Confession of Pain
Encyclopedia
Confession of Pain is a 2006
Hong Kong
crime
/drama
film
directed by Andrew Lau
and Alan Mak
, and starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro
, Shu Qi
and Xu Jinglei
.
Three years later, Bong discovers on the night of his girlfriend's suicide, she had been waiting at a bar for her secret lover, who wound up unconscious after a car accident the same night. Bong originally thinks that he will be angry at his girlfriend's lover, but he ends up taking care of the comatose lover while he lays in hospital. Bong eventually moves on and falls in love with a girl who sells beer in the same bar, Feng (Shu Qi).
Hei marries Susan (Xu Jinlei), daughter of billionaire Chau. Hei and two lowlife accomplices break into Chau's home to rob and kill Chau and his butler, Man. Later Hei kills his accomplices making it look like they killed each other in a dispute over the loot. Susan isn't convinced about the two killers being alone, so she hires Hei's friend Bong to investigate further. Bong discovers Hei murdered Chau for revenge. Chau had killed Hei's family when he was a boy living in Macau. Hei then took on a new identity. Hei then tries to kill his wife Susan to end the Chau family line, but she survives the attempt and goes into a coma.
When he visits Susan in hospital, he mentally confesses but all along Susan knows the truth and asks him if he ever loved her. Hei then realizes that in his desire for vengeance for his family, he destroyed the new family that he created with Susan. Susan doesn't believe him and loses her will to live. Unable to bear the pain and anguish, he shoots himself in the head in front of his wife's dead body in the hospital.
's Curse of the Golden Flower
starring Chow Yun-fat
and was beaten on the opening day, but was still able to generate box office revenues of HK$3 million on opening weekend.
, including Best Screenplay (Alan Mak, Felix Chong
), Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), Best Cinematography (Andrew Lau, Lai Yiu Fai), Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Make-Up Design, and Best Original Film Score (Chan Kwong-Wing
). However, it only won one award for Best Cinematography.
and a second disc featuring a documentary of the making of the movie, photo galleries and other bonus features. The Japan
ese release rights went to Avex Trax
, with the title "Kizudarake no Otokotachi" (傷だらけの男たち), which roughly translates as "Heavily Scarred Men".
remake of Confession of Pain was announced by Warner Bros.
, who bought the rights of the film. Leonardo DiCaprio
's production company, Appian Way, is producing the film alongside Roy Lee
, who brokered the remake deals on Asian movies from The Ring
to Infernal Affairs
. At the moment, however, it isn't yet known if DiCaprio, who also starred in the Hollywood remake of Infernal Affairs (another Lau/Mak film), The Departed
, will also star in the film. William Monahan
, who won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Departed, will work on the script.
performed the theme song Secret, which appears in the international version of the movie. The Mandarin theme song in the Chinese version of the movie, Secret of a Forlorn City (傷城秘密), was performed by Denise Ho
.
Hong Kong films of 2006
-2006:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2006 at * at Hong Kong Film Archive...
Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
crime
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
/drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung is a Hong Kong cinematographer and filmmaker. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai. In the 1990s, Lau decided to have more creative freedom as a cinematographer by becoming a film...
and Alan Mak
Alan Mak
Alan Mak Siu-Fai , born on 1 January 1968 in Hong Kong, is a writer, director, actor and producer.-Biography:In 1986, Mak studied at the School of Drama in the Hong Kong Academy for Performance Arts. Upon graduation in 1990, he started his movie career....
, and starring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro
Takeshi Kaneshiro
Takeshi Kaneshiro , born October 11, 1973, is a Taiwan-born Japanese actor and singer.-Name:...
, Shu Qi
Shu Qi
Shu Qi is the stage name of a Taiwanese actress born Lin Li-Hui . Her stage name is occasionally romanized as Hsu Chi or Shu Kei . Her name is sometimes seen in the Western order as Qi Shu.-Early life:...
and Xu Jinglei
Xu Jinglei
Xu Jinglei is an actress, director and editor most famous in her native mainland China. Xu graduated from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in 1997. Along with Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun and Zhang Ziyi, the mainland Chinese media considers her a member of the Four Young Dan actresses...
.
Plot summary
Detective Hei (Leung), a kind-hearted veteran police officer and his partner Bong (Kaneshiro) bust a rapist in 2003. When Bong returns home after the bust, he finds his pregnant girlfriend has committed suicide. Since then, Bong becomes an alcoholic and turns in his badge to work as a private investigator. He is obsessed with finding out why his girlfriend committed suicide years ago.Three years later, Bong discovers on the night of his girlfriend's suicide, she had been waiting at a bar for her secret lover, who wound up unconscious after a car accident the same night. Bong originally thinks that he will be angry at his girlfriend's lover, but he ends up taking care of the comatose lover while he lays in hospital. Bong eventually moves on and falls in love with a girl who sells beer in the same bar, Feng (Shu Qi).
Hei marries Susan (Xu Jinlei), daughter of billionaire Chau. Hei and two lowlife accomplices break into Chau's home to rob and kill Chau and his butler, Man. Later Hei kills his accomplices making it look like they killed each other in a dispute over the loot. Susan isn't convinced about the two killers being alone, so she hires Hei's friend Bong to investigate further. Bong discovers Hei murdered Chau for revenge. Chau had killed Hei's family when he was a boy living in Macau. Hei then took on a new identity. Hei then tries to kill his wife Susan to end the Chau family line, but she survives the attempt and goes into a coma.
When he visits Susan in hospital, he mentally confesses but all along Susan knows the truth and asks him if he ever loved her. Hei then realizes that in his desire for vengeance for his family, he destroyed the new family that he created with Susan. Susan doesn't believe him and loses her will to live. Unable to bear the pain and anguish, he shoots himself in the head in front of his wife's dead body in the hospital.
Cast
- Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Detective Lau Ching-Hei
- Takeshi KaneshiroTakeshi KaneshiroTakeshi Kaneshiro , born October 11, 1973, is a Taiwan-born Japanese actor and singer.-Name:...
as Detective Yau Kin-Bong - Shu QiShu QiShu Qi is the stage name of a Taiwanese actress born Lin Li-Hui . Her stage name is occasionally romanized as Hsu Chi or Shu Kei . Her name is sometimes seen in the Western order as Qi Shu.-Early life:...
as Feng - Xu JingleiXu JingleiXu Jinglei is an actress, director and editor most famous in her native mainland China. Xu graduated from the prestigious Beijing Film Academy in 1997. Along with Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun and Zhang Ziyi, the mainland Chinese media considers her a member of the Four Young Dan actresses...
as Susan Chew - Chapman ToChapman ToChapman 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...
as Inspector Tsui Wing-Kwong - Yueh Hua as Susan's father
- Emme WongEmme WongEmme Wong Yee-Man is a Cantopop singer based in Hong Kong.Wong originally debuted under the name "Dior Wong" in late 2001, as one of Universal Records's promising new pop starlets. As Dior Wong, she sported a clean and youthful image, and released her first EP Pure Impression in November...
as Rachel - Wan Yeung-Ming as Susan's father's servant
- Wayne LaiWayne LaiWayne Lai Yiu-cheung is a Hong Kong TVB actor.-Biography:Lai entered TVB in 1983 as a clerk in the business department. In 1985, he gave up the job and trained in the TVB Acting School. He starred in a few series in 1989. He started out in some minor roles, and took on some more significant roles...
- Toby LeungToby LeungToby Jing-Kei Leung is a female Cantopop singer and actress from Hong Kong. She entered the music industry in 2004 when the MusicNationGroup discovered her talent. Together with Macy Chan, Elise Liu and Bella Cheung they formed the singing group Girl's only Dormitory but later broke up...
- Elena KongElena KongElena Kong Mei-yee is a Hong Kong actress and presenter.Kong made her acting debut in many television commercials of the 1990s, and appeared in some of Andy Lau's music video concerts. After joining with Asia Television Limited and in 1997, she landed her first lead role in television drama...
Critical reception
Critics' review of the movie was mixed. Most critics positively reviewed the performances by Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro, but criticized the plot for the lack of suspense because it revealed prematurely the identity of the murderer.Box office
Confession of Pain opened in Hong Kong in the same week as Zhang YimouZhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum....
's Curse of the Golden Flower
Curse of the Golden Flower
Curse of the Golden Flower is a 2006 Chinese epic drama film directed by Zhang Yimou.With a budget of US$45 million, it was at the time of its release the most expensive Chinese film to date, surpassing Chen Kaige's The Promise...
starring Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
and was beaten on the opening day, but was still able to generate box office revenues of HK$3 million on opening weekend.
Awards
Confession was nominated for seven awards in the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards26th Hong Kong Film Awards
Ceremony for the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 15 April 2007 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Bowie Tsang, Nick Cheung and Lam Chi-chung. Twenty-six winners in nineteen categories were unveiled, with film After This Our Exile being the year's biggest winner...
, including Best Screenplay (Alan Mak, Felix Chong
Felix Chong
Felix Chong Man-Keung is a Hong Kong screenwriter, film director and actor.He is one of the most celebrated screenwriters in Hong Kong and has won several prestigious awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards...
), Best Actor (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), Best Cinematography (Andrew Lau, Lai Yiu Fai), Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume and Make-Up Design, and Best Original Film Score (Chan Kwong-Wing
Chan Kwong-Wing
Comfort Chan Kwong-wing is a music composer for Hong Kong films. Some of his well-known works in films include the Infernal Affairs trilogy, SPL: Sha Po Lang, Initial D and Daisy....
). However, it only won one award for Best Cinematography.
Distribution
Confession of Pain was released in theatres in Hong Kong on December 21, 2006. The 2-disc DVD edition, 2-disc DVD special edition (with postcard book) and VCD edition were all released in Hong Kong on February 14, 2007. The DVD editions feature audio in DTS-ESDigital Theater System
DTS is a series of multichannel audio technologies owned by DTS, Inc. , an American company specializing in digital surround sound formats used for both commercial/theatrical and consumer grade applications...
and a second disc featuring a documentary of the making of the movie, photo galleries and other bonus features. The Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese release rights went to Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
, with the title "Kizudarake no Otokotachi" (傷だらけの男たち), which roughly translates as "Heavily Scarred Men".
Remake
A HollywoodCinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
remake of Confession of Pain was announced by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, who bought the rights of the film. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
's production company, Appian Way, is producing the film alongside Roy Lee
Roy Lee
Roy Lee is an American film producer who regularly takes well known Asian films and remakes them for American audiences. Examples include The Ring, The Grudge and The Departed...
, who brokered the remake deals on Asian movies from The Ring
The Ring (2002 film)
The Ring is a 2002 American psychological horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson. It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film Ring....
to Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs is a 2002 Hong Kong crime-thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the triads, and a police officer secretly working for the same gang. The Chinese title means "the non-stop path", a reference to Avici, the lowest...
. At the moment, however, it isn't yet known if DiCaprio, who also starred in the Hollywood remake of Infernal Affairs (another Lau/Mak film), The Departed
The Departed
The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
, will also star in the film. William Monahan
William Monahan
William J. Monahan is an American screenwriter and novelist. His second produced screenplay was The Departed, a film which earned him a WGA award and an Academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay.-Writer and editor:...
, who won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Departed, will work on the script.
Soundtrack
Ayumi HamasakiAyumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
performed the theme song Secret, which appears in the international version of the movie. The Mandarin theme song in the Chinese version of the movie, Secret of a Forlorn City (傷城秘密), was performed by Denise Ho
Denise Ho
Denise Ho Wan-See, also known as HOCC, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer.-1996-2001:Denise Ho was born in Hong Kong and received her education in Canada and Diocesan Girls' Junior School, Hong Kong. She emigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec at the age of 11. She studied and graduated High...
.
Trivia
- Sponsors of the movie include: Giorgio ArmaniGiorgio ArmaniGiorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
, Ayumi HamasakiAyumi Hamasakiis a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
, 1010New World MobilityNew World Mobility is a mobile communications brand name in Hong Kong. It was launched in 1997 and previously parented by New World PCS Limited...
, San MiguelSan Miguel CorporationEstablished in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
, Citicall, Philip SteinPhilip SteinPhilip Stein better known as "Estaño" , was an American painter and muralist.- Biography :...
, D-LinkD-LinkD-Link Corporation was founded in June 1986 in Taipei as Datex Systems Inc. It began as a network adapter vendor and has gone on to become a designer, developer, and manufacturer of networking solutions for both the consumer and business markets.In 2007, it was the leading networking company in...
, Neway and APM.