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Schemes In Antiques 古董局中局 (China)


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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

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