The Accidental Spy
Encyclopedia
The Accidental Spy is a 2001
Hong Kong
martial arts
action film
, starring Jackie Chan
and directed by Teddy Chan
. Filming took place in Istanbul
.
Although it is a Hong Kong film, much of the dialogue is in English
, particularly during communications between
the Chinese characters and the Korea
n and Turkish
characters. Despite having a fairly serious and dark plot in some parts, it still features some humour, as is typical of Chan's films.
where many people have mysteriously died, seemingly from pneumonia
. In Hong Kong
, Buck Yuen works as an exercise equipment
salesman. After an unsuccessful day at work, he heads out through the shopping mall and intuitively knows that a robbery is about to take place. Buck thwarts the robbers plans, relieving them of the money they have stolen and returning it to the police. Later, a stranger approaches Buck, eager to speak the hero who foiled the robbery. The stranger goes by the name of Manny Liu and he tells Buck that he is rounding up several men of Buck's age and description, one of whom could be the son of a wealthy Korean
man.
As a child, Buck had been an orphan, but he has vague dreams seemingly recalling his parents cooing over him, his father clutching a shiny object. Buck goes to meet the Korean
man in question, a former spy, who does not have long to live. After fending off an attack on the old man, Buck is given the opportunity to play a "game" with the old man. The old man gives him a crucifix, which appears to be the shiny object of his dreams, confirming this man to be his father. Once the old man has died, Buck finds the first clue to the "game" at his grave – a message saying "wait for me" in English
. Eventually he realises that the letters of the phrase correspond to a telephone number and calls it. It turns out to be a bank in Turkey
, so Buck sets out on his journey.
Once in Turkey, Buck goes to the bank and receives the contents of the old man's safety deposit box – a large sum of money and a small package. Avoiding the attempted theft of his newfound wealth by a group of thugs who have commandeered a fleet of taxis, Buck eventually makes it back to his hotel. Along the way he meets two women – the first, Korean reporter Carmen and the second, a Chinese woman called Yong, who sings sweetly and wears a scarf embroidered with the same phrase from the old man's grave. He catches up with the woman and they arrange to meet later.
Buck then visits a Turkish baths, but is accosted by another group of thugs, and ends up being pursued, wearing nothing but a towel, through a Turkish bazaar
. He soon loses his towel, and is forced to hide his nudity with a variety of implements from the various stores, all the while, avoiding attacks from the thugs.
He hides in an alleyway and notices huge pieces of cloth hanging from above, so he rapidly performs acrobatic moves to twist the material around himself. Thus disguised in the makeshift clothing he finally manages to make his escape.
Carmen Wong, who had appeared to be a reporter, turns out to be working for the CIA and she informs Buck that the item everyone seems so keen to get their hands on is a new biological weapon, Anthrax II, many times more powerful than regular anthrax
. It is this that had killed the many Turkish people in the film's opening scene – Turkey had been chosen as the testing ground.
When Buck meets up with Yong, he learns that her boss is crime lord Lee Sang-zen, and a deal had been brokered between him and Buck's 'father'.
Buck and Yong are then captured by a Turkish gang and tied up, but the gang themselves are subject to an attack from Lee's gang. Buck makes his escape and frees Yong, winding the winch cable of a crane all around the supporting wooden beams of the building and setting the crane to retract the cable. The cable rips through the wooden building, tearing it from its moorings and allows Buck and Yong to escape into the sea. Later the pair are picked up by Lee, and Buck learns that Yong is a drug addict, practically a slave to Lee and her life is in grave danger.
Later, as they part, Lee offers Buck a new deal, more money and Yong's freedom if he gives Lee what he wants.
Realizing that if he saves Yong's life, many others may die, Buck seeks the advice of a Turkish priest. The priest knows the various East Asia
n languages, and was an associate of the old man. He leads Buck to a basement room and gives him the item that everyone has been trying to get their hands on – 2 vials of Anthrax II. He advises Buck to save the one he can and leave the consequences up to God. Buck relents, following the advice of the priest, hands over the vials over to save Yong. However, he soon learns that she has already been given a fatal dose of drugs and is soon dead.
Buck tells Carmen that he gave the vials up for Yong's life and a desperate race to get them back ensues. Manny reappears in a helicopter to assist Buck as he chases after Lee. At the height of the action, the thugs' car becomes lodged into the rear of a large oil tanker, which catches fire. In scenes reminiscent of Speed, the driver is told he must keep the tanker traveling at 80 km/h or else the fire will spread forward, blowing up the tanker and a huge blast radius around it. Buck pulls the family from the tanker to safety one by one, but cannot escape himself. Manny Liu reappears in a helicopter to help get Buck out, but is unable to. At the last moment, as the tanker heads towards the edge of a disused bridge, Buck leaps from the tanker. As he flies over the edge of the bridge, he grabs the plastic barrier, which is quickly uprooted sending him swinging down towards the ground, as the flaming oil tanker crashes into the ground below and explodes. Buck rolls down a hill after the jump, hitting his head. As he loses consciousness, Manny searches his body for the Antrax II and takes it.
When Buck wakes up in the hospital after recovering from his injuries, Manny reveals that his entire adventure was actually an intelligence mission arranged for an undisclosed American intelligence agency, performed by Buck as an informal, non-official agent (thus the movie title, accidental spy). His background as an orphan, combined with his talents of extremely sharp intuitions and excellent martial arts skills had made him a perfect candidate for a freelance agent who could perform special missions. The mission was set as a "game" for Buck since he was not an official agent and therefore cannot be briefed about it. His sharp intuition enabled him to interpret his "clues" correctly, thus enabling him to perform his mission successfully.
As the end credits are rolling, Buck is shown as getting involved in another "adventure", another way of saying that he's performing another intelligence mission-as an "accidental" spy.
by Universe Laser in Hong Kong. The release contains a non-anamorphic picture and a "making of" feature section. On March 19, 2009, Kam & Ronson released a remastered DVD with an anamorphic picture, 5.1 and DTS sound, but with no special features.
on May 4. This film is the first Hong Kong production by Jackie Chan
to be released on Blu-ray Disc.
Hong Kong films of 2001
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 2001:.-2001:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2001 at...
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...
martial arts
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
action film
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
, starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
and directed by Teddy Chan
Teddy Chan
Teddy Chan or Teddy Chen Tak Sum is a Hong Kong film director and artist.-Filmography:Filmography as director, art director and other positions:* Bodyguards and Assassins , Director * Chaos , Producer...
. Filming took place in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Although it is a Hong Kong film, much of the dialogue is in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, particularly during communications between
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
the Chinese characters and the Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n and Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
characters. Despite having a fairly serious and dark plot in some parts, it still features some humour, as is typical of Chan's films.
Plot
A news reporter covers a story in TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
where many people have mysteriously died, seemingly from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. In Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Buck Yuen works as an exercise equipment
Exercise equipment
An apparatus or device used in any given physical activity for shaping and forming muscle groups for specific areas of the body. A mechanism or machine that is intended to promote health and fitness by using motion with varying degrees of resistance either fixed or adjustable.-Exercise...
salesman. After an unsuccessful day at work, he heads out through the shopping mall and intuitively knows that a robbery is about to take place. Buck thwarts the robbers plans, relieving them of the money they have stolen and returning it to the police. Later, a stranger approaches Buck, eager to speak the hero who foiled the robbery. The stranger goes by the name of Manny Liu and he tells Buck that he is rounding up several men of Buck's age and description, one of whom could be the son of a wealthy Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
man.
As a child, Buck had been an orphan, but he has vague dreams seemingly recalling his parents cooing over him, his father clutching a shiny object. Buck goes to meet the Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
man in question, a former spy, who does not have long to live. After fending off an attack on the old man, Buck is given the opportunity to play a "game" with the old man. The old man gives him a crucifix, which appears to be the shiny object of his dreams, confirming this man to be his father. Once the old man has died, Buck finds the first clue to the "game" at his grave – a message saying "wait for me" in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Eventually he realises that the letters of the phrase correspond to a telephone number and calls it. It turns out to be a bank in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, so Buck sets out on his journey.
Once in Turkey, Buck goes to the bank and receives the contents of the old man's safety deposit box – a large sum of money and a small package. Avoiding the attempted theft of his newfound wealth by a group of thugs who have commandeered a fleet of taxis, Buck eventually makes it back to his hotel. Along the way he meets two women – the first, Korean reporter Carmen and the second, a Chinese woman called Yong, who sings sweetly and wears a scarf embroidered with the same phrase from the old man's grave. He catches up with the woman and they arrange to meet later.
Buck then visits a Turkish baths, but is accosted by another group of thugs, and ends up being pursued, wearing nothing but a towel, through a Turkish bazaar
Bazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
. He soon loses his towel, and is forced to hide his nudity with a variety of implements from the various stores, all the while, avoiding attacks from the thugs.
He hides in an alleyway and notices huge pieces of cloth hanging from above, so he rapidly performs acrobatic moves to twist the material around himself. Thus disguised in the makeshift clothing he finally manages to make his escape.
Carmen Wong, who had appeared to be a reporter, turns out to be working for the CIA and she informs Buck that the item everyone seems so keen to get their hands on is a new biological weapon, Anthrax II, many times more powerful than regular anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
. It is this that had killed the many Turkish people in the film's opening scene – Turkey had been chosen as the testing ground.
When Buck meets up with Yong, he learns that her boss is crime lord Lee Sang-zen, and a deal had been brokered between him and Buck's 'father'.
Buck and Yong are then captured by a Turkish gang and tied up, but the gang themselves are subject to an attack from Lee's gang. Buck makes his escape and frees Yong, winding the winch cable of a crane all around the supporting wooden beams of the building and setting the crane to retract the cable. The cable rips through the wooden building, tearing it from its moorings and allows Buck and Yong to escape into the sea. Later the pair are picked up by Lee, and Buck learns that Yong is a drug addict, practically a slave to Lee and her life is in grave danger.
Later, as they part, Lee offers Buck a new deal, more money and Yong's freedom if he gives Lee what he wants.
Realizing that if he saves Yong's life, many others may die, Buck seeks the advice of a Turkish priest. The priest knows the various East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
n languages, and was an associate of the old man. He leads Buck to a basement room and gives him the item that everyone has been trying to get their hands on – 2 vials of Anthrax II. He advises Buck to save the one he can and leave the consequences up to God. Buck relents, following the advice of the priest, hands over the vials over to save Yong. However, he soon learns that she has already been given a fatal dose of drugs and is soon dead.
Buck tells Carmen that he gave the vials up for Yong's life and a desperate race to get them back ensues. Manny reappears in a helicopter to assist Buck as he chases after Lee. At the height of the action, the thugs' car becomes lodged into the rear of a large oil tanker, which catches fire. In scenes reminiscent of Speed, the driver is told he must keep the tanker traveling at 80 km/h or else the fire will spread forward, blowing up the tanker and a huge blast radius around it. Buck pulls the family from the tanker to safety one by one, but cannot escape himself. Manny Liu reappears in a helicopter to help get Buck out, but is unable to. At the last moment, as the tanker heads towards the edge of a disused bridge, Buck leaps from the tanker. As he flies over the edge of the bridge, he grabs the plastic barrier, which is quickly uprooted sending him swinging down towards the ground, as the flaming oil tanker crashes into the ground below and explodes. Buck rolls down a hill after the jump, hitting his head. As he loses consciousness, Manny searches his body for the Antrax II and takes it.
When Buck wakes up in the hospital after recovering from his injuries, Manny reveals that his entire adventure was actually an intelligence mission arranged for an undisclosed American intelligence agency, performed by Buck as an informal, non-official agent (thus the movie title, accidental spy). His background as an orphan, combined with his talents of extremely sharp intuitions and excellent martial arts skills had made him a perfect candidate for a freelance agent who could perform special missions. The mission was set as a "game" for Buck since he was not an official agent and therefore cannot be briefed about it. His sharp intuition enabled him to interpret his "clues" correctly, thus enabling him to perform his mission successfully.
As the end credits are rolling, Buck is shown as getting involved in another "adventure", another way of saying that he's performing another intelligence mission-as an "accidental" spy.
Cast
- Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
as Buck Yuen - Eric TsangEric TsangEric Tsang Chi-wai , MH is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.-Biography:Due to his popularity, he is often the MC in events organized by TVB, and is nicknamed "the Prize Master"...
as Manny Liu - Vivian HsuVivian HsuVivian Hsu is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and model who has gained remarkable popularity in East Asia, mainly in Taiwan and Japan.Hsu rose to prominence in Japan, where she made her first appearance in 1995 and has become a highly-recognized celebrity with her countless appearances in media...
as Yong - Kim Min-jeong as Carmen Wong
- Wu Hsing-kuoWu Hsing-kuoWu Hsing-kuo is a Taiwanese actor of the silver screen and theater, known for both his performance of complex movie roles as much as for his innovative adaptations of Western classics into traditional Peking Opera....
as Lee Sang-zen (Mr Zen) - Cheung Tat-mingCheung Tat-MingCheung Tat-ming is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, director and writer. Cheung married Ho Nim-chi in September 2001. Ms Ho is a doctor...
as Stan - Pauline SuenAlien SunAlien Sun is a Singapore-born actress and Miss Singapore Universe of 1994 and represented her country at Miss Universe...
as Woman looking at gym equipment - Alfred CheungAlfred CheungAlfred Cheung Kin-ting is a Chinese actor, director, writer and producer.-Biography:On graduating from the Chinese Language & Literature Faculty of the Hong Kong Baptist University, Alfred Cheung earned a diploma in film production from the Chinese University of Hong Kong...
as Lawyer - Teresa Ha as Old woman in elevator
- Anthony Rene Jones as Philip Ashley
- Glory Simon as TCN field reporter
- Scott AdkinsScott AdkinsScott Adkins is an English actor and martial artist who is perhaps best known for playing Yuri Boyka in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and Undisputed III: Redemption and Bradley Hume in Holby City and Ed Russell in Mile High...
as Turkish leader - Didem ErolDidem ErolDidem Erol, is an Australian actress.-Filmography:* Fake Identity Eva* Doomsday Ellie* Süper Ajan K9 Ayşe Kosovalı...
as Mafia boss's girlfriend - Lillian Ho as Candice
- Gordon AlexanderGordon AlexanderGordon Alexander was a British Olympic fencer. He competed in the individual foil and épée events at the 1912 Summer Olympics.-References:...
as Zen's henchman - Raven Choi as Zen's henchman
- Joh Young-kwon as Park Won-jung
- Chan Siu-wah as Man attacking Park
- Fung Wai-lun as Man attacking Park
- Poon Hang-sang as Man looking at gym equipment
- Ken Cheung as Cop in shopping mall
- Ray Pang as Bar waiter
- Piggy Chan as Korean official
- Lemon Liu as Korean official
- Teddy ChanTeddy ChanTeddy Chan or Teddy Chen Tak Sum is a Hong Kong film director and artist.-Filmography:Filmography as director, art director and other positions:* Bodyguards and Assassins , Director * Chaos , Producer...
as Taxi driver tuning in to news channel - Kwan Yung as Robber
- Yan Kin-wai as Robber
- Dang Chiu-yau as Robber
- Vincent Kok as Flower arranger
- Ho Chung-wai as Cowardly man at bank robbery
- Taner Barlas as Priest
- Sherwin Ming as Reporter
Jackie Chan Stunt Team
- Brad AllanBrad AllanBradley James Allan is an Australian martial artist, action choreographer, actor and stunt performer...
as Zen's bodyguard - Anthony Carpio as Zen's bodyguard (as Carpio Anthony)
- Chris Chan as Man attacking Park
- Chan Man-ching
- Sam Wong as Salesman
- Paul Andreovski as Zen's bodyguard
Extras
- Rocky Lai
- Sirma Bradley
- Paxton Winters
- James Hills
- Pamela Spencer
- Herve Decalion
- Selim Karabol
- İsmail Hakkı Önder
- Coşkun Lamba
- Bora Karaali
- Eric Lee
- Murat Yilmaz
- Ahmet Uygun
- Rakela Kukyo
- Stephanie Wong
- Kennedy Lau
- Wong Man-chun
- Chang Kin-yung
- Cheung Tat-chun
- Ng Man-ching
DVD
The film was first released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Universe Laser in Hong Kong. The release contains a non-anamorphic picture and a "making of" feature section. On March 19, 2009, Kam & Ronson released a remastered DVD with an anamorphic picture, 5.1 and DTS sound, but with no special features.
Blu-ray Disc
The film was released on Blu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on May 4. This film is the first Hong Kong production by Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
to be released on Blu-ray Disc.
Box office
The film grossed HK$30,009,076 during its theatrical run in Hong Kong, and was Hong Kong's third biggest domestic release of the year.Awards and nominations
- 21st Hong Kong Film Awards21st Hong Kong Film AwardsCeremony for the 21st Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 21 April 2002 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Eric Tsang, Cecilia Yip, Jacqueline Pang and Cheung Tat-Ming. Twenty-three winners in eighteen categories were unveiled. The year's biggest winner was Shaolin Soccer, bagging six...
(2002)- Won: Best Action Choreography (Tung Wei)
- Won: Best Film Editing (Kwong Chi-leung)
- Nomination: Best Sound Design (Kinson Tsang)
- Nomination: Best Visual Effects