Johnnie To’s (杜琪峯) upcoming Hong Kong and China co-produced crime film, Drug War <毒戰>, will be coming to theaters soon in the height of the Lunar New Year holidays. The film premiered to positive reviews at the Rome Film Festival on November 15, 2012. The performances of lead actors, Louis Koo (古天樂) and Sun Honglei (孫紅雷), were also well-received critically. Headlined by Louis Koo and Sun Honglei, Drug War will also feature a large ensemble of Hong Kong and mainland actors, including Huang Yi (黄奕), Wallace Chung (鍾漢良), Gordon Lam (林家棟), Eddie Cheung (張兆輝), Lo Hoi Pang (盧海鵬), Gao Yunxiang (高云翔), Li Guangjie (李光洁), Michelle Ye (葉璇), and Guo Tao (郭涛). Official set photos of Louis and Honglei were released earlier this week. Louis Koo portrays a Hong Kong trafficker who gets arrested in mainland China. Faced with a death sentence, he agrees to help the mainland Chinese cops as an informant to bust a drug ring. When interviewed for his experience in working with Johnnie To and the film, Honglei exclaimed, “Fun! Fun! Fun! I’ve never had to shoot so many bullets in my life!” Louis, however, was not so ecstatic about his filming experience, and explained, “It was a laborious film to do. From harsh winters to hot summers, I have to be prepared for battle every day. But those days were quite unforgettable.” Principal photography for Drug War began on Christmas Day, 2011 in Tianjin. Filming locations included Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Shangri-La. Filming completed five months later. Creds: QQ
