Switch (2013)

Name: Switch
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2013-06-09
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 3.5
Cast: Andy Lau, Zhang Jingchu, Tong Dawei, Lin Chi-ling, Siqin Gaowa

Switch (2013), directed by Sun Jianjun, starring Andy Lau and Zhang Jingchu.

06/09/2013 BR Action, Adventure, Crime and Thriller 2h 2m

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Synopsis

To recover and ancient scroll, a Chinese agent battles the Japanese yakuza and British mercenaries.

Shao DanCinematography
Sun JianjunDirector, Screenplay

About the film

Switch is a 2013 action film written and directed by Jay Sun and starring Andy Lau, Tong Dawei, Zhang Jingchu and Lin Chi-ling. A Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, the film was released on 9 and 12 June 2013 in mainland China and Hong Kong respectively.

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Synopsis

A famous Chinese Yuan Dynasty painting known as "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" was stolen and being sold on the black market, led by a mysterious business magnate (Tong Dawei). Special agent Jinhan (Andy Lau) is tasked to recover the painting.

Meanwhile, Jinhan and his wife (Zhang Jingchu) have drifted apart, due to the secret nature of his work, unaware that his wife also works as a special agent tasked with protecting the painting.

Cast

Andy Lau as Special Agent Xiao Jinhan

Tong Dawei as Yamamoto Toshio

Zhang Jingchu as Lin Yuyan

Lin Chi-ling as Lisa

Siqin Gaowa as The Empress

Ariel Aisin-Gioro as The Princess

Guan Xiaotong as Xiao Yueyue

Siqin Gaowa as Old Dowager Empress

Tan Songyun as Pisces Demon

Release

Switch was originally set to be released in 2012, but was delayed partially due to the decision to convert the film to 3-D. The film was released in China on 9 June 2013 and in Hong Kong on 12 June, where its running time was trimmed by 9 minutes with several scenes cut out.

In China, the film grossed RMB 49 million (US$8 million) in its opening day, the third-biggest opening day revenue for a domestic film in China.

Reception

Maggie Lee of Variety stated the film "epitomizes[...]so-bad-it’s-good kitsch", pointing to a lack of plot continuity, ostentatious visuals and exaggerated, exploitation-like characterizations. Elizabeth Kerr of The Hollywood Reporter similarly criticized the film for its confusing structure and lack of impact, likening Sun to "a film school drop-out with too much cash".

References

External links

Switch at IMDb

Text from Switch (2013 film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switch_(2013_film)

Trivia

It premiered on June 9, 2013, a Sunday.
It runs 2h02 — a typical feature length.
Its original title is "天机: 富春山居图".
This film's quiz has 10 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosPegasus Taihe Entertainment, Media Asia Films, China Film Group Corporation
CountriesChina, Hong Kong SAR China
LanguagesEnglish, Mandarin, Japanese, Cantonese
StatusReleased