Chinese dramas and films

The release date for «Empty Gun» (Kong Qiang, 空枪) has been announced. It will be released in cinemas on August 19. The film was announced on August 14, which means just five days will have passed between the announcement and the premiere – a timeline that amounts to an emergency release.

Director Han Yan, for whom this project marks a first foray into crime cinema, is at the helm. His earlier work includes dramas such as «Such a Good Love», «Xiao Fang Gets Married», and the films «A Little Red Flower» and «Love Never Ends». All of these are intimate stories about everyday life and the subtleties of human relationships.

Trailer, tisers and BTS

«Empty Gun» is a fast-paced story that takes place in the fictional city of Xicheng, which draws on the realities of Hong Kong and China in the early 1990s. The 1990s in that region were in many ways comparable to what Russia was going through at the time – it was, in the words of the Chinese, an age when "the ground was paved with gold." Rapid and often illicit enrichment was the order of the day, organized crime and corruption were on the rise, law enforcement was weak, and criminals operated with near-total impunity. Though movies do tend to exaggerate and romanticize that era, there was certainly more than a hint of the pirate haven of Tortuga about it.

The lead roles are played by Zhu Yilong («The Volunteers», «Guardian») and Tan Jianci («Lost You Forever», «Under the Skin»).

Zhu Yilong plays Wan Ziqiang, known on the streets as Qiang Ge – a man who commits a desperate crime in order to escape poverty. His character is described as "crazy, evil, wild, and direct." The filmmakers have stressed, however, that the character is not based on any single real person; rather, he is a composite portrait of the street gangsters who were common in China and Hong Kong during the 1990s. In reality, he is a migrant worker trying desperately to change his fate. He becomes a skilled thief. But everything changes when he meets flight attendant Luo Jiayuan (Michelle Wai). He dreams of having a family and a peaceful life, yet agrees to one last daring robbery. As his wealth grows, it turns into a curse – feeding on his madness until it all falls apart.

On the opposite side is principled investigator Qi Honggang, played by Tan Jianci. His character is a composed and incorruptible detective who, together with Hong Kong officer Guan Suchen (Selina Li), tries to bring the crime wave sweeping the city under control.

The film was shot in several cities in Guangdong Province – Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Foshan, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan. The production team has said they aimed to recreate the authentic atmosphere of the border region in the early 1990s, when an economic boom went hand in hand with gang violence and corruption.

The filmmakers also decided to release the picture in two language versions – in Putonghua and in Cantonese – which should add to its regional character.

By August 17, pre-sales had already exceeded 10 million yuan, while the number of users who had marked themselves as interested in the film on the Maoyan platform topped 50,000. Analytics firm Dengta, basing its forecast on current data and audience interest, has projected first-day box office receipts of around 63 million yuan.

It is also worth noting that the release of «Empty Gun» falls close to the traditional Qixi Festival – Chinese Valentine's Day, which this year is celebrated on August 17. A number of low-budget romantic features have chosen to push back their release dates rather than compete with the high-profile crime blockbuster.

Sources 1, 2