Iceman (2014 film)

Iceman is a 2014 Hong Kong-Chinese[5] 3D martial arts action-comedy film directed by Law Wing-cheung and starring Donnie Yen, who also serves as the film's action director. The film is a remake of the 1989 film The Iceman Cometh which was directed by Clarence Fok and starred Yuen Biao.[6] The film was released in Hong Kong and China on April 25, 2014.[7]

Iceman
Poster
Traditional冰封俠: 重生之門
Simplified冰封俠: 重生之门
MandarinBīng Fēng : Chóng Shēng Zhī Mén
CantoneseBing1 Fung1 Hap6: Cung4 Sang1 Zi1 Mun4
LiterallyIceman Hero: Gate of Rebirth
Directed byLaw Wing-cheung
Produced byHuang Jianxin
Stephen Shiu
Stephen Shiu Jr.
Donnie Yen
Written byMark Wu
Lam Fung
Shum Shek-yin
Based onThe Iceman Cometh
by Clarence Fok
StarringDonnie Yen
Wang Baoqiang
Eva Huang
Simon Yam
Yu Kang
Lam Suet
Kelly Fu
Production
company
China 3D Digital Entertainment
Beijing ShengShi HuaRei Film Investment & Management Co.
Zhongmeng Century Media
Distributed byWell Go USA Entertainment
Blue Swan Entertainment
Pegasus Motion Pictures
Shaw Organisation
Joyncontents Group
Netflix
New KSM
Release date
  • April 25, 2014 (2014-04-25)
Running time
104 minutes (Hong Kong)
91 minutes (China)
CountryHong Kong
China
LanguageCantonese
Mandarin[1]
Hindi
English
Japanese
BudgetHK$250 million
(US$32.2 million)[2]
Box officeUS$26 million[3][4]

Plot

A Ming Dynasty officer, He Ying (Donnie Yen), was tasked with bringing a mythical time traveling device from India with a LINGA back to the Ming emperor. He was betrayed, and subsequently frozen. He Ying, Sao(Wang Baoqiang) and Niehu were frozen during a fight. They were discovered and put in cryo-stasis pods and transferred to modern-day Hong Kong. During transit, an accident sets them free. The three escape into the city. Niehu and Sao are set on exacting revenge on He Ying, despite not understanding the world they are in. He Ying soon befriends May (Eva Huang), who takes advantage of his confusion about the modern world by charging him exorbitant amount of money for rent, food, and so on. Niehu and Sao unknowingly help two Indian mobsters escape the police, and as a result join the Indian mob.

It is revealed that Cheung (Simon Yam) is looking for the trio, in particular He Ying. Through various flashbacks, it is revealed that all four were blood brothers who fought side by side, before He Ying was betrayed and charged with treason. After several encounters in the modern world including meeting May's mother, fleeing custody of the police (using his master martial arts skills), and the use of technology, He Ying starts to figure out who is ultimately hunting down Cheung.

Cast

Production

Filming for Iceman began on December 19, 2012 in Hong Kong.[9] Originally produced at a budget of HK$100 million, the production soared up to Hong Kong $200 million due to its slow-paced filming and to cover the film crew's insurance.[10] Because the Hong Kong government did not approve the film to shoot at the Tsing Ma Bridge, an addition of Hong Kong $50 million was spent in order to build an imitation set of the Tsing Ma Bridge.[2][11] Lead actor and action director Donnie Yen said that a seven-minute fight scene took ten days to shoot. Besides Hong Kong, a chunk of the film would also be filmed in Beijing.[12] For a car chase scene, actor Julian Cheung also loaned his black Lamborghini to the production.[13]

Filming locations include Hong Kong's defunct Kai Tak Airport[2] and the Changbai Mountains.[14][15]

Music

Jam Hsiao was handpicked by Donnie Yen for the Mandarin theme song.[16] The Cantonese version was performed by Hong Kong singer and actor Julian Cheung.

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter writes "Plagued by all manner of production snafus and a ballooning budget, the problems show in the final product. Iceman is a fractured and often baffling martial “epic” that not even popular star Donnie Yen is likely to be able to save."[17] Screendaily writes the film is "beset by multiple problems, from a patchy incoherent script, to jarring shifts in tone and genre, and sub-par action and effects sequences that even the star presence of Donnie Yen may find hard to reconcile."[8] Donnie Yen's performance won him the Golden Broom Award for Worst Actor.[18]

See also

References
  1. "冰封：重生之门 Iceman 3D (2013) Details". movie.mtime.com (in Chinese). Mtime.com Inc. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  2. ""The Iceman Cometh 3D" Lacks Support from Hong Kong Government". Jaynestars.com. March 24, 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. "BING FUNG: CHUNG SANG CHI MUN (ICEMAN)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  4. "May 8–11, 2014". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  5. "冰封：重生之门 Iceman 3D (2013)". movie.mtime.com (in Chinese). Mtime.com Inc. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  6. "Yuen Biao Will Join Donnie Yen in "The Iceman Cometh 3D"". Movieswithbutter.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  7. "Iceman frozen by Classmate at China B.O." Film Business Asia. April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  8. "Iceman". Screendaily. 13 April 2014.
  9. "Donnie Yen Begins Shooting "The Iceman Cometh 3D"". Chinesefilms.cn. December 18, 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  10. "Donnie Yen's "The Iceman Cometh 3D" Soars to $200 Million Production Costs". Jaynestars.com. March 9, 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  11. Syahida Kamarudin (March 26, 2013). ""The Iceman Cometh 3D" build their own Tsing Ma Bridge". Archived from the original on July 19, 2014.
  12. "Donnie Yen's "The Iceman Cometh 3D" Filming at a Snail's Pace". Jaynestars.com. March 2, 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  13. "Simon Yam Works Out To Catch Up With Donnie Yen". Tvbnewsworldblogspot.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  14. "Simon Yam Suffers from Fight Scenes in a Snowstorm". Blogger. April 20, 2013.
  15. "The Strongest in the Universe Dommie Yen Slips and Falls in the Snow". Hktopten.blogspot.com. April 19, 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  16. "Donnie Yen's "Iceman 3D" Releases Theme Song, Will Air on April 25". jaynestars.com. 12 March 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  17. "Iceman 3D: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  18. "Donnie Yen: "Ip Man 3" may be my final martial arts film". Sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
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