A World Without Thieves
Encyclopedia
A World Without Thieves is an award-winning Chinese action / drama film directed by Feng Xiaogang
and starring Andy Lau
, Rene Liu
, Ge You
and Li Bingbing
. The film is an adaptation of a novelette of the same title by Zhao Benfu that was first published in 1999. The original story is moderately different from the film adaptation. The film was first released in Shanghai, China
on 5 December 2004. It clinched the 2005 Golden Horse Award for Best Screenplay Adaptation.
The film was released in Hong Kong with Cantonese
dubbing provided by Andy Lau (Wang Bo), Anthony Wong
(for the role of Uncle Li), and Chapman To
(Sha Gen).
The plot is centered around a naïve village boy who does not believe in the existence of thieves. Returning home on board a train with his savings, he soon becomes the target of many thieves. The film explores the theme of the fundamental human goodness and also addresses humorously the issue of rampant thievery on public transport in Mainland China
.
. Sha Gen (played by Wang Baoqiang
), a naïve village boy working as construction worker in Tibet, was returning home to get married. Refusing to believe that thieves exist in the world, Sha Gen insists on carrying his five years of savings worth ¥
60,000 ($7,200 USD) with him rather than use remittance. As such, he has attracted the attention of Wang Bo (Andy Lau) and Wang Li (Rene Liu), who are lovers as well as highly skilled professional thieves. Wang Bo wants to steal the money as a last hit to end their career, but Wang Li, pregnant with their child and moved by Sha Gen's innocence, decides to protect the boy.
The situation is further complicated when a small gang of thieves led by Hu Li (homophone
of fox (狐狸 Húli) in Chinese), also known as Uncle Li (Ge You
), boards the train. Uncle Li instructs his followers, among them Xiao Ye (Li Bingbing) and Four-Eyes (Gordon Lam), to refrain from doing a job on the train. Tempted by the huge amount of cash, however, some members disobey and strike, only to be robbed by Wang Bo moments later. This exposes Wang's skills to Uncle Li, who becomes highly interested in recruiting him. When Wang declines, the contest between the Wangs and Uncle Li's gang quickly escalates, with Sha Gen, still completely unaware of the danger surrounding him.
While the two sides tussle, however, a plainclothes police detective (Zhang Hanyu
) has been silently watching and awaiting his chance. As the police force eventually closes in, Uncle Li attempts to make off with Sha Gen's money but is confronted by Wang Bo, who has finally promised to lend his help to Wang Li to protect Sha Gen's innocence. The two engage in a violent hand-to-hand combat. Although Wang succeeds in retrieving the money and giving it back, he is seriously injured in the fray, and subsequently dies. Uncle Li and his gang are all apprehended as the train pulls into station, but the police officer lets Wang Li go on compassionate grounds. Wang Li returns to Tibet sometime later, abandoning her baby to the locals before praying to the heavens in a show of penance.
100,000 in box office on its premier night in Beijing. Within ten days of release the total box office in Mainland China
exceeded ¥80 million. This figure rose to ¥100 million on the last day of 2004. This, together with comparable achievement in box office by the Stephen Chow
production Kung Fu Hustle
, released within the same month, has been hailed as a new milestone in the Chinese film industry. However, the film did not do as well in the Hong Kong market.
On the other hand, almost two months after the film's release, China Post
voiced dissatisfaction over the film's misguiding information on the administrative charge of remitting money through China Post. In a scene, Sha Gen claimed that remitting ¥
60,000 requires an administrative charge of ¥600. China Post verified that it would only require ¥100 and said it would not rule out seeking damages.
Feng Xiaogang
Feng Xiaogang , in is a Chinese film director. He is famous in China as being perhaps the most successful "commercialized" filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well in the box office, although Feng has attempted to break out from that mold by making drama or period drama films...
and starring Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
, Rene Liu
René Liu
René Liu was born June 1, 1969. She is a Taiwanese actress and singer. She is the first to win Best Actress awards at the Asia Pacific Movie Festival in both television and film productions...
, Ge You
Ge You
Ge You is an acclaimed Mainland Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in the Mainland...
and Li Bingbing
Li Bingbing
Li Bingbing is a Chinese actress and singer.-Life and career:Li had no intention of becoming an actress initially and enrolled specifically in a high school for prospective school teachers...
. The film is an adaptation of a novelette of the same title by Zhao Benfu that was first published in 1999. The original story is moderately different from the film adaptation. The film was first released in Shanghai, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
on 5 December 2004. It clinched the 2005 Golden Horse Award for Best Screenplay Adaptation.
The film was released in Hong Kong with Cantonese
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
dubbing provided by Andy Lau (Wang Bo), Anthony Wong
Anthony Wong Chau Sang
Anthony Wong Chau-sang is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning Hong Kong actor, screenwriter and film director. He is regarded as one of the most notable actors in Hong Kong.-Biography:...
(for the role of Uncle Li), and Chapman To
Chapman To
Chapman To Man-chak is a Hong Kong actor, best known for specializing in comedic roles in films such as Infernal Affairs and Initial D.-Career:To began his acting career in TV soap operas and moved to the big screen in 2000...
(Sha Gen).
The plot is centered around a naïve village boy who does not believe in the existence of thieves. Returning home on board a train with his savings, he soon becomes the target of many thieves. The film explores the theme of the fundamental human goodness and also addresses humorously the issue of rampant thievery on public transport in Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
.
Plot
The story is set primarily on a train bound inland from TibetTibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Sha Gen (played by Wang Baoqiang
Wang Baoqiang
Wang Baoqiang is a Chinese actor. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie Blind Shaft, for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards with Megan Tzengwon...
), a naïve village boy working as construction worker in Tibet, was returning home to get married. Refusing to believe that thieves exist in the world, Sha Gen insists on carrying his five years of savings worth ¥
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
60,000 ($7,200 USD) with him rather than use remittance. As such, he has attracted the attention of Wang Bo (Andy Lau) and Wang Li (Rene Liu), who are lovers as well as highly skilled professional thieves. Wang Bo wants to steal the money as a last hit to end their career, but Wang Li, pregnant with their child and moved by Sha Gen's innocence, decides to protect the boy.
The situation is further complicated when a small gang of thieves led by Hu Li (homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of fox (狐狸 Húli) in Chinese), also known as Uncle Li (Ge You
Ge You
Ge You is an acclaimed Mainland Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in the Mainland...
), boards the train. Uncle Li instructs his followers, among them Xiao Ye (Li Bingbing) and Four-Eyes (Gordon Lam), to refrain from doing a job on the train. Tempted by the huge amount of cash, however, some members disobey and strike, only to be robbed by Wang Bo moments later. This exposes Wang's skills to Uncle Li, who becomes highly interested in recruiting him. When Wang declines, the contest between the Wangs and Uncle Li's gang quickly escalates, with Sha Gen, still completely unaware of the danger surrounding him.
While the two sides tussle, however, a plainclothes police detective (Zhang Hanyu
Zhang Hanyu
Zhang Hanyu is a Chinese actor.-Biography:Zhang graduated from the Beijing Central Academy of Drama in 1988. He started his career by doing Chinese voice dubbing for films such as Shark Tale, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and Troy...
) has been silently watching and awaiting his chance. As the police force eventually closes in, Uncle Li attempts to make off with Sha Gen's money but is confronted by Wang Bo, who has finally promised to lend his help to Wang Li to protect Sha Gen's innocence. The two engage in a violent hand-to-hand combat. Although Wang succeeds in retrieving the money and giving it back, he is seriously injured in the fray, and subsequently dies. Uncle Li and his gang are all apprehended as the train pulls into station, but the police officer lets Wang Li go on compassionate grounds. Wang Li returns to Tibet sometime later, abandoning her baby to the locals before praying to the heavens in a show of penance.
Cast
- Andy LauAndy LauAndy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
as Wang Bo (王薄 Wáng Bó) - Rene LiuRené LiuRené Liu was born June 1, 1969. She is a Taiwanese actress and singer. She is the first to win Best Actress awards at the Asia Pacific Movie Festival in both television and film productions...
as Wang Li (王丽 Wáng Lì) - Ge YouGe YouGe You is an acclaimed Mainland Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in the Mainland...
as Hu Li, a.k.a. Uncle Li (黎叔 Lí-shū), - Li BingbingLi BingbingLi Bingbing is a Chinese actress and singer.-Life and career:Li had no intention of becoming an actress initially and enrolled specifically in a high school for prospective school teachers...
as Xiao Ye (小叶 Xiǎo Yè, "Little Ye") - Wang BaoqiangWang BaoqiangWang Baoqiang is a Chinese actor. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie Blind Shaft, for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards with Megan Tzengwon...
as Sha Gen (傻根 Shǎ Gēn, "Foolish Root," "Dumbo" in the U.S. version) - You YongYou YongYou Yong is a Chinese actor from Xi'an, Shaanxi province.You Yong enrolled in the Xi'an Drama School in 1979 and was joined the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1984. Upon graduation in 1988, he acted in his first film, Obsession, marking the start of his career...
as Thief Number Two (二当家 Èr Dāngjiā), follower of Uncle Li - Gordon Lam as Four-Eyes (四眼 Sìyǎn)
- Zhang HanyuZhang HanyuZhang Hanyu is a Chinese actor.-Biography:Zhang graduated from the Beijing Central Academy of Drama in 1988. He started his career by doing Chinese voice dubbing for films such as Shark Tale, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and Troy...
as police detective (警察 Jǐngchá) - Fu BiaoFu BiaoFu Biao was a famous Chinese actor.-Biography:Fu Biao was born in the family of an army officer on September 27, 1963, in Beijing. After graduating from high school, he entered a film academy in Beijing to learn acting. As a film actor, he acted for the first time in the Shanghai Triad...
as General Manager Liu (刘经理 Liú-jīnglǐ), a previous victim of the Wangs - Fan WeiFan WeiFan Wei , born September 2, 1962 in Shenyang, Liaoning, China, is a Chinese skit and sitcom actor and film actor, best known for his performances with Zhao Benshan in CCTV New Year’s Galas since 1995. In recent years, he has been featured in such films as Cell Phone, A World Without Thieves, If...
as fat robber
Reception
The film recorded ¥Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
100,000 in box office on its premier night in Beijing. Within ten days of release the total box office in Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
exceeded ¥80 million. This figure rose to ¥100 million on the last day of 2004. This, together with comparable achievement in box office by the Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...
production Kung Fu Hustle
Kung Fu Hustle
Kung Fu Hustle is a 2004 action comedy film directed and produced by, and starring Stephen Chow. The other film producers were Chui Po-chu and Jeffrey Lau, while the screenplay was written by Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung, and Tsang Kan-cheung...
, released within the same month, has been hailed as a new milestone in the Chinese film industry. However, the film did not do as well in the Hong Kong market.
On the other hand, almost two months after the film's release, China Post
China Post
China Post , which is the name used by the State Post Bureau of PRC in business, is the official postal service of the People's Republic of China. China Post is operated by the State Post Bureau of the People's Republic of China. The State Post Bureau, commonly referred to as China Post, is both a...
voiced dissatisfaction over the film's misguiding information on the administrative charge of remitting money through China Post. In a scene, Sha Gen claimed that remitting ¥
Renminbi
The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...
60,000 requires an administrative charge of ¥600. China Post verified that it would only require ¥100 and said it would not rule out seeking damages.
Awards and nominations
- Golden Horse Awards, 2005
- Best Screenplay Adaptation — Feng XiaogangFeng XiaogangFeng Xiaogang , in is a Chinese film director. He is famous in China as being perhaps the most successful "commercialized" filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well in the box office, although Feng has attempted to break out from that mold by making drama or period drama films...
, Wang GangWang GangWang Gang may refer to:*Wang Gang , Chinese politician and a leader of the Communist Party of China*Wang Gang , Chinese actor, TV host*Wang Gang , Chinese footballer...
, Lin Lisheng, Zhang Jialu - Best Picture (nominated)
- Best Action Choreography (nominated)
- Best Editing (nominated)
- Best Screenplay Adaptation — Feng Xiaogang
- Hong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsThe Hong Kong Film Awards , founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in mainland China and Taiwan. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing,...
, 2005- Best Asian Film (nominated)
- Golden Bauhinia AwardsGolden Bauhinia AwardsGolden Bauhinia Awards is a Hong Kong film award organised by the Hong Kong Film Critics Association. Its first award presentation ceremony took place in 1996....
, 2005- Best Leading Actress — Rene LiuRené LiuRené Liu was born June 1, 1969. She is a Taiwanese actress and singer. She is the first to win Best Actress awards at the Asia Pacific Movie Festival in both television and film productions...
- Top Ten Chinese Films
- Best Leading Actress — Rene Liu
- Montréal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film FestivalThe Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
, 2005- Grand Prix des Amériques (nominated)
- Hundred Flowers AwardsHundred Flowers AwardsThe People's Hundred Flowers Film Festival or Hundred Flowers Awards, equivalent the China's Golden Globes, are considered, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards in China...
, 2006- Best Leading Actress — Rene Liu