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Alice
I just finished watching The Promise today, I'm glad Cecilia Cheung chose Jang Dong Gun at the end~ ^^ Too bad Nicolas Tse played a bad guy.. but I still liked him the most even though he sounded kinda.. :\
I liked the part where Jang Dong Gun says "I want to go with you, because you have meat". :3
jisung
QUOTE(evekisara @ Jan 30 2006, 12:32 AM) [snapback]1523797[/snapback]


This sounds interesting - I'll be watching it soon... too bad most of you didn't think it was that great :/

Yes please do evekisara, despite the bad reviews, the outright thrashing! laugh.gif tongue.gif

Source: http://blog.naver.com/loshui37.do
The Promise promo in Korea

Photo by Choi Ji-sun

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Photo Source: http://blog.naver.com/seaswimyes/10001318524

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Photo by Ho Hye-yun

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Photo by Kim Ji-hye

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credit: YoonEe, jdg eglish forum board
jisung
Movies IN SIGHT/Experimental epic turns fantasy multicultural

02/10/2006

By AYAKO KARINO; Contributing Writer

WU JI (THE PROMISE) Opens Saturday ; 121 minutes, in Chinese ;Salonpas Louvre Marunouchi in Tokyo and elsewhere

If you've seen Zhang Yimou's "Hero" (2002) or "House of Flying Daggers" (2004), you'll be well-aware of the trend in Chinese cinema today for making stunning, special-effects enhanced epics that wow movie buffs the world over.

So you can imagine how high expectations were when Chen Kaige--another prominent Chinese filmmaker whose knack for examining human emotions is evident in such movies as "Farewell My Concubine" (1993)--set about tackling the genre with a budget of $30 million (3.6 billion yen), reportedly the largest sum ever invested in a Chinese film.

"I was interested in making a new Asian film," Chen said of the movie, titled "Wu Ji" (The Promise), through an interpreter at a recent news conference in Tokyo. "Now that we're in the 21st century, I think cinema needs to evolve according to its surrounding culture."

But "The Promise" doesn't manage to surpass Zhang's achievements. It's a fantasy film that's a feast for the eyes, but its lack of concrete storytelling and character development means it fails to appeal to viewers' emotions. Chen seems to have put so much effort into creating something new and dazzling that two of the film's most important elements--its narrative and characters--seem somewhat neglected.

That doesn't mean "The Promise" isn't engaging. The film makes a promising start when Chen welcomes viewers into a magical world somewhere in Asia where deities and humans coexist. There, a young war orphan called Qingcheng encounters the Goddess Hanshen (Chen Hong), who offers her all the riches she could ever wish for in exchange for losing every man she falls in love with. Only by reversing time or making the dead come to life can this bond be broken, the goddess says. Desperate to keep herself alive, the young Qingcheng agrees to this "promise."

The enchanting tone is disrupted almost immediately, however, when the film takes viewers 20 years into the future to a battle scene in which Gen. Guangming, played by Hiroyuki Sanada ("The Twilight Samurai," "The Last Samurai"), finds his army trapped and outnumbered. It's Kunlun (Jang Dong-Kun), one of Guangming's slaves and an exceptionally fast runner, who saves the day when he reroutes a herd of stampeding buffaloes. Guangming, resplendent in the crimson armor of a victor, is so taken with Kunlun's deed that he makes him his personal slave.

The plot thickens when Guangming is injured during a surprise attack by the black-shrouded assassin Snow Wolf (Liu Ye), sent by the evil Duke Wuhaun (Nicholas Tse), when Guangming and Kunlun are on their way to save their king (Qian Cheng) from an attack by the evil duke. Guangming has no choice but to let Kunlun wear his crimson armor to accomplish the task in his stead. But Kunlun ends up not saving the king at all. Instead he falls in love with Qingcheng (Cecilia Cheung)--now a princess. He kills the king and jumps off a cliff to prove his love to Qingcheng.

The twists and turns increase after that. Qingcheng falls for the man in the crimson armor--Kunlun--but mistakenly thinks Guangming is her savior because he's the man widely known to wear the remarkable garb. Guangming, on the other hand, knows Qingcheng has mistaken him for Kunlun, but he, too, falls in love with Qingcheng almost immediately and takes advantage of her misunderstanding. Thus a love triangle forms among Qingcheng and the master and slave.

"I play a man at the peak of all his powers who falls to the nadir and becomes a slave of love," Sanada said at the news conference. "Jang, on the other hand, slowly discovers his identity and starts treading the noble path."

One of most distinctive aspects of the film is the multinational cast Chen assembled. Sanada is from Japan, while Jang is from South Korea and Cheung from Hong Kong.

"I had an international cast in mind from the start," said Chen. "This film is like an experiment on the cultural environment we're able to make in Asia today."

Sanada and Jang pull off their roles as Chinese characters relatively well on screen, despite the language difficulties. Well, at least for non-Mandarin speakers they do. As in "Memoirs of a Geisha," whose Asian cast members might have irritated some native speakers with their unconvincing attempts at English, it may well be a different story if you happen to be a native Mandarin speaker.

In every aspect, "The Promise" is an all-out fantasy that makes its own rules. The film gets even more complicated in the second half, as characters start running around all over the place and subplots multiply, including a tangent into how Snow Wolf became an assassin. Some supposedly serious scenes, such as when Kunlun runs at top speed through a field, start to come across as almost comical.

The best way to enjoy this film is to buy into the world Chen has created. Some scenes are stunningly beautiful, including the one when Qingcheng is imprisoned in a giant gilded bird cage as well as the illusory scene with the blooming cherry tree where the final battle among Guangming, Kunlun and Wuhaun takes place.

On the whole, while "The Promise" is not a must-see film, Chen's determination to create a powerful Asian epic like this makes it worth seeing.(IHT/Asahi: February 10,2006)

Source: http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/...0602100156.html


credit: YoonEe, Just Jang Dong Gun
jisung
The Promise Starring JDG Ranks 4th in Japan

Update : Feb 14, 2006 KST 14:52

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The film "The Promise," starring Korean actor Jang Dong-kun, has climbed to fourth place on Japan's box-office chart in the first week of its release there.

According to the Japanese Box-Office Service on Feb. 14, "The Promise," directed by Chen Kaige and starring Jang, Hiroyuki Sanada and Cecilia Cheung, was released in Japan on Feb. 11 through film distribution agency Warner Brothers and finished fourth on the box-office chart over the weekend of Feb. 11-12.

Another film, "Running Wild," directed by Kim Sung-soo and starring Korean stars Kwon Sang-woo and Yu Ji-tae, was released in Japan through film distribution agency Toshiba on Feb. 11, ranking 10th on the same box-office chart. Before its release, "Running Wild" made headlines as it sold 35,000 tickets through advance rservations alone--nearly the largest number of tickets sold in advance for a Korean film in Japan.

Japanese fans took interest in the rivalry between the two hallyu stars, Jang and Kwon, with "The Promise" and "Running Wild" released on the same day in Japan. In Korea, "Running Wild" was released on Jan. 12 and "The Promise" on Jan.16.

Source: http://english.kbs.co.kr/mcontents/enterta...2426_11692.html

Credit to YoonEe for Jang-donggun.com/TY_KSW, soompi jdg thread
yuans7love
OMG my friend made me watch this movie today with her cousin and i just have to say that he and I basically laughed throughout the whole friggin' movie.

The ONLY good thing about the movie was that JDG and Nicholas Tse are hot. That's It.
kitlim
couldn't agree more. The show was absolutely hilarious. I think one problem with chinese firms now is that they are all going the big buget way. In a nutshell, they are just shooting it with the hope that it will be nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars. In the end, they lose their sense of artistic direction and the whole film turns out diastrous. Promise is a prime example of that.

yong01
didn't like it...what a dud storyline! Nic Tse looked good!
erya
HI smile.gif
I WONDER IF ANYBODY HAVE THE OST OF THE PROMISE huh.gif I LOOK THE LIST OF OST NUR DON'T APPEAR... PLEASE HELP ME tears.gif
AL_NT_ATT
this movie was sort of strange and looked sort of fake? but the fact that i got to see nicholas tse and basically the really good actors in asia, made me like the movie... it was sort of dumb but at least i got to see really good actors anyway =)
Access DENIED
I had high expectations for this movie, and now i'm really disappointed. I really like watching hong kong movies, but they have been making really crappy films lately.

I didn't really like this movie and i absolutely hated the CGI. The story, the setting, and the atmosphere did not impress me and it seemed too fake. i didn't feel the chemistry between jang dong hun and cecilia cheung. Their love seemed wooden and forced.
strawberrynkiwi
WHAT?? how come i didn't hear about this before?? ceceilia and nicholas?? this is really weird... haha i thought LDG was some other chinese actor.... weird.. i should check it out
t3n5h1_chu_k015h173
Thank GOD i didn't buy the movie....i rent the promise dvd last month,i think the story is so boring & make me feel so sleepy tongue.gif blink.gif i agree there's no chemistry between jang dong gun and cecilia cheung.... sad.gif
Becca*
^yeahh my dad bought it and I didn't watch it all YET...I couldn't make through the whole thing
it was sooo boring
sushimi
I watched this movie once month ago.... I didn't understand why cecilia felt in love with jang dong gun... I don't like her style, her make up, and all the things it happened on this movie.... I don't buy this movie when it coming out, I'm sure!

tis a wonderful life
the promise has beautiful cinematography (not surprising). somehow i found the movie very confusing. i don't dislike the movie but i wouldn't recommend it. i was kinda upset, but maybe it's just me. that crazy hair flowing goddess lady is awesome tho..so friggin pretty. but the cinematography is worth watching.
sushimi
I was so disappointed by this movie.... I'm an addictive of chinese movies since I was a child.... sad.gif Chen Kaige made anothers movies better than this one before.....
cin
i didn't like it though....i seen it i thought it was okies....but it was kinda funny...haha...i enjoy some parts...
jacinda
I absolutely hate Chen Kaige. He such an overrated director, but he's just a cheap imitation version of Zhang Yimou. His cinematography is cheap cinematography just like that Japanese Casshern movie. It's not really beautiful like Zhang's. It's so tacky like they just threw all the colors on the screen without giving it much thought.
xiaoba0bao
This movie cracked me up. It was a good laugh.
dtemplar
I watched it a few days ago. I like the costumes (armor, weapons, etc.) and it reminded me of some fantasy RPG game/Dynasty Warriors. Some of the fighting scenes are great but NOT the BATTLE scenes because of the bad CG. There's also quite a few scenes that have really bad CG. Characters and plot developement is just bad in my opinion. What some of the characters did just doesn't make sense given situation...even having the Asian culture in mind. Now I'm not gay but I think Nicholas Tse is great in that movie. Also I think they should cast someone else besides Cecilia Cheung because she seems out of place.
precious4e
I watched this movie during my spring break. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I guess I could say its one of the better bad movies out there. The storyline wasn't that good. Nothing ever really developed. It just happened. This is probably a movie I would watch again if I was bored and had nothing else to watch.
meow1203
Good thing I didn't go into a theatre to see it! Nice costumes and music, but story wise..... wink.gif All I remember is JDG is always running.........
JudY-JudY
My brother bought the movie but I still haven't watched it yet but everyone says it really good!
They have stunning costume too!
pomeyy.
I saw this movie a couple weeks ago and it was simply a gorgeous movie. The costume design and the scenes were absolutely fabulous. But the storyline? Not so much. The ending was disappointing, kind of. Nicholas Tse was hot but very strange in the movie. I disliked the general [forgot his name]. They made him kind of cowardly. But I think just watching the movie for looks is alright.
sushimi
QUOTE(dtemplar @ May 4 2006, 07:31 PM) [snapback]2443120[/snapback]

I watched it a few days ago. I like the costumes (armor, weapons, etc.) and it reminded me of some fantasy RPG game/Dynasty Warriors. Some of the fighting scenes are great but NOT the BATTLE scenes because of the bad CG. There's also quite a few scenes that have really bad CG. Characters and plot developement is just bad in my opinion. What some of the characters did just doesn't make sense given situation...even having the Asian culture in mind. Now I'm not gay but I think Nicholas Tse is great in that movie. Also I think they should cast someone else besides Cecilia Cheung because she seems out of place.


Cecilia Cheung is a good actress... I have "Para Para Sakura" & "Tokyo Raiders" with her.. But in "The promise", she's so weird with her make up and costums.... I think it's because of that that you think she seems out of place....
Genuine
I'm surprised this movie is in theatres in CANADA. i think its going to be dubbed in english or w/ english subs....i don't think this movie will do so well in an westernized country because i even thought it was weird and i'm asian....i wonder how the western public is going to take it?
sushimi
Because it's an american movie that's why you could watch it in theatres....

QUOTE(shukumei @ May 5 2006, 03:16 PM) [snapback]2449192[/snapback]

I saw this movie a couple weeks ago and it was simply a gorgeous movie. The costume design and the scenes were absolutely fabulous. But the storyline? Not so much. The ending was disappointing, kind of. Nicholas Tse was hot but very strange in the movie. I disliked the general [forgot his name]. They made him kind of cowardly. But I think just watching the movie for looks is alright.


Sukumei I dislike the general too... I don't understand why Cecilialoves him.... fury.gif
sushimi
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Nicholas Tse is handsome....
MokaGirl
I watched this a while ago. I heard good and bad comments from it and I felt like seeing it for myself. Therefore I was bitterly disappointed.

---------------- // RANTING & light spoiler DON'T READ IF YOU MIGHT GET OFFENDED !!! //------------------

Aside from the beautiful scenery, I disliked everything else: scenario, dialogue, plot, casting, costume, fighting scenes, ...

I'm not hating it. It's more a feeling of disapointment overall bcuz I expected a bit more basing on the positive critics.

I watched this initially becuz of the casting. I loved Sanada, Cecilia, Nicolas, and JDG. ancient tiime style .. hey why not I told myself. I should have skip this one. I wasted my time watching a movie that leave me a sour aftertaste.

One: scenario: predictable so much it was meaningless. Some say there was a surprise at the end of the movie. I rolled my eyes at the "surprise".

Two: Some has liked the costum, make-up, hairdo, ... I diisliked it. the mask of the general reminded me of The Gladiator in particulary. I found that a rip-off altho it was probably not intentionnal from the producer it was still there. costum not particulary great on the eyes. Maybe the fairy on the start of the movie was ok. & Nicolas was handsome too. But was not really bcuz of the costume I found. More becauz He's already a cute boy himself. everything else ... Cecilia clothes, the emperor, JDG, the general, the man in black ( forgot his name ) and the people homeland of JDG as well. They should have put way more effort into into so that it fit with the scenery. and I don't mean having the same tissu for the robe and for the wall. ( there was a scene where Cecilia where standing and her dress got the same flower than the wall behind her ( ... no comment ... ) the make-up wasn't briliant either. I usually think Cecelia being a natural beauty. But I found her quite plain with the overdone make-up. lost her charm. Even JDG was wearing make up while he has arrived at his hometown ( in a dream obviously as the whole town already been burned to death ... oh yea .. they went back in time ... ) I guess they meant to show him in clean outfit but the hair and the white make up ... that was just not appropriate in my point of view ... tasteless

Three:
the editing : I was simply speechless when I saw Cecilia opening her mouth. Thanks much for the close up but ... there's nothing beautiful in seeing someone saliva like that. and .. ahh ..

Ranting is really time-consuming ... I'll leave the rest for anther time.

THE GOOD THING about this serie: ( yea there's one !!!! )

the thing Nicolas was having. looked like a long wood or metal staff to me with a golden hand at the end. That was cool !!!! altho once again it doesn't fitted much with the time period.

and yea sushimi: I think Nicolas pretty good looking too. nice capture by the way

sushimi
Yes, Cecilia lost all his beauty with her weird make up, i don't like her character, i don't like this movie..
s3rene
The cast looks great and I like how Korean stars like JDG acts with Cecilia Cheung. smile.gif
t3n5h1_chu_k015h173
If anyone looking 4 this movie 2 download, here it is rolleyes.gif THE PROMISE phew.gif




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80slitenite
just watched yesterday with some family. everybody enjoyed it. it was a mix of Hero and House of flying daggers in some scenes. it wasn't too long or boring. Nicholas Tse cracked me up with the feathers and the finger staff.
cho_cho
that was alright for me. i really didn't much enjoy it!! to me that was worthless to see!!!
eledoremassis02
I was watching the Japanese (audio) version of The Promise (2005) *Was a gift* and I could not help thinking how Nicolas Tse's voice over fit him, then I remembered that he knows Japanese, but I am not sure if it is him. Does any one know?
Here is a video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp-tlMo6Wj4
cutiek028
The bad guy was sooo Hot! *cough* lol

But yeah, I think it was a really cool movie. The opening and the ending were amazing...it was such a mystical scene. For some reason I think it's neat when the movie begins and ends the same.

Also, the bad guy was the same little boy who she took that food from or w/e?! LMAO! It's like he never got over it! XD
miyachan11
OMG..i haven't knew that there is a thread for this...
my god...it is a kinda old movie but it was just this year
that i saw this..
i love this movie!
and it has a very nice story!
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