The Last Tycoon (2012) Chinese Movie Information
Title in Chinese – 大上海
Title in Pinyin – Da Shang Hai
Genre – Action and Crime
Subject/theme – A Shanghai crime boss battles the Japanese in the 1930’s
Language – Mandarin
Region – Hong Kong, China
Release date
China – 22 December 2012
Hong Kong – 22 December 2012
New Zealand – 3 January 2013
Movie Runtime – 118 minutes
Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Cheng Daqi
Huang Xiaoming – young Cheng Daqi
Francis Ng – Mao Zai
Sammo Hung – Hong Shouting
Yuan Quan – Ye Zhiqiu
Feng Wenjuan – young Zhiqiu
Monika Mok – Bao
Kimmy Tong – young Bao
Yuan Li – Ling Husheng
Plot
The movie begins when Cheng Daqi and Ye Zhiqiu are young lovers living in a small city making plans for their futures in Beijing and Shanghai. Daqi ends up in jail and is rescued by a criminal Mao Zai who forces him to kill for the first time. After escaping from jail Daqi flees to Shanghai and joins the local triad where he works his way up through the ranks and becomes the right hand man of Hong Shouting who is the top triad boss in Shanghai and a police officer.
Daqi goes to Beijing and finds Zhiqiu but Zhiqiu is caught in the middle of a shoot out between Daqi and members of a rival triad. Zhiqiu tells Daqi she cannot be a part of his life and marries some one else. Daqi returns to Shanghai, marries Bao and becomes the toughest triad boss in Shanghai, even surpassing his master Shouting. When the Japanese invade China and threaten Shanghai, Daqi is drawn into the conflict.
Editor’s Review of The Last Tycoon – 7/10
Many of the action scenes in The Last Tycoon are reminiscent of Chow Yun-fat’s early movies with heroic gun battles where he and Huang Xiaoming as his younger self mow down hordes of bad guys. Sammo Hung is flat and lifeless as a triad boss but the over all quality of acting is good and Huang Xiaoming is excellent as the younger Daqi. Interestingly Chow Yun-fat’s Mandarin was not up to the job so he was dubbed.
The Last Tycoon Links
IMDb Movie Database for The Last Tycoon
