Schemes In Antiques
古董局中局 | China | 2021
Special Encore
China | Thriller/Action | 2021 | 123 minutes | In Mandarin w/ English subtitles
Director: Derek Kwok
Starring: Lei Jia-yin, Li Xian, Xin Zhi-lei, Ge You
Film Source: Well Go USA
Online Cinema
Saturday, Sept 10 til Friday, Sept 16
SYNOPSIS
Despite his family’s famed expertise on ancient relics, Xu Yuan makes a simple living as the owner of an electronics shop, eager to distinguish himself from a disgraced ancestor executed for treason after stealing a Chinese artifact for Japan. But when a descendant offers to return the relic to China, Xu Yuan uncovers a decades-old mystery and embarks on a journey that could finally restore his family’s reputation—and may also cost him his life.
“Based on a novel by Ma Boyong, SCHEMES IN ANTIQUES hurtles through its two-hour running time with a mix of thriller style, action adventure and more. Early on, Xu Yuan’s hidden expertise is revealed in an antiques-identifying contest that’s given heavy cinematic treatment, replete with swooping camerawork, snazzy effects and a swelling orchestral score. But the picture can also be overly dense: a parade of twists and turns zips by from start to finish, requiring viewers to stay alert or else miss key bits of exposition.”—Tim Youngs, Far East Film Festival
STILL GALLERY
TRAILER
DIRECTOR
Derek Kwok
Derek Kwok (1976) began his Hong Kong film career as a writer for director Wilson Yip before making his directorial debut with the offbeat drama The Pye Dog (2007). In 2010, Kwok and Clement Cheng co-directed the nostalgic martial arts feature Gallants, which won Best Picture at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards. Kwok notched another milestone in 2013 with his first blockbuster, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (co-directed with Stephen Chow), and followed it up with more high-end spectacles in As the Light Goes Out (2014) and Wu Kong (2017).
FILMOGRAPHY
2007 – The Pye Dog
2008 – The Moss
2010 – Gallants (co-director)
2010 – Frozen
2013 – Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (co-director)
2014 – As the Light Goes Out
2015 – Full Strike
2017 – Wu Kong
2021 – Schemes in Antiques