Chin gei bin 2: Fa dou daai jin (2004)

Directors:

Patrick Leung
Corey Yuen

Writers:

Kin Chung Chan (writer)
Suet Lam (writer)

Release Date:

12 August 2004 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

In the mythical land of Huadu, Charcoal Head, a humble boy born to rule an empire must undertake his journey to claim his throne. It is an epic action adventure combining romance, fantasy, comedy and cutting edge Hong Kong style martial artistry.

Plot Keywords:

Empress | King | Swordsman | Female Warrior | Sword

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Charlene Choi	...	13th Young Master
Gillian Chung	...	Blue Bird
Donnie Yen	...	General Lone
Jaycee Chan	...	Charcoal Head
Edison Chen	...	Peachy
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Master Blackwood
Ying Qu	...	Queen
Daniel Wu	...	Wei Liao
Jackie Chan	...	Lord of Armour
Bingbing Fan	...	Red Vulture
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bo-lin Chen	...	Blockhead (as Wilson Chen)
Sui-man Chim	...	Rebel Leader

Also Known As:

Qian ji bian II: Hua du da zhan (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
The Huadu Chronicles: Blade of the Rose (International: English title)
Twins Effect 2 (Hong Kong: English title)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Yunnan Province, China

Company:

Emperor Motion Pictures

Trivia:

This film marks the acting debut of Jaycee Chan, 'Jackie Chan''s son.

Movie Connections:

Follows Chin gei bin (2003)

Soundtrack:

Love Invincible

Not so bad, really--

Okay, so it wasn't the best thing ever saved to celluloid, but it is not so terrible as some reviewers may claim. I was interested in seeing this film for two reasons: 1) Jaycee made his acting debut and I was quite curious as to what he could do and 2) Donnie Yen vs. Jackie Chan. Now, Jaycee has a ways to go yet, certainly... he had, I think, all of one expression for most of the movie, but he's riding in on dad's coattails (he's Jackie Chan's son) and it's his debut. I think he may have potential, he just needs some refining. There were also some problems within the set itself, i.e., Jackie nearly bowed out because his son starred in the film and he didn't want to cast any shadows on his boy's beginning. I'm glad that didn't happen, personally, but I do admit the anxiously awaited Yen vs. Chan fight was a bit of a disappointment; it had no real relevance to the movie at all and looks like the moral struggle Jackie faced (the 'should I even be in this movie?' problem) reflected here. Jaycee and Jackie are not in the same scenes and the guest appearance by Jackie ends up seeming more like a hand out than anything.

The Twins are the Twins- what did you expect? Despite that, I find myself actually liking these girls, against my better judgment. Daniel Wu plays the most interesting and tragic character in his usual style. The premise of the movie? A woman has her heart broken because she finds her boyfriend and identical twin sister cheating on her. Of course, the man (played by Wu) had been lied to by the twin and didn't know he was cheating (think they were just caught kissing, actually), but that means nothing. The broken-hearted woman magically imprisons her sister and has the man castrated. They both end up serving her and aid her rise to power. She becomes ruler of her own city where the men are enslaved and sold as beasts of burden. Loving relationships between the sexes are outlawed and it is up to Jaycee's character to free the city and restore balance and natural relations, where all are equal and no one sex is subjugated by another. I think he was a 'Chosen One' type, who's coming had been foretold or some such.

Lots of action, and it's not BAD, just noticeably CGI, which is distracting. We're used to being 'above' that kind of amateur special effects works by now. Makes me think the budget was used up by the starring cast. The movie had its moments, it's worth a rental at least, but it's not so terrible that it needs to be avoided upon pain of death as some might have you believe. If nothing else, it's colorful and lively; just don't expect an epic blockbuster, take the movie with a grain of salt (it is supposed to be a spoof), and you'll come out all right.