Double Vision (2002 film)
Double Vision | |
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Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 113 minutes 110 minutes (USA) |
Countries | Taiwan Hong Kong[1] |
Languages | Mandarin Taiwanese English |
Box office | US$1.5 million[2] |
Double Vision (
Plot
Police detective Huang Huo-tu, a Waisheng ren (Mainland Chinese) in Taiwan, has relegated himself to a mundane job as a Foreign Affairs Officer as self-punishment for blowing the whistle on corruption in the force, and his colleagues have turned their backs on him. His young daughter is left traumatized after being taken hostage in a gun battle, and his wife Ching-fang is filing for divorce. Huang is on the verge of a severe nervous breakdown.
A series of bizarre deaths in Taipei baffle local investigators, including a Christian preacher of foreign nationality found disemboweled. The priest is involved in the Taiwan-US military trade, so FBI agent Kevin Richter is called in to help. Huang, who can speak English, is made his liaison. Kevin, the topmost serial killer expert in the field, was previously investigating a series of murders in US in which all victims appeared willing to die.
The crime scenes imply the involvement of supernatural forces. In one case a businessman froze to death in his office in the middle of a heatwave; in another the mistress of a prominent official called the fire department and was later found burned to death - with no sign of a fire ever occurring in her apartment. Richter is skeptical but Huang, who is more receptive to supernatural possibilities, suggests they investigate a local cult. After consulting a scholar in Academia Sinica, Huang and Kevin find that the killings follows a form of Taoist belief that one must fulfill five types of suffering required to become a Xian, an immortal being. According to legend, having double pupils allows a person to see the sins of another. The scholar tells them that there is a legend of a person who had double pupils, he used his ability to send these sinners to hell, and subsequently acquired immortality through his actions.
They also find that all victims have done something against their conscience, and that a kind of
The next day Huang finds Kevin dead, having pulled out his own tongue, which is the fifth suffering required. Huang finds that both he and Kevin were infected with the fungus. Huang begins to hallucinate, tormented by the guilt he feels for his wife and daughter. He sees the girl survivor beckoning to him so he goes off in search of her. He visits the hospital but is informed that the girl left. He then goes to the temple where the girl is waiting for him. It is revealed that the girl is the actual cult's leader who has the double pupils in her eye and believes that by having Huang kill her, she can complete the final and last requirement to become immortal. The girls puts Huang through a series of hallucinations, his guilt building and eating away at his consciousness, until it finally culminates into Huang killing her.
There are two endings to the film. Both using Buddhist
Cast
- Tony Leung Ka-fai as Huang Huo-tu
- David Morseas Kevin Richter
- Rene Liu as Ching-fang
- Leon Dai as Li Feng-bo
- Yang Kuei-mei as Coroner
- Huang Wei-han as Mei-mei
- Sihung Lung as Dr. Sheng
- Hannah Lin as Hsieh Ya-li
- Ray Chang as Plainclothes police officer
Influence
The film is a
Awards and nominations
List of Accolades | |||
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Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
22nd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Chen Kuo-fu, Su Chao-pin | Nominated |
Best Actor | Tony Leung Ka-fai | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actress | Rene Liu | Won | |
Best Cinematography | Arthur Wong | Nominated | |
Best Film Editing | Man Chi-ming | Nominated | |
Best Art Direction | Timmy Yip | Nominated | |
Best Visual Effects | Peter Webb | Nominated | |
39nd Golden Horse Awards | Best Supporting Actor | David Morse
|
Nominated |
Best Sound Effects | Paul Pirola, Tu Duu-chih | Nominated | |
Best Visual Effects | Patrick Wang, Peter Webb | Nominated | |
4th Asian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Rene Liu | Won |
References
- ^ "Double Vision (2002)". Archived from the original on August 2, 2021.
- ^ "Double Vision". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Double Vision". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ Teng Sue-feng. Translated by David Smith. "Chen Kuo-fu--Back With a "Message" Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine. Taiwan Panorama. Dec. 2009.
- ^ Teng Sue-feng. "Can the Blockbuster Save Taiwan Film?" ---. Dec. 2009. Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine Taiwan Panorama. "Biggest Production in Taiwan Film History-Seediq Bale" Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine. Taiwan Panorama. Feb. 2009.
- ^ Kuo Li-chuan. Translated by David Smith. "The Making of No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti" Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine. Taiwan Panorama. October. 2009.
External links
- Double Vision at IMDb