desire to never be victimized or looked down upon again. The training actually gives Ryo the will to live and made he become a human weapon. Once he leaves prison, he decides to test his skills in the extreme fighting tourney Lethal Fight, challenging reigning champ Naoto Sugawara (Masato) to a winner-take-all match. But Ryo is still searching for his missing younger sister, Natsumi (Pei Pei, Dog Bite Dog), who descended into prostitution after Ryo was jailed. During his search, Ryo chances upon another prostitute, Megumi (Annie Liu), who comforts him and gives him the strength to move forward, leave his past behind, and battle for his ultimate goal: defeating Sugawara in the Lethal Fight championship.
Product Detail:
Product Title: Shamo (DVD) (US Version)
Audio Format: DD 5.1, DTS
Video Format: 1.78 : 1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Simplified Chinese
Region Code: All Region
Release Date: 2008-07-31 (Order the DVD)
DVD Publisher: Tai Seng Video (US)
Shawn Yue stars as Ryo Narushima, a Japanese teen imprisoned in a harrowing juvenile detention center for killing both of his parents in particularly vicious way. Ryo seems strangely timid for a multiple murderer on entering prison, however, and is immediately targeted by more established inmates for extreme humiliation, ranging from beatings to a graphic gang rape, all of it tacitly approved by the prison warden who would much rather see Ryo dead than reformed. Possible salvation for Ryo comes in the form of the prison’s karate instructor, Kenji Kurokawa (Francis Ng) an eccentric person who helps him to stand up for himself and weather the storm until he finally is freed from prison having acquired an impressive set of fighting skills and a burning desire to never be victimized or looked down upon again. The training actually gives Ryo the will to live and made he become a human weapon. Once he leaves prison, he decides to test his skills in the extreme fighting tourney Lethal Fight, challenging reigning champ Naoto Sugawara (Masato) to a winner-take-all match. But Ryo is still searching for his missing younger sister, Natsumi (Pei Pei, Dog Bite Dog), who descended into prostitution after Ryo was jailed. During his search, Ryo chances upon another prostitute, Megumi (Annie Liu), who comforts him and gives him the strength to move forward, leave his past behind, and battle for his ultimate goal: defeating Sugawara in the Lethal Fight championship.
Product Detail:Product Title: Shamo (DVD) (US Version)
Audio Format: DD 5.1, DTS
Video Format: 1.78 : 1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Simplified Chinese
Region Code: All Region
Release Date: 2008-07-31 (Order the DVD)
DVD Publisher: Tai Seng Video (US)
0 Comments: