Double Vision (film)

For other uses, see Double vision (disambiguation).

Double Vision
DVD cover for Double Vision
Directed by	Chen Kuo-fu
Produced by	Chen Kuo-fu, Chih-ming Huang
Written by	Chen Kuo-fu, Su Chao-Bin
Starring	Tony Leung Ka Fai, David Morse, Rene Liu
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	20 May 2002
Running time	112 minutes
Country	Taiwan United States
Language	Mandarin, Taiwanese, English

Double Vision (Chinese: 雙瞳; pinyin: Shuang tong) is a 2002 film directed by Chen Kuo-fu. The plot is about an FBI agent working with a troubled Taiwanese cop to hunt for a serial killer who is embedding a mysterious black fungus in the brains of the victims. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.^[1] Part of the film was shot in Arrow Studio.

Main cast

• Wei-Han Huang – Mei-Mei
• Tony Leung Ka-fai – Huang Huo-tu
• David Morse – Kevin Richter
• Rene Liu – Ching-fang
• Leon Dai – Li Feng-bo
• Yang Kuei-Mei – Coroner
• Sihung Lung
• Hannah Lin

Plot

A troubled police detective Huang Huo-tu suffers from a severe mental breakdown as his life is falling apart. He is relegated to a mundane job as a Foreign Affairs Officer as a payback for blowing the whistle on corruption in the force. His young daughter is suffering from the fallout of being held hostage in a police crossfire. His fellow colleagues have turned on him and his wife Ching-fang is filing for divorce.

Suddenly, a series of bizarre deaths in Taipei baffle local investigators. An American FBI agent Kevin Richter is called in to solve the murders. He is the topmost serial killer expert in the field, but even he cannot explain the seemingly supernatural circumstances surrounding the crime scenes. For example, in one case a businessman froze to death in his office - in the middle of a heatwave; the mistress of a prominent official calls the fire department and is later found burned to death - with no sign of fire in her apartment. Richter partners Huang who has less trouble believing that something supernatural is behind them, and on that angle he persuades him to investigate a local cult. They discover increasingly disturbing evidence that there are possible demonic forces at work.

Influence

The film, a Columbia Pictures production, impressed Taiwanese directors with its "Hollywood way" of filmmaking. With this film the director Chen Kuo-Fu accumulated his experience in international collaboration and went on to work in China.^[2] The film's assistant director Wei Te-sheng and producer Jimmy Huang said they were stimulated by the big-budget effects of the film. They later collaborated in Cape No. 7, which was a local hit in 2008.^[3] The film's screenwriter Su Chao-Pin later directed Silk. Leon Dai, a supporting actor, later directed No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti. They said that they were stimulated by this production.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Double Vision". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3151003/year/2002.html. Retrieved 2009-10-30. 
2. ^ Teng Sue-feng. Translated by David Smith. "Chen Kuo-fu--Back With a "Message". Taiwan Panorama. Dec. 2009.
3. ^ Teng Sue-feng. "Can the Blockbuster Save Taiwan Film?" ---. Dec. 2009. Taiwan Panorama. "Biggest Production in Taiwan Film History-Seediq Bale". Taiwan Panorama. Feb. 2009.
4. ^ Kuo Li-chuan. Translated by David Smith. "The Making of No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti". Taiwan Panorama. October. 2009.

External links

• Double Vision at the Internet Movie Database