The Touch (2002 film)
Encyclopedia
The Touch is a 2002 Hong Kong
action
/adventure
martial arts film
directed by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon cinematographer Peter Pau
and starring Michelle Yeoh
, Ben Chaplin
and Richard Roxburgh
. It was produced by China Film Co-production Corporation, Han Entertainment, Mythical Films, Pandasia Entertainment and Tianjan Studios, with the distribution handled by Miramax Films
.
Apart from special effects sequences shot in soundstages, the film was shot on-location in the Nepal
and China
. Some of the mountain ranges in which the film was shot were not open to filmmakers earlier.
s who have been performing for many generations. The family are, in secret, guardians of a holy treasure accessible only by a spectacular jump which, to everyone else, is impossible to perform.
One of the family members (the main character's brother) and his girlfriend are kidnapped by a ruthless treasure hunter (Roxburgh) to procure the priceless relic for him. Yeoh's character Pak Yin, with the help of Eric (Chaplin), her master thief ex-boyfriend, pursues them into an ancient desert where legends say the treasure is buried in order to uncover and protect the treasure that her ancestors had sworn to keep safe. The action culminates in a climactic sequence set in the booby-trapped subterranean Buddhist temple.
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...
action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
/adventure
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
martial arts film
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...
directed by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon cinematographer Peter Pau
Peter Pau
Peter Pau Tak-Hei , born 1951 in Hong Kong, is a Hong Kong-based cinematographer, best known to western audiences as the cinematographer in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which he won the Best Cinematographer Oscar in 2000....
and starring Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
, Ben Chaplin
Ben Chaplin
Ben Chaplin , is an English actor.-Early life:Chaplin, the youngest of four children, was born in London, the son of Cynthia , a drama teacher, and Peter Greenwood, an engineer. He took his stage name after his mother's maiden name. He was raised in Windsor, Berkshire, England and attended Hurtwood...
and Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh is an Australian actor who has starred in many Australian films and has appeared in supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains.-Early life:...
. It was produced by China Film Co-production Corporation, Han Entertainment, Mythical Films, Pandasia Entertainment and Tianjan Studios, with the distribution handled by Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
.
Apart from special effects sequences shot in soundstages, the film was shot on-location in the Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and 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...
. Some of the mountain ranges in which the film was shot were not open to filmmakers earlier.
Synopsis
The Touch tells the story of a Chinese family of martial artists and acrobatAcrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
s who have been performing for many generations. The family are, in secret, guardians of a holy treasure accessible only by a spectacular jump which, to everyone else, is impossible to perform.
One of the family members (the main character's brother) and his girlfriend are kidnapped by a ruthless treasure hunter (Roxburgh) to procure the priceless relic for him. Yeoh's character Pak Yin, with the help of Eric (Chaplin), her master thief ex-boyfriend, pursues them into an ancient desert where legends say the treasure is buried in order to uncover and protect the treasure that her ancestors had sworn to keep safe. The action culminates in a climactic sequence set in the booby-trapped subterranean Buddhist temple.