I watched the first film by this director in a special screening in Beijing and in a discussion afterwards with the female producer I explained why that film was not suitable for foreign audiences.
Now, many years later I discover that the director of Troublemakers has made several successful movies in China.
Across the Furious Sea is an attempt to make a violent thriller in the Korean and Japanese style. It's obviously influenced by The World of Kanako and Yellow Sea but due to the censoring rules in China, it does not feature the ultraviolence of those two films.
Still, it's a suspenseful thriller with great chase scenes, although a bit overwritten, something which is a bit of a problem with most modern day Chinese films. The standout sequence is a car chase on a bridge while it's raining fish. There's another great one on the top of a tall building.
The scenes in Japan are well done although I'm a bit puzzled why a kid from a rich Chinese family would chose to live in such a dump.
I like the way the film deals with the world of cosplay. It seems to suggest that there is something wrong in the head with those who like to dress up like their favorite anime characters. Most of them have trouble coping with the real world and prefer to withdraw into a fantasy one populated by their favorite characters.
The acting is pretty good. The rich Chinese family is despicable enough - especially Zhou Xun. Filming locations in China are great, but I still haven't figured out which city it was shot.
Not a perfect film, but it's definitely worth watching.
