BasicLogic For a bunch of Chinese thieves going abroad to France did a heist? Are you serious? How the Chinese movie makers would have dreamed up with such stupid and pretentious scenarios? Again, I can not but have to point out that the Chinese people nowadays are just so obsessed to everything NOT Chinese but WESTERN COUNTRIES in the WESTERN WORLD. Since when the Chinese started to drink red wine or white wine as their daily common drinks instead of oolong or green tea? Since when your wedding ceremonies got to be held in a foreign country or on a popular foreign island and, well, your bride-to-be or wife-to-be would consider you a loser or don't-love-her-enough if you don't marry her in a western church in an E.U. country? Why your bride's wedding gown must be in white, why her garland in her hands must be red, yellow or pink roses, the music got to be that specific segment from a western opera? Why the Chinese honeymooners got to go abroad so the newly wedded couple would not feel ashamed to enjoy if their new marriages starting in their own country?This pretentious film fell into the similar pretentiousness with no- limit budget, they moved their background localities scenes to France. Don't you guys know that a bunch of Chinese who would stand out like sore thumbs in Europe even they were just tourists albeit a bunch of Chinese YO-YOs committing a heist, a serious crime? Since the budget was unlimited, so they signed up a bunch of the French actors playing detective or whoever they might have to be, making them chase after those Chinese who without any logistic difficulties, equipped with high tech devices, exotic cars and motorcycles....whatever they could throw into the scenes.Based upon what I have mentioned above at the outset, Chinese thieves, like most of the Chinese who are getting married, are not interested in stealing from any Chinese city; they are not interested to rob a bank in China, or try to do a heist on their Chinese national museum, instead, they move abroad, to play cat-and-mouse game with the French cops. Yeah, right. The stupidity simply couldn't stop right here. When the rich Chinese women started buying COACH purses, it soon became a national MUST-HAVE to most of the other Chinese women, maid servant, waitresses, street peddlers, teachers, cleaning women....every woman in China wanted to own a COACH purse or bag, and sooner than later, no rich Chinese woman would dare to shoulder a COACH bag around, they moved up to HERMES; then the COACH brand was totally ruined in China, even the women in lower class don't want it no more. I have to warn the Chinese movie makers not to ridicule yourselves putting a bunch of the Chinese actors/characters to do anything in foreign countries, legal or illegal, romantic or whatever, just don't do it with a foreign background, because it'd just look false, phony and pretentious. "Let Caesar has what belongs to him and let the Romans have theirs", so better stay in China and likewise, do the crimes in China. The E.U. countries already got their own immigrants and refugees problems, they don't want a bunch of Chinese criminals to further mess up their infrastructure or their livelihood.What happens in China, stay in China; better spending your easily earned Renminbi in China, making your movies in China; there's absolutely nothing wrong to be a Chinese or drinking tea instead of red wine. Homeless Americans all speaking American English, your kids don't have to register into the international schools in China to learn English.

moviexclusive As far as caper/ heist films are concerned, 'The Adventurers' is a breezy, enjoyable but ultimately unremarkable entry to the genre. All the trademark elements are here – the exotic European locations that span Cannes, Prague and Kiev; the impressive high-tech gizmos to override the most sophisticated security systems as well as to get into places no human could ever fit into; and last but not least the code of honour among thieves, which not only drives the narrative but also defines the relationship between our central trio played by Andy Lau, Tony Yang and Shu Qi – yet director and co-writer Stephen Fung's Chinese makeover of a classic Hollywood staple comes off too familiar and predictable by the time it is done with its double-crosses and shootouts.The story begins with Lau's career thief Dan Zhang after a five-year stint in prison for stealing the prized 'Eye of the Forest' artefact from the Louvre Museum, which we are informed in a snazzy prologue is one of three pieces that form a precious necklace called 'GAIA'. Dan is greeted upon his release by the French detective Pierre (Jean Reno), who warns him that he will be closely watched. Shortly after slipping away from one of Pierre's associates, Dan assembles his wingman Po (Yang) and hotshot recruit Red (Shu Qi) to steal another part of 'GAIA' – and it isn't any spoiler that they eventually make off with the 'Wings of Destiny'. The third and final piece 'Rope of Life' happens to be in the possession of a nouveau riche Chinese oligarch Charlie (Sha Yi) living up in a castle in Prague, and before Dan makes off with it and presumably disappears into the sunset, Pierre brings in Dan's former fiancée Amber (Zhang Jingchu) to help apprehend him – the latter apparently still being resentful at Dan for not telling her at the start of his criminal profession.It isn't hard to guess that Fung has built his movie around a series of action sequences – the posh Cannes hotel where a livid demonstration against animal fur is taking place outside at the same time as an auction for the 'Wings of Destiny' is ongoing inside; the sprawling castle that Dan and Po will infiltrate in order to steal the 'Rope of Life' while Red exercises her seductive charms to get Charlie's fingerprints; a quad chase through the woods surrounding the castle immediately following the break-in; and finally, the climactic showdown in an abandoned factory in Kiev where Dan will confront the person who betrayed him to the authorities five years ago and one of the other key players will come to choose his or her loyalty. Each one of these set-pieces is nicely choreographed and expertly executed, although the last one is a little less exciting than it needs to be to end the movie on a thrilling high, paling even in comparison to the earlier ones that precede it.Whereas the sleekly performed stunts and the impressive gadgetry appeal on a visceral level, it is the characters involved and their stakes which make these sequences emotionally stimulating. Sadly, that is sorely lacking here, which is a result of the sketchy character work. The tension between Dan and Amber is hardly developed before it is resolved; ditto the budding attraction between Po and Red. We are primed for an intriguing cop-versus-robber dynamic between Dan and Pierre, but that sense of respect for the two individuals on diametrically opposite sides of the law is never quite established compellingly. Same goes for the relationship between Dan and his former mentor Kong (Eric Tsang), given how Kong sees Dan as having betrayed him for wanting out to settle down with Amber five years ago. That no less than four writers, including Fung himself, had worked on the script makes it even more disappointing that the characters are so one-dimensional in and of themselves as well as next to one another, relying instead on the sheer chemistry of the actors to give them pizazz.Not that the cast isn't up to it – Lau is as charismatic and suave as he's ever been, perhaps even more so than Tom Cruise was in any one of the 'Mission Impossible' movies; Qi is at her playful and sexy charming best; and character actors Reno and Tsang lend solid supporting turns to anchor the picture. As far as fun is concerned, there is definitely much to embrace in their lively performances. There is also much escapist pleasure to be had watching them elude and delude their way around their targets, often set to a jazzy, upbeat score by Tuomas Kantelinen. As beautiful as the European locales themselves are, it is also to Shane Hurlbut's credit that the movie looks as visually gorgeous as it does. Like we said at the start, 'The Adventurers' knows the tropes of the genre and performs them flawlessly; but without an engaging plot and/or characters we can root for, it remains a solid but unremarkable entry into the well-trod caper genre.

grant kenny It,s a great movie great fun the director deliver a terrific action film. It,s a great heist movie with amazing action scenes.The movie is packed with awesome action scenes and some really terrific hilarious moments. This is what an action movie should be. Not too serious and not too pointless.The adventurers is a great movie.The story is good with a magnificent screenplay that alternates action with comedy it,s a remake of a a great movie once a thief.Some of the dialogues are hilarious with funny situations.jean reno is great in this movie

samzzz-69448 This is a remake of the 1991 classic Once a Thief, a John Woo gig featuring absolute A- Listers such as megastar Chow Yun-Fat, heartthrob Leslie Cheung and HK's own 'Marilyn Monroe' Cherie Chung. Due to skyrocketing talent fees the Chinese film industry experienced in recent years, it's now increasingly more difficult for a would-be blockbuster to assemble a large cast of A or B-Listers, so the cast of The Adventurers, starring Andy Lau, Hsu Chi (with her newly-wed husband Stephen Fung at the helm), Jean Reno among others, is already one of the most high profile releases of the summer in China, but even this cast pales in comparison with that of the original, which is a shame. Imagine if Pitt, Damon, Roberts were all replaced with notable but much less bankable stars in Ocean's Eleven. Like Clooney in Ocean's Eleven, Andy Lau's character also begins the film as a parolee after serving several years in prison. This is where the comparison stops, however, as Ocean's is without a doubt a much superior film.The Adventurers maintains the original's 2 male 1 female 'gang of three' setup, complimented by Zhang Jingchu, who plays Andy Lau's ex-girlfriend, and Jean Reno, whose French cop chases after Andy Lau across Europe. Most of the film's humor is provided by actor Sha Yi, who perfectly portrays the superficiality of his 'tu hao' aka 'Nouvelle Riche' character who easily falls prey to Hsu Chi's stunning beauty. However, much of his lighlights were linguistic, and being a native Chinese myself, I doubt if these would cross over to the English speaking audience. Other than Sha Yi, one could make the point that the film lacks in terms of 'entertainment'. There are only a few funny moments I can recall, and most of the (limited) banter between members of the gang fell flat at my viewing.The film benefits from fluid camera-work, so at least it's a fairly good looking film, but it's mostly held back by a plot that is way too predictable. There are several twists in the final act, none of them surprising. The action set pieces are solid but uninventive, as one questions whether it's wise to stick so closely to the original film's formula of car chases and gun fights, especially since the action/heist genre has advanced so much in the past two decades. Also, by focusing primarily on the action, the film somewhat sacrifices character development opportunities. Ocean's Eleven explains practically everything to its audiences, such as the group's funding, line of thinking, risks, etc. In The Adventurers, as I watched the group travel from one place to another and REACT to situations, I wondered how everything 'behind the scenes' worked, because these were never explained. In other words, there aren't many details for the keen eyed spectator to pick out. In this sense, this film's much closer to Ocean's Twelve in being a somewhat messy story that just kind of 'happens' without much external logic supporting it.Overall, this is an OK adventure/heist film with beautiful visuals and a predictable, formulaic script that's not likely to make you awe in wonder. 6/10