Iceman (2014 film)

Iceman
Iceman
	Poster
Traditional Chinese	冰封俠: 重生之門
Simplified Chinese	冰封俠: 重生之门
Literal meaning	Iceman Hero: Gate of Rebirth
Hanyu Pinyin	Bīng Fēng : Chóng Shēng Zhī Mén
Jyutping	Bing1 Fung1 Hap6: Cung4 Sang1 Zi1 Mun4
Directed by	Law Wing-cheung
Screenplay by	Mark Wu ; Lam Fung ; Shum Shek-yin
Based on	The Iceman Cometh; by Clarence Fok
Produced by	Huang Jianxin ; Allen Chan ; Donnie Yen
Starring	Donnie Yen; Wang Baoqiang; Eva Huang; Simon Yam; Yu Kang; Lam Suet; Kelly Fu
Cinematography	Kenny Tse; Edmond Fung
Edited by	David Richardson; Matthew Hui
Music by	Christof Unterberger; Raymond Wong; Wendy Zheng
Production; companies	China 3D Digital Entertainment; Beijing ShengShi HuaRei Film Investment & Management Co.; Zhongmeng Century Media
Distributed by	Well Go USA Entertainment; Blue Swan Entertainment; Pegasus Motion Pictures; Shaw Organisation; Joyncontents Group; Netflix; New KSM
Release date	April 25, 2014;
Running time	104 minutes (Hong Kong) ; 91 minutes (China)
Countries	Hong Kong; China
Languages	Cantonese; Mandarin ; Hindi ; English ; Japanese
Budget	HK$250 million; (US$32.2 million)
Box office	US$26 million

Iceman is a 2014 Hong Kong-Chinese^[5] 3D martial arts action-comedy film directed by Law Wing-cheung and starring Donnie Yen, who also serves as the film's action director. The film is a remake of the 1989 film The Iceman Cometh which was directed by Clarence Fok and starred Yuen Biao.^[6] The film was released in Hong Kong and China on April 25, 2014.^[7] There is a 2018 sequel called Iceman:The Time Traveler

Plot

A Ming Dynasty officer, He Ying, was tasked with bringing a mythical time traveling device from India with a LINGA back to the Ming emperor. He was betrayed, and subsequently frozen. He Ying, Sao and Niehu were frozen during a fight. They were discovered and put in cryo-stasis pods and transferred to modern-day Hong Kong. During transit, an accident sets them free. The three escape into the city. Niehu and Sao are set on exacting revenge on He Ying, despite not understanding the world they are in. He Ying soon befriends May, who takes advantage of his confusion about the modern world by charging him exorbitant amount of money for rent, food, and so on. Niehu and Sao unknowingly help two Indian mobsters escape the police, and as a result join the Indian mob.

It is revealed that Cheung is looking for the trio, in particular He Ying. Through various flashbacks, it is revealed that all four were blood brothers who fought side by side, before He Ying was betrayed and charged with treason. After several encounters in the modern world including meeting May's mother, fleeing custody of the police (using his master martial arts skills), and the use of technology, He Ying starts to figure out who is ultimately hunting down Cheung.

Cast

Donnie Yen as He Ying^[8]
Wang Baoqiang as Sao
Eva Huang as May
Simon Yam as Cheung
Yu Kang as Niehu
Lam Suet as Tang
Zhang Shaohua as He Ying's mother
Benny Chan as Celebrity
Hu Ming as Eunuch
Gregory Wong as Officer Szeto
Jaqueline Chong as Jacqueline
Mark Wu as Slander
Ava Yu as Ava
Alice Chan as Director of retirement home
Lo Hoi-pang as Pang
Wong Man-wai as May's mother
Chen Huihui as Mimi
Bao Yumeng as Kid
Kelly Fu as Female officer
Fun Lo as Female doctor
Tin Kai-man as Male doctor
Jeana Ho as a prostitute speaking Japanese (cameo)

Production

Filming for Iceman began on December 19, 2012 in Hong Kong.^[9] Originally produced at a budget of HK$100 million, the production soared up to Hong Kong $200 million due to its slow-paced filming and to cover the film crew's insurance.^[10] Because the Hong Kong government did not approve the film to shoot at the Tsing Ma Bridge, an addition of Hong Kong $50 million was spent in order to build an imitation set of the Tsing Ma Bridge.^[2]^[11] Lead actor and action director Donnie Yen said that a seven-minute fight scene took ten days to shoot. Besides Hong Kong, a chunk of the film would also be filmed in Beijing.^[12] For a car chase scene, actor Julian Cheung also loaned his black Lamborghini to the production.^[13]

Filming locations include Hong Kong's defunct Kai Tak Airport^[2] and the Changbai Mountains.^[14]^[15]

Music

Jam Hsiao was handpicked by Donnie Yen for the Mandarin theme song.^[16] The Cantonese version was performed by Hong Kong singer and actor Julian Cheung.

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter writes "Plagued by all manner of production snafus and a ballooning budget, the problems show in the final product. Iceman is a fractured and often baffling martial 'epic' that not even popular star Donnie Yen is likely to be able to save."^[17] Screendaily writes the film is "beset by multiple problems, from a patchy incoherent script, to jarring shifts in tone and genre, and sub-par action and effects sequences that even the star presence of Donnie Yen may find hard to reconcile."^[8] Donnie Yen's performance won him the Golden Broom Award for Worst Actor.^[18]