A Fighter's Blues
Encyclopedia
A Fighter's Blues is a 2000
Hong Kong
drama film
directed by Daniel Lee
and starring Andy Lau
.
boxer returns to Thailand
to look for his old girlfriend. Upon arrival in Bangkok
, he learns of her death and that she was pregnant with his daughter last time he saw her. He travels to an orphanage to meet his daughter where he finds friendship with a Japanese nun who runs the orphanage. His dark past soon comes back to haunt him and he must fight for his future. Mong Fu kills his rival Chat Chai in the dressing room which gets him his 13 year prison
sentence. The climax of this film is a final fight with a Thai boxer who wants to avenge Chat Chai's death, which ends in Mong Fu's death due to the brutality of the fight.
, and the story is told featuring several flashbacks. The acting in this film is nothing short of excellent from all involved and it is edited and shot beautifully. Because of the multinational cast, much of the film is in English, Thai
, Cantonese
and some Japanese
. Andy Lau
can speak English perfectly as is obvious here, and all the Thai actors are all excellent in handling the language too.
As is common in films like this, it could have been shot and then dubbed overall into Cantonese
but the diversity of characters and their use of their common languages has been allowed to remain, and this adds up to the quality of the film. The fight scenes are pretty good, and Andy Lau
must have trained extensively in Muay Thai
to master his role as Mong Fu. The ending of the film is not what you expect. Well worth a watch.
2000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Daniel Lee
Daniel Lee Yan-Kong
Daniel Lee Yan-Kong is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, assistant director and art director.-Director:* What Price Survival * Black Mask * ...Till Death Do Us Part * Moonlight Express...
and starring Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
.
Plot
After spending 13 years in jail, Mong Fu (Andy Lau), a Muay ThaiMuay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
boxer returns to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
to look for his old girlfriend. Upon arrival in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, he learns of her death and that she was pregnant with his daughter last time he saw her. He travels to an orphanage to meet his daughter where he finds friendship with a Japanese nun who runs the orphanage. His dark past soon comes back to haunt him and he must fight for his future. Mong Fu kills his rival Chat Chai in the dressing room which gets him his 13 year prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
sentence. The climax of this film is a final fight with a Thai boxer who wants to avenge Chat Chai's death, which ends in Mong Fu's death due to the brutality of the fight.
Cast
- Andy LauAndy LauAndy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
as Mong Fu - Takako TokiwaTakako TokiwaTakako Tokiwa is a Japanese actress. Takako was born in Yokohama, Japan.She was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2005 for her performance in Akai Tsuki.- Films :...
as Sister Mioko - Intira JaroenpuraIntira JaroenpuraIntira Jaroenpura is a Thai actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Mae Nak in the 1999 Thai horror film, Nang Nak. In 2007, she was featured in a prominent role as the warrior Princess Lurkin in part two of King Naresuan.-Early career:...
as Pim Nathasiri - Apichaya Thanatthanapong as Ploy
- Reila Aphrodite
Overview
Generally received well, this film shows some beautiful locations in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and the story is told featuring several flashbacks. The acting in this film is nothing short of excellent from all involved and it is edited and shot beautifully. Because of the multinational cast, much of the film is in English, Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
, Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
and some Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
can speak English perfectly as is obvious here, and all the Thai actors are all excellent in handling the language too.
As is common in films like this, it could have been shot and then dubbed overall into Cantonese
Cantonese
Cantonese is a dialect spoken primarily in south China.Cantonese may also refer to:* Yue Chinese, the Chinese language that includes Cantonese* Cantonese cuisine, the cuisine of Guangdong province...
but the diversity of characters and their use of their common languages has been allowed to remain, and this adds up to the quality of the film. The fight scenes are pretty good, and Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
must have trained extensively in Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
to master his role as Mong Fu. The ending of the film is not what you expect. Well worth a watch.