A new action movie from Macao-born director Sam Leung has some truly Eastern touches going back 2,500 years to Sun Tzu, writes Michelle Qiao.
 ``Explosive City,'' a joint production between Hong Kong and Japan, looks like being another blockbuster with all the necessary box-office elements -- high-action scenes, an anti-terrorism storyline plus suspense generated by Eastern philosophy.
Senior officer Yung is ambushed and wounded when he attends an international conference. The would-be assassin is a Japanese girl named Jade (Hisako Shirata) who has been missing for 20 years. Failing in her mission, Jade is hurt when she flees and eventually passes out. A doctor later diagnoses her as suffering from temporary traumatic amnesia. Police officer Yao Tianming (Alex Fong) discovers later that Jade was kidnapped at the age of four by Otosan (Sonny Chiba), leader of an international crime organization operating in the suburbs of Tokyo. In the following years he trained Jade to become a professional killer. As Yao is uncovering the relationship between the organization and one of his colleagues, Zhang Zhicheng (Simon Yam), he is informed that his wife has been murdered and his son kidnapped. Audiences may find the plot similar to the HBO hit series, ``24.'' ``I admit the influence from `24,' but I was actually inspired by the movie `Black Hawk Down','' says director and scriptwriter Sam Leung. ``I used similar tones and carved the life-and-death comradeship between men.'' Leung says the script is based on a piece of news he read in a Japanese tabloid about a Japanese girl who had been missing for 18 years. To attract an international market, Leung has put in some Eastern philosophy -- the story develops according to a strategy from ``The Art of War,'' written by ancient Chinese sage Sun Tzu of the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-467 BC). ``For me, a charming man should not have a naughty young face,'' says Leung. ``A man's golden age of maturity is his 30s or 40s. That's why I choose the three actors. ``I began to admire Chiba when I studied film in Japan. This is my first big-budget movie. Without hesitation, I flew to Japan, had a dinner with him and showed him the script. Finally, he agreed to star at a reasonable price,'' says the Macao director. Chiba impressed audiences with his role in the Hollywood film, ``Kill Bill.'' Leung says the two roles by Yam and Fong are a study in contrasts. ``Fong is a warm-hearted, passionate man while Yam is cool and cares nothing about others,'' says Leung. ``I wanted to highlight the idea that character makes one's fate. The film shows the different roads men take through their different characters.'' The performances of the three middle-aged actors are really mature. Leung says he prefers to tell the story through eye contact and dramatic scenes rather than dialogues. ``The suspense seems traditional -- tricks with no surprises,'' comments local film reviewer Wang Jian. ``Although a bit repetitive at points, the action scenes are excellent and well-staged and can compete with Jackie Chan's new film, `New Police Story.' The plot looks similar to Bruce Willis' `Die Hard 3.' It's a good choice for a leisurely afternoon, when you want to give your mind some good stimulation.'' Leung was born in Macao and studied film art in Japan. He has already directed four movies ranging from horror to comedy. ``Perhaps that's why the movie looks different from Hong Kong action flicks,'' says Leung. ``No matter whether it's a horror film, a comedy or an action movie, I want to have a try. Like a boy passing by a candy shop, I'd like to taste a bit of everything. Now I've found my favorite candy -- action movies.'' The film, with a budget of 40 million yuan (US$4.88 million), is being screened at local cinemas and plans to air in Japan and then enter the North American DVD market.