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The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)

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Director:

Hark Tsui

Production Notes from IMDbPro

Status: Post-production | See complete list of 12,000 in-production titles »
Updated: 2 March 2011
More Info: See more production information about this title on IMDbPro.
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Cast

Credited cast:
Jet Li ...
Chow Wai On
Michael Jai White
Siu-Wong Fan Siu-Wong Fan
Xun Zhou Xun Zhou ...
Jade
Lunmei Kwai Lunmei Kwai ...
Tribal Princess
Kun Chen Kun Chen ...
Yu Hua Tian
Mavis Fan Mavis Fan
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Storyline

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Details

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

December 2011 (China) See more »

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

MOVIEmeter:

Down 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro

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    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  
Users: (75,616 votes) 598 reviews | Critics: 347 reviews Metascore: 45/100 (based on 35 reviews from Metacritic.com)
A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

Writers:

Dave Callaham (screenplay), Sylvester Stallone (screenplay), and 1 more credit »

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone ...
Jason Statham ...
Jet Li ...
Dolph Lundgren ...
Eric Roberts ...
Randy Couture ...
Steve Austin ...
David Zayas ...
Giselle ItiƩ ...
Charisma Carpenter ...
Gary Daniels ...
Terry Crews ...
Mickey Rourke ...
Hank Amos ...
Amin Joseph ...
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Storyline

Barney Ross leads the "Expendables", a band of highly skilled mercenaries including knife enthusiast Lee Christmas, martial arts expert Yin Yang, heavy weapons specialist Hale Caesar, demolitionist Toll Road and loose-cannon sniper Gunner Jensen. When the group is commissioned by the mysterious Mr. Church to assassinate the merciless dictator of a small South American island, Barney and Lee head to the remote locale to scout out their opposition. Once there, they meet with local rebel Sandra and discover the true nature of the conflict engulfing the city. When they escape the island and Sandra stays behind, Ross must choose to either walk away and save his own life - or attempt a suicidal rescue mission that might just save his soul. Written by The Massie Twins  
Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Island | Mercenary | Mission | Dictator | Rescue  | See more »

Taglines:

Choose your weapon. See more »

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language. See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 2010 (Egypt) See more »

Also Known As:

Los indestructibles See more »

Filming Locations:

Elmwood, Louisiana, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$34,825,135 (USA) (15 August 2010) (3270 Screens)

Gross:

$266,159,621 (worldwide) (21 November 2010)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital  | DTS  | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

MOVIEmeter:

Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Church scene, Arnold Schwarzenegger's character says that Mr. Church should give the job to Ross (Sylvester Stallone) because he "loves running through the jungle", an obvious reference to the Rambo franchise. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: When Stallone and Statham's characters are investigating the island, Stallone's goatee changes color from black to grey. When he is avoiding the troops in the street it is clearly grey, but when driving in the truck it is again black. Later on, on the same island it changes to grey once again. See more »

Quotes

Gunnar Jensen: [about to fight Ying Yang] What do you wear, size 3? Bring it, happy feet.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.79" (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

"Castille"
Written by David Bradnum (ASCAP)
Published by Le Rouge Music, Ltd (ASCAP)
Master under license from Conexion Entertainment Group and Corelli-Jacobs Recording Inc See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

They don't get much more explosive than this!
4 August 2010 | by yellowbuket101 (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews
The expectation for this film is obviously very high with one of the best action hero line ups (if not the best) in cinematic history. So I went into this film with a little trepidation and a lot of anticipation. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. This was a high octane, unbelievably explosive, funny, blood thirsty, proper action movie! This film would not have been out of place in the 80s, but manages to fit into the market of today's cinematic action experience. It is easily much more graphic and gory than most modern day action films, but this adds to the film and creates a degree of realism. Let's face it; if you go around killing people it isn't going to be pretty! This film did what it needed to do, it wasn't afraid to contain blood, guts and violence for the sake of an age restriction but also wasn't overly ridiculous. After all most of the people who will watch this film grew up watching the classic action films of the 80s and 90s and are old enough for a bit of gore.

The plot is not that original, but it doesn't need to be, nor was it expected to be. The cast, goes without saying, was fantastic. What could have been a disaster of conflicting egos ended up being a believable team of mercenaries where banter is rife and keeping each other alive is their number one priority. Stallone can give himself a big pat on the back for getting so many iconic actors onto the screen together and actually making it work. Though the much hyped cameo of two particular people was short lived, it was hilarious and I think a great moment in cinema.

This was a great film that keeps you glued to your seat, constantly makes you gasp and laugh out loud and leaves you pumping with adrenaline. It was ridiculous and wonderful all at the same time, with more bullets and bombs than Rambo and more fighting than Rocky. This is a must see film for any movie buff or action hero wannabe. It is certainly not for the faint hearted, or for kids, but for any true action movie lover this is the ultimate manly film.

Sylvester Stallone, NICE JOB!

344 of 556 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  
Users: (433 votes) 5 reviews | Critics: 5 reviews

Explores the subject of parental love and autism in kids.

Director:

Xiao Lu Xue

Writer:

Xiao Lu Xue (screenplay)

Stars:

Cast

Credited cast:
Ran Chen Ran Chen
Lunmei Kwai Lunmei Kwai ...
Ling
Jet Li ...
Xing chang
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Storyline

The story of a father's tireless love for his autistic son. A terminally ill father's attempt to teach his autistic son the necessary life skills to survive on his own before he passes away. It is also a poignant tribute to the infinite love that parents have for their children and their unending desire to take care and look after them to their best abilities, no matter the struggle, no matter the effort. Written by Vineet  
Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Love | Autistic Son | Son | Autistic | Father  | See more »

Taglines:

Explore true love and affections from the angle of ordinary people

Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

2010 (Hong Kong) See more »

Also Known As:

Haiyang tiantang See more »

Filming Locations:

Longkou, Yantai, China See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

EDKO Film See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min  | 102 min (Shanghai International Film Festival)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

MOVIEmeter:

Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro

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User Reviews

 
A Nutshell Review: Ocean Heaven
14 August 2010 | by DICK STEEL (Singapore) – See all my reviews
The marketing for this film went into overdrive with its touting of this being action star Jet Li's first dramatic role. Unless you count his appearance in a non combative role in Founding of a Republic and the various attempts to balance his action status with more dramatic acting chops such as Danny the Dog, then Ocean Heaven will be that maiden effort. Written and directed by Xue Xiao Lu, this modest effort is by no means small in ambition, having the likes of Jay Chou and Kwai Lun Mei lend their vocals to separate title tracks (with Kwai also starring in the film), as well as being lensed by the renowned Christopher Doyle.

Jet Li stars as Wang, a middle aged technician at Qingdao's Ocean World who discovers that his liver cancer is at its 4th stage, and a medical death sentence has been passed, giving him 3 to 4 months to live. His prime concern will be that of his autistic son Da Fu (Wen Zhang) because this means as the main caregiver, he has to find an able, trusted replacement, most likely an institution, but as any single parent can attest to, this effort is none too easy in the absence of direct family support, with places like mental institutions being totally out of place, and Da Fu being too old for an orphanage, and too young for a senior citizens' home. The film opens with a father-son suicide, only for the latter to inexplicably save the both of them, and bringing them back to the drawing board.

It's interesting to note (at least for me) that the Chinese language term for Autism is "Gu Du Zheng" which directly translates to a condition of loneliness. Through the film, Wang cannot shake off the fact that this figuratively applies to him, being alone in his care of his teenage son for many years since the passing of his wife, and not wanting to impose his troubles and issues on others, such as his neighbour and provision shop owner (Zhu Yuanyuan) who undoubtedly has affections for Wang himself. Wang is the classical stoic Chinese man who bottles up his troubles, seeking instead to source for solutions himself than to rely on the graces of others, although help does come from an understanding boss, as well as Da Fu's school principal.

Xue spends considerable screen time in outlining the father-son relationship, albeit that it's not quite the norm because communication almost always seem like a one way street. Wang, with his limited, time, wants to train Da Fu in performing simple tasks in looking after himself, from cooking to taking the public bus, and through many of these scenes, Xue has allowed for an awareness of autism to ring through without resorting to over-reliance on melodrama to do so. Tasks are to be explained with extreme patience, and knowledge imparted through constant rote learning and praising. It's not easy, but as any parent, this unconditional love is something that's quite innate.

Both Jet Li and Wen Zhang share great chemistry, which helps make their individual performance credible. You'll for once feel as exasperated as Li since this time he cannot kung-fu kick his way out of challenges and troubles, and have to rely on perseverance and love to educate his son. You'll feel his pain, and share his pessimism and slim hopes that he'll be able to impart, delegate and leave behind enough for his son not only material wealth, but emotional stability as well, which comes in the form of a sea turtle motif, known for its longevity, Wen Zhang too has this child like quality in his portrayal of autism which endears, and is able to bring out the confusion, fear and anger when he is not understood by others.

The only peculiar performance here will be that of Kwai Lun Mei's Ling Ling, whose role is that of a clown who juggles. I can't place her role anywhere other than to solely beef up the star attraction to this film, because her role and the subplots involving her character all seem a little out of place and useless, and can be done without. Perhaps it is just there to balance that sense of bleak from Wang's point of view, since scenes between Ling Ling and Da Fu mostly hinges on play and friendship, providing that lift to the audience, unbeknownst to Wang, that his son is capable of making new, genuine friends, and that he need not worry that Da Fu will eventually be alone in this world after Wang's own passing.

I won't say this is a tearjerker, but there will be those who will inevitably be touched by Father's love, going by the amount of sniffles in the cinema hall. I suppose Jet Li's foray into a purely dramatic role is quite successful, although personally I can't wait to see him kick serious ass in The Expendables with an ensemble cast of action heroes where he belongs. But of course one can't go on forever in such a role. Maybe he too can adopt the Jackie Chan direction (I'm pretty sure they would have exchanged notes during their pairing in The Forbidden Kingdom) where a film role balancing drama and action is possible ala Chan's Little Big Soldier, or even following what Clint Eastwood is doing in going behind the camera to tell heartfelt stories.

6 of 9 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Ran Chen, Lunmei Kwai and Jet Li

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    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.6/10 X  
Users: (846 votes) 11 reviews | Critics: 7 reviews

Own the rights? Add a poster »

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guoqiang Tang ...
Guoli Zhang ...
Qing Xu ...
Jin Liu ...
Kun Chen ...
Chiang Ching-kuo
Wufu Wang ...
Zhu De
Xueqi Wang ...
Li Zongren
Sha Liu ...
Liu Shaoqi
Bing Wang ...
Zhang Lan
Vivian Wu ...
Wei Zhao ...
Member of CPPCC
Zongdi Xiu ...
Fu Zuoyi
Donnie Yen ...
Tian Han
Yiwei Liu ...
Li Huang
Jun Hu ...
Gu Zhutong
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Storyline

Add Full Plot | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Drama | History

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin | English

Release Date:

17 September 2009 (China) See more »

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

MOVIEmeter:

Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was made to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party founding of China. The film boasts the most number of China's movie stars in one film. Many of the top stars were invited to star as leads, supporting characters, or just cameo in the film, reportedly including some of the top Chinese stars like 'Jackie Chan' and Jet Li, who only have one shot or one line in the film. See more »

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User Reviews

 
Dull but of some interest
27 October 2009 | by dmuel (downtown, Michigan) – See all my reviews
The biggest problem with Founding of a Republic is that it is quite dull. An historic, or quasi-historic, film about the origins of the current government in China, the movie tends to surprisingly free of anything of cinematic interest. The action is sparse, the dialogue is neither amusing nor animated, and all the major events are well-known to history students. The cameo appearances by several major Chinese stars, such as Jackie Chan, Jet Lee and Zhang Ziyi, are so short as to be hardly worth mentioning. We already know the outcome, and there is little in the film to hold the viewer's interest, aside from some of its subtle if unexpected features, such as its surprisingly enlightened attitude toward Chiang Kai-shek.

In much of the propaganda that pervades previous characterizations of Chiang and his Nationalist forces, the Chinese Communists have tended to portray the Chinese civil war as one of black v white, good v evil, with victorious communist forces "liberating" the people from an evil regime. These words still appear today when it is advantageous to Chinese interest. But in this film Chiang seems reflective, fair-minded and concerned over excesses in his own regime--a rather positive image.

Mao is treated to several revisions, appearing jovial, tolerant, and even permissive of some forms of capitalism, the latter something Mao never actually was in his revolutionary days. Indeed, there is little revolutionary fervor in Mao's dialogue in this film, a fervor which in real life permeated Mao's thinking. This seems deliberate, as these ideas would accord little with the current regime in Beijing. In one scene where Mao is shown in an avuncular, loving role with children, even though in real life Mao abandoned his children to pursue his ambitious revolutionary strategies.

While KMT excesses are detailed, including several assassinations, there is absolutely no mention of CCP atrocities committed during the Chinese civil war. And, while KMT violations of the interim treaty between the two sides are highlighted, there is no mention of CCP violations of the same pre-civil war accords.

While most of the film is richly detailed in costumes and settings, the special effects are not very realistic, with several airplane scenes being utterly unconvincing as they are obviously CGI. The film is a product of Chinese film makers, but political interests in Beijing factored heavily in its production. I doubt that the movie will generate much interest outside of China.

16 of 24 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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