City Without Baseball
City Without Baseball is a 2008 Hong Kong drama film starring Ron Heung and other members of the Hong Kong National Baseball Team. It is directed by South African-born Hong Kong filmmaker Lawrence Ah Mon, about a city where baseball is almost unknown, and where the team plays to empty stadia.
The film explores several themes traditionally regarded as 'taboo' in Hong Kong society. The film is the first of seven such films by Scud. The six later films are: Permanent Residence in 2009, Amphetamine in 2010, Love Actually... Sucks! in 2011, Voyage in 2013, Utopians in 2015 and Thirty Years of Adonis in 2017. His eighth film, Apostles, was made in 2022, as was his ninth, Bodyshop.
His tenth and final film, Naked Nations: Hong Kong Tribe, is currently in production.
Plot
The actual members of the Hong Kong National Baseball Team appear in the film as themselves, in a story set in 2004. Their isolated existence leads them to take unconventional choices in both love and friendship, and to summon great courage in the face of their lonely and disconnected existence.The story focuses on the easy-going, yet often detached, main character, Ronnie, as played by Ron Heung, and his friendships and relationships with others, both on and off the sports field.
Cast
- Yu Chung Leung as Chung - Pitcher
- Ron Heung as Ron - Pitcher
- John Tai as Coach Tai
- Jason Tsang as Jason - Catcher
- Jose Au as Jose - Captain
- Yu Hong Lau as Hong - Second Baseman
- Peter Mak as Peter - Right Outfielder
- Herman Chan as Wah - Middle Outfielder
- Jackie Chow as Jackie - Third Baseman
- Julian Chiu as Julian - First Baseman
- Kenneth Chiu as Kenneth - Pitcher
- Yuan Lin as Meizi
- Monie Tung as Kim
- Wei-Sha Yan as Ping
- Sean Au as Sir Au
- Allan Mak as Sir Mak
- David Wong as Sir Wong
- Ryan Williams as Kevin
- Calina Chan as Ron's mother
- Winky Wong as Ron's sister
- Belinda Reed as Chung's blonde girlfriend
- Anjo Leung as Bartender / Violinist
- Sean Li as Bartender
- Thomas Price as Daniel / Cable guy
- Thomas Lee as Ron's new room-mate
- Stanley Kong as Jose's boss
- Heman Peng as Record producer
- Debbie Li as Producer's assistant
- Sammy Andres Jr. as Lead singer
- Ka Wai Chan as Double Bass Player
- Ying Leung Lau as Doctor
- Eva Lo as Ron's ex-girlfriend
- Jimmie Poon as Librarian man
- Shuk Kwan Chen as Ping's Double
- Scud as Teammate
Awards
- 2008 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards Winners for Top 7 Suggested Films
- 2008 Taiwan Film Critics Society Awards Winners for Top 10 Best Chinese Films
Home media
A Panorama Distributions Co.:- VCD first became available on 2008-10-03
- DVD first became available on 2008-10-10
- Blu-ray Disc first became available on 2011-06-03