Time and Tide (2000 film)
Encyclopedia
Time and Tide is a 2000
Hong Kong action film
directed by Tsui Hark
. The film is set in Hong Kong where a young man becomes a bodyguard and befriends a mercenary determined to begin life a new with the woman he just married. The two men find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt which propels them toward confrontation with each other.
The film was re-written several times during production and post-production stages to accommodate director Tsui Hark
's casting choices. The film was nominated for six Hong Kong Film Awards
and received generally positive reviews from western critics.
) impregnates a lesbian cop, Ah Jo (Cathy Tsui),after a drunken night. He joins an unlicensed bodyguard service led by Uncle Ji (Anthony Wong
), to earn money to give to Ah Jo who wants nothing to do with him. Nearly nine months later, Tyler meets up with a butcher named Jack (Wu Bai
) and his pregnant wife, Ah Hui (Candy Lo
), who helps Tyler, at Ah Hui's father's birthday, prevent the father's assassination. Tyler tries to convince Jack to start a bodyguard service with him, but Jack turns him down.
A group of South American and Chinese mercenaries, known as the Angels, arrive and threaten Jack, who they call Juan, and their second in command Miguel (Couto Remotigue) offers him a chance to rejoin them if he kills his own father-in-law. Instead, Jack kills the leader of the Angels and evades Uncle Ji's bodyguards, knocking Tyler out in the process, and then steals a case full of cash from under their noses and escapes from the Angels. Jack drops his wife off at her father's mansion, giving her a key to a train station locker and telling her to go there when their child is born. Tyler is interrogated by the cops in connection with Jack, who accuse him of being connected to the killer because he saw him up close. Tyler tells them nothing.
An Jo tries unsuccessfully to parole Tyler, but Uncle Ji succeeds. Tyler thanks An Jo, and Uncle Ji locks him up in a transportation crate for a night before letting him out and getting Tyler to tell him about Jack. Uncle Ji gives Tyler more money, which Tyler tries to give to Ah Jo; he finds out that she has just gone into the hospital to give birth. Tyler heads off after Jack, and breaks into his apartment only to find the Angels and Jack have the place staked out.
A running gun battle ensues between Jack and the Angels as Tyler desperately tries to survive in Jack's apartment. Tyler ends up trapped in the apartment with the gas leaking and only manages to survive the explosion by hiding in the refrigerator. Jack tricks the Angels into killing one of their own and distracting them long enough so he and Tyler can escape the rest. Miguel admits defeat and tries to call a truce with Jack, but then calls it off when one of the other Angels spots Jack's wife who arrives on the scene to see her former apartment burning.
The Angels take off after An Hui, following her to the train station. Tyler steals a taxi with his fake gun, giving his wallet to the driver, who promptly takes it to the cops. The police, still suspicious of Tyler from earlier, place him at the scene of the gun battle and explosion send a SWAT team after him to the station. At the station, Tyler confronts An Hui with his fake gun and takes the money Jack stole from the Angels. An Hui goes into labor and one of the Angels shoots a cop, and an innocent, while trying to shoot Tyler.
In the ensuing panic, Tyler drags An Hui off to safety and the SWAT team arrives to deal with the situation. As they send in a medic team to retrieve An Hui, the Angels open fire on them. Jack arrives on the scene just before the SWAT team, including Miguel and other disguised Angels, starts a full invasion with tear gas. In the midst of the gases, Jack, the Angels, and the SWAT team hunt one another, with SWAT officers silently killed one by one by the Angels, who then disguise themselves in the SWAT gear from the fallen officers, enabling them to kill even more unsuspecting officers. Tyler escapes with An Hui to the railway tracks, where Jack saves the life of the SWAT team lieutenant and surrenders to him.
The remaining Angels escape through a tunnel to a stadium full of concert goers. Tyler has to hunker down in the tunnels as An Hui starts to give birth, and Jack convinces the SWAT Lieutenant to let him go after Miguel in the stadium. Jack confronts Miguel in the catwalks above the concert goers and defeats him. Meanwhile, Tyler helps An Hui successfully give birth before the last of the Angels shows up. He beats Tyler up and threatens the child. He gets shot repeatedly by An Hui.
Jack is given a head start to escape the police and visits with his wife, and Tyler recovers the money before going off to the hospital to see his child.
and Koan Hui. Hui and Hark had collaborated previously on the screenplay for The Blade. Actor Nicholas Tse
opted-out of appearing in the sequel to Gen-X Cops
to be in Time and Tide. Tse announced that it would be his last action film as he desired to focus on his musical career. It was not his last action film as he starred in Wong Jing
's My Schoolmate The Barbarian in 2001. After seeing Wu Bai
in the Taiwanese film The Personals
, Tsui offered Wu the role in Time and Tide. Wu's character was rewritten with him in mind by making him more of a sad loner to match the music he made with his band in China Blue
. Cathy Tsui was cast as Ah Jo in the film. She found a scene involving her playing with a dog difficult as she was afraid of them. To make her more comfortable, she was sent to a dog farm where she played with dogs every day to become comfortable around them.
The film was radically altered in post-production. The original cut was over three hours long which Tsui Hark
considered to be too slow paced. He reorganized the entire script including cutting many of Nicholas Tse
and Anthony Wong Chau Sang
's scenes, leaving Wu Bai
's sequences as they were.
in 2000. The film was released in Hong Kong on October 19, 2000. The film made HK$ 4,465,047 in Hong Kong. The film was released in May 4, 2001 in the United States.
, the film received six nominations including Best New Performer and Best Supporting Actress (Candy Lo
), Best Film Editing (Marco Mak
), Best Action Choreography (Xiong Xin Xin), Best Original Film Score (Tommy Wai, Joventine Couto Remotigue), and Best Sound Design. The film received generally positive reviews from western critics. The film received 63% positive reviews at the film rating website Rotten Tomatoes
.
Hong Kong films of 2000
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 2000:.-2000:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2000 at...
Hong Kong 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...
directed by Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
. The film is set in Hong Kong where a young man becomes a bodyguard and befriends a mercenary determined to begin life a new with the woman he just married. The two men find themselves working together to foil an assassination attempt which propels them toward confrontation with each other.
The film was re-written several times during production and post-production stages to accommodate director Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
's casting choices. The film was nominated for six Hong Kong Film Awards
Hong Kong Film Awards
The 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,...
and received generally positive reviews from western critics.
Plot
Tyler (Nicholas TseNicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group...
) impregnates a lesbian cop, Ah Jo (Cathy Tsui),after a drunken night. He joins an unlicensed bodyguard service led by Uncle Ji (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:...
), to earn money to give to Ah Jo who wants nothing to do with him. Nearly nine months later, Tyler meets up with a butcher named Jack (Wu Bai
Wu Bai
Wu Bai on 14 January 1968) is a Taiwanese rock singer and songwriter. He formed the band Wu Bai & China Blue with Dean "Dino" Zavolta on drums, Yu Ta-hao on keyboards, Chu Chien-hui on bass guitar and Wu Bai himself on lead guitar and lead vocals...
) and his pregnant wife, Ah Hui (Candy Lo
Candy Lo
Candy Lo is a Canto-rock singer-songwriter and actress from Hong Kong. She has released 9 studio albums, over 40 singles, 2 compilations, 1 live album and 1 EP with Sony Music to date. On June 11 she released her first EP on her new label WOW Music....
), who helps Tyler, at Ah Hui's father's birthday, prevent the father's assassination. Tyler tries to convince Jack to start a bodyguard service with him, but Jack turns him down.
A group of South American and Chinese mercenaries, known as the Angels, arrive and threaten Jack, who they call Juan, and their second in command Miguel (Couto Remotigue) offers him a chance to rejoin them if he kills his own father-in-law. Instead, Jack kills the leader of the Angels and evades Uncle Ji's bodyguards, knocking Tyler out in the process, and then steals a case full of cash from under their noses and escapes from the Angels. Jack drops his wife off at her father's mansion, giving her a key to a train station locker and telling her to go there when their child is born. Tyler is interrogated by the cops in connection with Jack, who accuse him of being connected to the killer because he saw him up close. Tyler tells them nothing.
An Jo tries unsuccessfully to parole Tyler, but Uncle Ji succeeds. Tyler thanks An Jo, and Uncle Ji locks him up in a transportation crate for a night before letting him out and getting Tyler to tell him about Jack. Uncle Ji gives Tyler more money, which Tyler tries to give to Ah Jo; he finds out that she has just gone into the hospital to give birth. Tyler heads off after Jack, and breaks into his apartment only to find the Angels and Jack have the place staked out.
A running gun battle ensues between Jack and the Angels as Tyler desperately tries to survive in Jack's apartment. Tyler ends up trapped in the apartment with the gas leaking and only manages to survive the explosion by hiding in the refrigerator. Jack tricks the Angels into killing one of their own and distracting them long enough so he and Tyler can escape the rest. Miguel admits defeat and tries to call a truce with Jack, but then calls it off when one of the other Angels spots Jack's wife who arrives on the scene to see her former apartment burning.
The Angels take off after An Hui, following her to the train station. Tyler steals a taxi with his fake gun, giving his wallet to the driver, who promptly takes it to the cops. The police, still suspicious of Tyler from earlier, place him at the scene of the gun battle and explosion send a SWAT team after him to the station. At the station, Tyler confronts An Hui with his fake gun and takes the money Jack stole from the Angels. An Hui goes into labor and one of the Angels shoots a cop, and an innocent, while trying to shoot Tyler.
In the ensuing panic, Tyler drags An Hui off to safety and the SWAT team arrives to deal with the situation. As they send in a medic team to retrieve An Hui, the Angels open fire on them. Jack arrives on the scene just before the SWAT team, including Miguel and other disguised Angels, starts a full invasion with tear gas. In the midst of the gases, Jack, the Angels, and the SWAT team hunt one another, with SWAT officers silently killed one by one by the Angels, who then disguise themselves in the SWAT gear from the fallen officers, enabling them to kill even more unsuspecting officers. Tyler escapes with An Hui to the railway tracks, where Jack saves the life of the SWAT team lieutenant and surrenders to him.
The remaining Angels escape through a tunnel to a stadium full of concert goers. Tyler has to hunker down in the tunnels as An Hui starts to give birth, and Jack convinces the SWAT Lieutenant to let him go after Miguel in the stadium. Jack confronts Miguel in the catwalks above the concert goers and defeats him. Meanwhile, Tyler helps An Hui successfully give birth before the last of the Angels shows up. He beats Tyler up and threatens the child. He gets shot repeatedly by An Hui.
Jack is given a head start to escape the police and visits with his wife, and Tyler recovers the money before going off to the hospital to see his child.
Production
Production on Time and Tide began in 1999. It was written by director Tsui HarkTsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
and Koan Hui. Hui and Hark had collaborated previously on the screenplay for The Blade. Actor Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group...
opted-out of appearing in the sequel to Gen-X Cops
Gen-X Cops
Gen-X Cops is a 1999 Hong Kong action/crime film directed by Benny Chan, starring Nicholas Tse, Stephen Fung and Sam Lee.-Synopsis:Jet fuel is stolen by weapons smugglers. The fuel is reacquired by the Hong Kong police but then once again stolen by a yakuza boss named Akatora who is trying to sell...
to be in Time and Tide. Tse announced that it would be his last action film as he desired to focus on his musical career. It was not his last action film as he starred in Wong Jing
Wong Jing
Wong Jing is a Hong Kong film director, producer, actor, presenter, and screenwriter. A prolific filmmaker possessed of strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, he is often cited as the most consistently successful filmmaker , in commercial terms, in the Hong Kong cinema of the last...
's My Schoolmate The Barbarian in 2001. After seeing Wu Bai
Wu Bai
Wu Bai on 14 January 1968) is a Taiwanese rock singer and songwriter. He formed the band Wu Bai & China Blue with Dean "Dino" Zavolta on drums, Yu Ta-hao on keyboards, Chu Chien-hui on bass guitar and Wu Bai himself on lead guitar and lead vocals...
in the Taiwanese film The Personals
The Personals (1998 Taiwanese film)
The Personals is a 1998 Taiwanese drama film directed by Chen Kuo-Fu. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Rene Liu - Dr. Du Jia-zhen* Wu Bai* Chao-jung Chen* Bao-ming Gu* Chin Shih-chieh...
, Tsui offered Wu the role in Time and Tide. Wu's character was rewritten with him in mind by making him more of a sad loner to match the music he made with his band in China Blue
Wu Bai
Wu Bai on 14 January 1968) is a Taiwanese rock singer and songwriter. He formed the band Wu Bai & China Blue with Dean "Dino" Zavolta on drums, Yu Ta-hao on keyboards, Chu Chien-hui on bass guitar and Wu Bai himself on lead guitar and lead vocals...
. Cathy Tsui was cast as Ah Jo in the film. She found a scene involving her playing with a dog difficult as she was afraid of them. To make her more comfortable, she was sent to a dog farm where she played with dogs every day to become comfortable around them.
The film was radically altered in post-production. The original cut was over three hours long which Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
considered to be too slow paced. He reorganized the entire script including cutting many of Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse
Nicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group...
and Anthony Wong Chau Sang
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:...
's scenes, leaving Wu Bai
Wu Bai
Wu Bai on 14 January 1968) is a Taiwanese rock singer and songwriter. He formed the band Wu Bai & China Blue with Dean "Dino" Zavolta on drums, Yu Ta-hao on keyboards, Chu Chien-hui on bass guitar and Wu Bai himself on lead guitar and lead vocals...
's sequences as they were.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in 2000. The film was released in Hong Kong on October 19, 2000. The film made HK$ 4,465,047 in Hong Kong. The film was released in May 4, 2001 in the United States.
Reception
At the Hong Kong Film AwardsHong Kong Film Awards
The 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,...
, the film received six nominations including Best New Performer and Best Supporting Actress (Candy Lo
Candy Lo
Candy Lo is a Canto-rock singer-songwriter and actress from Hong Kong. She has released 9 studio albums, over 40 singles, 2 compilations, 1 live album and 1 EP with Sony Music to date. On June 11 she released her first EP on her new label WOW Music....
), Best Film Editing (Marco Mak
Marco Mak
Marco Mak Chi-Sin is a Hong Kong film editor, director, production manager, actor, screenwriter, film producer, music composer and assistant director.-Director:* The Blood Rules * Love Correction * A Gambler's Story...
), Best Action Choreography (Xiong Xin Xin), Best Original Film Score (Tommy Wai, Joventine Couto Remotigue), and Best Sound Design. The film received generally positive reviews from western critics. The film received 63% positive reviews at the film rating website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.