Dennis Law

Last updated

Dennis Law
Born
Dennis Law Sau-yiu

(1963-02-19) 19 February 1963 (age 60)
Occupation(s)Film director, film producer, screenwriter, presenter, actor
ChildrenYoyo Law
Awards
Hong Kong Film Awards Best Film
2006 Election

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 羅守耀
Simplified Chinese 罗守耀

Dennis Law Sau-yiu (born 19 February 1963) is a Hong Kong film producer, screenwriter, actor, director and presenter. He is the former chairman and executive director of Milkyway Image, and a founder of its subsidiary company Point of View Movie Production Co. Ltd. Films directed by Law include teen comedies such as The Unusual Youth and Love @ First Note , and martial arts action films that include Fatal Contact and Fatal Move .

Contents

Early life

Law studied filmmaking at university in Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Loyola Marymount University. [1]

Career

On his return to Hong Kong, rather than pursue his career in film, Law decided to go into real estate. He later befriended Charles Heung, who advised him to learn from veteran filmmakers such as Herman Yau. [2] In 2003, Law befriended prolific filmmaker Johnnie To and became his financial partner at Milkyway Image, serving as a chairman and executive director. Law had many opportunities to travel to the world's film markets and festivals, meet film industry personnel from different parts of the globe, find out their views of Hong Kong cinema, as well as seeing To on set as a director. Apart from filmmaking, Law is currently a managing director of the Yu Tai Hing Company Ltd., which is a well-established private property investment and development group in Hong Kong. [3] [4]

Point of View Movie Production Co. Ltd.
Company type Production company
IndustryFilm production
Founded2005
FounderDennis Law
Headquarters
Hong Kong
,
China
Key people
Dennis Law
Herman Yau
ProductsFilms
Parent Brilliant Arts

Point of View Movie Production Co. Ltd.

Apart from producing Election with To in 2005, along with its 2006 sequel, Law formed his own production company, Point of View Movie Production Co. Ltd. (影視點制作有限公司), a subsidiary of Milkyway Image. [5] Point of View was one of two companies established by Law after Milkyway Image split from its parent company, Brilliant Arts. Since its establishment, Point of View has notably been a frequent production partner for Charles Heung's company China Star Entertainment Group, producing films in which Law has served as a producer and director.

Films

Law made his directorial debut with the 2005 teen comedy-drama The Unusual Youth . [2] Law's next two films saw the director collaborating with entertainers managed by Gold Label Records. He wrote, produced and directed the teen comedy, Love @ First Note , which starred Justin Lo, Kary Ng, Stephy Tang and Miki Yeung. He later made the martial arts romance film Fatal Contact , hoping to establish his lead actor Wu Jing as a martial arts icon. [6] His next film was the 2008 film Fatal Move , which was originally his idea for a sequel to SPL: Sha Po Lang . The film featured an ensemble cast that included SPL stars Sammo Hung, Wu Jing and Simon Yam, and marked the return of veteran Hong Kong actor Danny Lee who once again plays a just policeman in the film. Of the casting, Law wanted to cast a series of familiar Hong Kong actors as the film was aimed at a foreign market.

Upon its release, Fatal Move was awarded a Category III rating in Hong Kong for its extreme violence. His next film was A Very Short Life , a film about child abuse and molestation. The film was also awarded with a Category III rating for its subject matter.

Trademarks

Law uses the same production crew for all of his films as well as having an ensemble cast of popular Chinese actors. Law also uses computer-generated imagery to create blood, as seen in films such as A Very Short Life and Fatal Move.

Recurring actors

Actor The Unusual Youth (2005) Love @ First Note (2006) Fatal Contact (2006) Fatal Move (2007) A Very Short Life (2009) Bad Blood (2010) Womb Ghosts (2010)
Lam Suet Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Simon Yam Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Wu Jing Black x.svgBlack x.svg
Maggie Siu Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Hui Shiu-Hung Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Cheung Siu-Fai Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Miki Yeung Black x.svgBlack x.svg
Theresa Fu Black x.svgBlack x.svg
Tien NiuBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Ken Lo Black x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Pinky CheungBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Marco LokBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Johnny LuBlack x.svgBlack x.svgBlack x.svg
Wong Tin-Lam Black x.svgBlack x.svg
Lai Lok Yi Black x.svgBlack x.svg

Filmography

YearFilmChinese titleRoleNotes
2005 Election 黑社會Producer and presenter
The Unusual Youth 非常青春期Writer, producer, director and presenter
2006 Election 2 黑社會以和為貴Producer and executive producerAlso known as Triad Election
Love @ First Note 戀愛初歌Writer, producer, director and presenter
Fatal Contact 黑拳Writer, producer, director and executive producer
The Shopaholics 最愛女人購物狂"Property developer"Cameo appearance
2007 Gong Tau 降頭Producer and executive producerAlso known as
Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic
Triangle 鐵三角Executive producer
2008 Fatal Move 奪帥Writer, producer, director and executive producer
2009 A Very Short Life 短暫的生命Writer, producer, director and executive producer
2010 Bad Blood 滅門Writer, producer, director
Womb Ghosts 惡胎Director
Vampire Warriors 殭屍新戰士Director
2013 The Constable 衝鋒戰警Director

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammo Hung</span> Martial artist, film producer, director

Sammo Hung Kam-bo is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for other actors such as Jackie Chan.

<i>Legend of the Liquid Sword</i> 1993 film

Legend of the Liquid Sword is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film loosely based on Gu Long's Chu Liuxiang novel series. The film was written and directed by Wong Jing and stars Aaron Kwok as the titular protagonist. The film inspired the title of American rapper GZA's albums Liquid Swords (1995) and Legend of the Liquid Sword (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnie To</span> Hong Kong film director (born 1955)

John To Kei-fung is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in the West he is best known for his action and crime movies, which have earned him critical respect and a cult following, which includes American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnie Yen</span> Hong Kong actor and martial artist

Donnie Yen Ji-dan is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is regarded as one of Hong Kong's top action stars.

Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Kong filmmakers combined with elements from Hollywood and Japanese cinema along with new action choreography and filmmaking techniques, to create a culturally distinctive form that went on to have wide transcultural appeal. In turn, Hollywood action films have been heavily influenced by Hong Kong genre conventions, from the 1970s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Tong</span> Hong Kong film director

Stanley Tong is a Hong Kong film director, producer, stunt choreographer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

<i>SPL: Sha Po Lang</i> 2005 Hong Kong action film

SPL: Sha Po Lang is a 2005 Hong Kong action film directed by Wilson Yip, who also writer with Szeto Kam-Yuen and Ng Wai-lun. The film stars Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Simon Yam. The film was released on 18 November 2005.

Kung fu film is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in wuxia, a related martial arts genre that uses historical settings based on ancient China. Swordplay is also less common in kung-fu films than in wuxia and fighting is done through unarmed combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Heung</span> Hong Kong film producer and former actor (born 1948)

Charles Heung Wah-keung is a Hong Kong actor-turned-film producer and presenter. As founder of Win's Entertainment in the 1980s and China Star Entertainment Group in the 1990s, he has helped establish the careers of various cinematic icons in Hong Kong that include Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat, Johnnie To, Jet Li and Andy Lau, among countless others. Apart from being one of the most successful film producers in Hong Kong, Heung is also one of the most controversial due to his family's triad background.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Star Entertainment Group</span>

China Star Entertainment Limited is a Hong Kong film production company and film distributor. It was established in 1992 by film producer Charles Heung, and is a distributor and film producer of films made mostly in Cantonese.

<i>Flash Point</i> (film) 2007 film by Wilson Yip

Flash Point is a 2007 Hong Kong action film directed by Wilson Yip and starring Donnie Yen, who also produced with Nansun Shi and Zhang Zhao. The film co-stars Louis Koo, Collin Chou, Lui Leung-wai, Fan Bingbing and Xing Yu. Yen plays Ma Jun, a police sergeant who plants his partner Wilson as a mole in a pursuit against a triad led by three Vietnamese brothers.

<i>Fatal Contact</i> (film) 2006 Hong Kong film

Fatal Contact is a 2006 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Dennis Law, who also producer with Herman Yau. The film stars Wu Jing, Ronald Cheng, Miki Yeung, Theresa Fu, Cheung Siu-fai, Ken Lo, Andy On, Lam Suet and Timmy Hung. Wu Jing played Kong Ko who is trained with the fighting techniques of Sanshou martial arts, and lured into the world of illegal martial arts fighting.

<i>Fatal Move</i> 2008 Hong Kong film

Fatal Move is a 2008 Hong Kong action film written, produced and directed by Dennis Law. The film stars Sammo Hung, Simon Yam and Wu Jing, who reunite after 2005's SPL: Sha Po Lang.

<i>Ip Man</i> (film) 2008 Hong Kong film directed by Wilson Yip

Ip Man is a 2008 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and teacher of Bruce Lee. The film focuses on events in Ip's life that supposedly took place in the city of Foshan during the Sino-Japanese War. The film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen as Ip Man, with martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung. The supporting cast includes Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Lam Ka-tung, Xing Yu, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, and Tenma Shibuya. The film was a co-production between China and Hong Kong, and was the last film to be distributed by Mandarin Films.

<i>The Unusual Youth</i> 2005 Hong Kong film

The Unusual Youth is a 2005 Hong Kong teen comedy-drama film centering on five disillusioned Hong Kong teenagers living on the island of Cheung Chau as they try to deal with life in spite of family backgrounds. The film stars Race Wong of 2R fame, Yan Ng, Marco Lok and Raymond Wong. Several veteran Milkyway Image actors, which include Law Wing-Cheong, Cheung Siu-Fai, Lam Suet and Simon Yam make cameo appearances.

<i>Ip Man 2</i> 2010 Hong Kong film

Ip Man 2 is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, Ip Man 2 was directed by Wilson Yip and stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role. Continuing after the events of the earlier film, the sequel centres on Ip's early life in British Hong Kong. He attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun, but faces rivalry from other practitioners, including the local master of Hung Ga martial arts, Hung Chun-nam, and later the British boxing champion Taylor "The Twister" Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milkyway Image</span> Hong Kong film production company

Milkyway Image Ltd. is a film production company based in Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The company was established in 1996 by director Johnnie To in partnership with frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai. The company is known best for producing dark crime films inspired by the works of French director Jean-Pierre Melville and the film noir genre. Milkyway Image's productions have been repeatedly praised as a bold move against the commercialism found in post-handover Hong Kong cinema, and have also attracted a significant international fan base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu Jing (actor)</span> Chinese actor and director

Wu Jing, also known as Jacky Wu, is a Chinese actor, director and martial artist best known for his roles in various martial arts films such as Tai Chi Boxer, Fatal Contact, the Sha Po Lang films, and as Leng Feng in Wolf Warrior, its sequel Wolf Warrior 2, and most recently The Battle at Lake Changjin. Wu Jing is one of the most profitable actors in China and his movies are often the highest grossed films in China. Wu ranked first on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2019 and 23rd in 2020.

Seasonal Film Corporation was an independent film company from Hong Kong, originally founded by the ex-assistant Shaw Brothers movie director Ng See-yuen in 1974. One of their first films was Call Me Dragon in 1974, starring Bruce Liang, Kurata Yasuaki and Mang Hoi. Seasonal Film Corporation was one of the well known independent filming company in Hong Kong and who was also responsible with likes of martial arts stars such as Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang-lee, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Yuen Woo Ping, Bruce Liang, Alan Chui Chung-San and Corey Yuen.

<i>Enter the Fat Dragon</i> (2020 film) 2018 film directed by Wong Jing

Enter the Fat Dragon is a 2020 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Kenji Tanigaki and Aman Chang from a screenplay by and co-starring Wong Jing, who also acted producer with Connie Wong and lead actor Donnie Yen. The film co-stars Teresa Mo and Niki Chow. The film was announced as a remake of Sammo Hung's 1978 film of the same name, but isn't.

References

  1. "Biodata (PDF)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
  2. 1 2 "BC Magazine, Hong Kong". Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2008.
  3. Hong Kong news site
  4. Archived 6 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine Asia Pacific Arts, 11 May 2007
  5. Milky Way
  6. "Dennis Law to Groom Wu Jing with Fatal Contact". Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2009.