| |       | | Naked Weapon (Action thriller) (2003) Director: Tony Ching (Ching Siu Tung) Cast: Maggie Q (starring), Anya Wu, Daniel Wu, Jewel Lee, Cheng Pei Pei, Almen Wong, Andrew Lin. Synopsis: Someone is kidnapping pretty and athletic girls from around the world. The mastermind behind these abductions is Madam M (Almen Wong). She subjects her young captives to a brutal training regimen, intent on using 'natural selection'to provide her with the ultimate assassin: a 'naked weapon'as deadly as she is beautiful. Five years later, only three girls remain, and, of this trio, Charlene (Maggie Q) and Katt (Anya) are best friends. The girls execute their assignments for Madam M, unaware that CIA agent Jack (Daniel Wu) is on their trail. On a mission to Hong Kong, Charlene encounters Jack, and is reunited with her long-lost mother, Faye (Cheng Pei Pei). With their support, Charlene breaks free of her programming, and is determined to take revenge for the years that Madam M has stolen from her. After a series of bloody encounters, Charlene achieves her goal, though at a terrible cost' Q notes: 'What I really value about this film is my relationship with the director, Ching Siu-tung. I'd heard that he has a fierce reputation, but he really took me under his wing. He made me believe in myself, which, believe it or not, Iv'e always had a problem with' He made me believe I could do anything! I've always been pretty athletic, but 'Naked Weapon'really pushed me to the limit, physically and emotionally. It was just hard work, day after day. There were times when we web' film twelve hours straight of action and then, because of time restraints, go right into shooting a heavy drama scene, without a break. Although it's 'just' an action film, I think there's a human element to the film that was very real, and I hope that will translate to the audience. In the end, I did get my 'revenge'on Ching Siu-tung for making me suffer. Not many people realize that he once starred in a Shaw Brothers film called 'Monkey Kung Fu'. I tracked down a VHS copy and we played it on the video monitor on the set. He came after me with his kung fu, and I ran for it. Lucky for me I used to be a track and field athlete.... <Back> |