Petaling Street Warriors
Petaling Street Warriors is a 2011 film co-directed by James Lee Thim Heng and Sampson Yuen Choi-Hin through Malaysian production company, Juita Entertainment, a subsidiary of Juita Viden. Jointly presented by Juita Viden and Golden Screen Cinemas, it is the first period kungfu comedy to be produced locally in Malaysia and Singapore, with famed action choreographer from Hong Kong, Yuk-Sing Ma, who have worked on Hong Kong and China's blockbusters, such as Storm Riders 2 and A Chinese Fairy Tale.
Petaling Street Warriors premiered on 25 November 2011 at GSC Pavilion KL, Malaysia, and at 8:45 pm on 19 December 2011 at Shaw Theatres LIDO, Singapore. Since opening on 1 December, its first 4-day box office collection. It was also the highest-grossing Chinese film in the week it was first shown.
Plot
Set against the background of Petaling Street in 1908, Petaling Street Warriors tells the story of a pair of married couple, Shi Duyao and Zhung Lichun, who operate a Hokkien mee stall in Petaling Street, where they suffer from the inefficiency of the colonial government and suppression by the Chinese gangsters. While trying to impress his wife, Duyao encounters a mysterious yet strikingly beautiful kungfu expert, Xiaoju, who claims that Duyao is a descendant of the missing Jianwen Emperor of the Ming dynasty. To stop a group of Qing warriors and Japanese ninjas from robbing a treasure map that Duyao doesn't even know he has, Lichun and her cousin, Liu Kun, finally reveal their kungfu, turning Petaling Street into the ultimate battleground. Facing enemies of unthinkable powers, could Duyao unravel the mystery of his real identity and come to his wife's rescue just in time?Production
The film is inspired by a controversial legend about the Jianwen Emperor of the Ming dynasty, who is rumoured to have fled to Southeast Asia when he was dethroned in the year 1402 by his uncle, Zhu Di, who later became the Yongle Emperor. Some historians have even argued that the true purpose of the Voyages of Zheng he – which began three years after the Yongle Emperor ascended the throne – was not for the sake of trade or the promotion of national pride, but to seek out the Jianwen Emperor who was suspected to be hiding in the region. During the seven voyages, Zheng He's fleets had stopped in Malacca for five times. Malacca served as a transit centre for replenishment of supplies for his fleets.The story took two years of research work and preparation.
The role of Liu Kun 刘坤 was at first offered to Chapman To, but the shooting dates clashed with his schedule. As a result, Namewee was chosen to take up the role.
Release
Petaling Street Warriors was initially planned to be released at the same time in Singapore and Malaysia during Chinese New Year of 2012. It was theatrically released in cinemas nationwide in Malaysia on 1 December 2011 and 29 December 2011 in Singapore.Reception
Box office
Petaling Street Warriors grossed MYR1.4 million in its first four days.Critical response
While undergoing post-production work in Hong Kong, it has received good response from numerous Hong Kong filmmakers. Ketsarinh Lan, producer of Painted Skin and A Chinese Fairy Tale, and chairman & CEO of Golden Sun Films Distribution Limited, thinks that it has a good story and great entertainment value. After viewing the movie, Percy Fung, the person in charge of the post-production & visual effects for Hero, The Banquet, The Assembly, and Kung Fu Dunk, believes that Petaling Street Warriors has reached the production standard of Hong Kong films, and it would become a watershed in the history of Malaysian Chinese film industry. Cheung Ka Lik, post production producer of Digital Magic Hong Kong, calls this film a milestone for its genre and production quality.According to a film review on New Straits Times, "the fighting scenes are quite impressive and are on par with their overseas counterparts. Film reviewer, Jun Kin, described the film as "reeking of raw touches of a similar themed film called Kung Fu Hustle by Stephen Chow". Online film reviewer, The Movie Blogger Fella, claims Petaling Street Warriors to be "a smart film, something its detractors clearly fail to recognise".
Malaysian writer and independent filmmaker, Amir Muhammad, claims that Petaling Street Warriors reminded him of the robust iconoclasm of Ali Baba Bujang Lapok. According to his blog review, "the movie was effortlessly political as it flipped about notions of citizenship and governance", and it "shows that mish-mash of pop genres, when handled with wit and verve, can be utterly zany and utterly serious at the same time". He explained that the ending of Petaling Street Warriors is "in the spirit of democratic optimism: it's only when we give up inherited privileges that we can truly live ".