Crazy Stone Driving People Crazy

This is an outstanding modern comedy, with lots of black humor uncommon in Chinese films. It has already earned RMB 20 million in the box office, while it cost only RMB 3 million to make.

The movie' s direction is in a similar style to Guy Ritchie, and the story is about a precious stone. Workers in a Chongqing craft factory on the brink of going bankrupt, find a precious stone while pulling down old buildings. They arrange an exhibition, hoping to sell it at a high price, so they can pay salaries owing to workers. But Mike, an international thief, as well as a group of local thieves also want it. At the same time they fight each other and the guard of the factory.

The tight structure of the plot, natural performances from actors - none of whom are famous; the humor and the director' s talents all combine to attract an audience, many of whom go to see it again and again. It' s a common topic of conversation in workplaces among people who' ve seen it. In Beijing, people even invited strangers on the street to go see it with them. Many people, whose first viewing of the film was on an "agreeably priced" DVD, went to the cinema to watch it again. They loved the movie so much; they wanted to support its earnings.

The pity is that there is no English translation of the script - yet. So, foreigners are not able to enjoy superbly acted scenes such as where "Tom Cruise" – trying to steal the stone - suspends himself from the ceiling by an elastic rope to escape the detection equipment in the room.

Everything goes just fine until he finds himself dangling just centimeters short of his prize because he has been cheated by the rope merchant!
It' s an outstanding film, which deserves as much fame outside China, as it currently enjoys inside the country.

(Written by Chen Wenli, proofread by David Kellaway)

Source: www.lifeofguangzhou.com

Editor: Jessie Hwang