“The Sin Trade” Poster
Director: Siyu Cheng
Cast: Ashton Chen, Lin Fengchao, Wang Zhen Er, Michael Mao, Liu Yitong, Rui Xiu
Running Time: 98 min.
By Paul Bramhall
An unexpected phenomena occurred in the 2020’s that I’d dare say won’t be fully appreciated until we have enough hindsight to look back on them – the Chinese streaming industry (or web movies as they’re known locally) elevated its action genre offerings to a level that effectively filled the void Hong Kong cinema left behind two decades earlier. When former HK action alumni like Xie Miao, Andy On, Ashton Chen, and Liu Fengchao started showing up in streaming movies made by the likes of iQIYI and YOUKU during the 2010’s, the general sentiment was that they were appearing in productions unworthy of their talents. However the streaming space hasn’t stood still, and from the format’s beginnings in the 2010’s, the 2020’s has seen the rise of directors like Siyu Cheng and Qin Pengfei who’ve breathed new life into the action genre.
The only tragedy is that many fans looking for a fix of Hong Kong style action may not even know of their existence. While HK cinema of old aimed to be as marketable to overseas territories as possible due to its small population locally, with a population over 1 billion productions made to appeal to Chinese audiences in the 21st century have no such concerns – if anyone watches them outside of China that’s just a bonus. Thankfully, astute fans have kept their Continue reading
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