Taiwan goes Hollywood

A helicopter shootout, street explosions and a hijacked airplane–these are common elements in Hollywood action films, but they are rarely, if ever, attempted by Taiwanese cinema.
直升机交火，街头爆炸和劫持飞机，这些都是好莱坞动作片中的惯用桥段，但台湾电影却很少尝试过这些元素，即使有也是凤毛麟角。

That is, until now. Black & White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault, an action blockbuster by Tsai Yueh-hsun, successfully turns up the heat with action sequences the like of which have never been seen in Taiwanese productions.
而到现在，我们终于可以这样说：由蔡岳勋执导的动作大片《痞子英雄首部曲：全面开战》，成功地掀起一股动作热潮，而在台湾电影中这可谓是史无前例。

The fireworks are complemented by a star-studded cast led by Mark Chao and Huang Bo.
该片可谓众星云集，赵又廷和黄渤担当领衔主演，为各种爆炸交火戏份锦上添花。

The film is the prequel to Tsai’s popular TV drama in 2009 Black & White. Set in a fictional city named Harbor City, the story follows a young detective Hero Wu (Chao) who needs help from a retired gangster Xu Dafu (Huang) to solve a murder. Meanwhile, Xu finds he needs the cop to retrieve priceless stolen goods.
该片是2009年台湾热门剧集《痞子英雄》的前传。故事背景被设置在一个虚构城市——海港城之中。年轻警员吴英雄（赵又廷饰）请求金盆洗手的黑帮成员徐达夫（黄渤饰）来协助侦破一桩谋杀案。而同时徐达夫也认为自己需要这个警察帮忙追回价值不菲的赃物。

Naturally, fingers are crossed that the unlikely duo will save the day.
观众自然而然地会祈祷这个看似互不相干的二人组最终成为救世主。

Mostly shot in Kaohsiung with a hefty budget of $12 million (76 million yuan), the movie is an ambitious project.
影片斥资1200万美元（约合7600万人民币），大多数场景都拍摄于高雄，堪称“雄心之作”。

Tsai and his team spent about $1 million to have an aircraft mock-up made in the US. Now based in Kaoshiung, the plane is Taiwan’s first to be built specially for movies.
蔡岳勋和他的团队斥资百万美金赴美打造飞机实体模型。如今这架位于高雄的道具飞机成为台湾首个飞机摄影棚。

Needless to say, the resulting movie is packed with adrenaline-pumping action, all undertaken without stuntmen.
毫无疑问，最终该片充满令人心跳加速的动作场景，且全无替身。

Chao is definitely an action star in the making. He jumps from a bridge, spins a car at high speed and drives through explosions.
赵又廷无疑成为一颗冉冉升起的武打明星。从跳桥戏，到旋转飞车，再到驾车穿越爆炸现场，全都亲力亲为。

There is sparkling on-screen chemistry between Chao and Huang as the righteous cop and the smart-mouthed gangster. The two partners progress through finely choreographed set pieces that make good use of the diverse landscapes that the port city offers.
赵又廷饰演的正义警察同黄渤饰演的黑帮滑头之间产生了化学反应，迸发出银幕火花。影片充分利用高雄这个港口城市的各色景观，在精心设计的一幕幕场景中，这对搭档勇往直前。

From industrial docks and ultra modern skyscrapers to a bustling urban center, Kaohsiung looks like an amusement park for filmmakers.
从工业码头、超现代摩天大楼到繁华市中心，对于摄制组来说，高雄就像个游乐场。

Though the action is top-notch, more often than not, the film prizes style over content. The story and the motives of the characters are not properly outlined, and plot lines appear and disappear without sufficient exposition.
尽管动作场面堪称一流，但对该片呈现手法的赞誉大于内容本身。故事情节以及人物的动机并未完全勾勒出来，而且情节线索也忽隐忽现，不够明了。

As a result, the film gets a bit baffling toward the end as to what groups of characters are involved.
所以，直到结尾，观众也没弄清楚剧中人物角色的关系。

Nevertheless, Tsai and his team deserve a round of applause for producing a slick Hollywood-style production.
不过，能够打造出这样一部华丽的好莱坞式作品，蔡岳勋导演和他的团队理应获得大家的掌声。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪英文报》，详情请见《21世纪英文报》961期