The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
The Forbidden Kingdom is a fantasy kung fu wuxia film written by John Fusco, and directed by Rob Minkoff, and starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Loosely based on the novel Journey to the West, it is the first film to co-star Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The action sequences were choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping.
The film is distributed in the United States through Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company, and through The Huayi Brothers Film & Taihe Investment Company in China. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the US and Hong Kong on September 9, 2008 and the United Kingdom on November 17, 2008.
South Boston teenager Jason Tripitikas is a fan of martial arts films and awakens from a dream of a battle between the Monkey King and celestial soldiers in the clouds. He visits a pawn shop in Chinatown to buy wuxia DVDs and discovers a golden staff. On his way home, Tripitikas is harassed by some hooligans, whose leader Lupo attempts to use him to help them rob the shop-owner Hop, who is shot by Lupo. Hop tells Tripitikas to deliver the staff to its rightful owner and Tripitikas flees with the staff. He is cornered on the rooftop before being pulled off the roof by the staff.
When Tripitikas regains consciousness, he finds himself in a village in ancient China that is under attack by armored soldiers. The soldiers see his staff and attempt to seize it. He is saved by the inebriated traveling scholar Lu Yan, a supposed “immortal,” who remains alert and agile even when drunk. Lu tells him the story of the rivalry between the Monkey King and the Jade Warlord.
Director: Rob Minkoff
Writer: John Fusco
Stars: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Juana Collignon, Morgan Benoit, Jack Posobiec, Thomas McDonell
► Cast:
| Jet Li | … | The Monkey King / The Silent Monk |
| Michael Angarano | … | Jason Tripitikas |
| Jackie Chan | … | Lu Yan / Old Hop |
| Juana Collignon | … | Southie Girl |
| Morgan Benoit | … | Lupo |
| Jack Posobiec | … | Southie |
| Thomas McDonell | … | Young Southie |
| Zhi Ma Gui | … | Old Woman |
| Shen Shou He | … | Farmer |
| Bin Jiang | … | Young Village Man |
| Shaohua Yang | … | Jade Soldier |
| Yu Yuan Zeng | … | Inn Keeper |
| Deshun Wang | … | Jade Emperor |
| XiaoLi Liu | … | Queen Mother |
| Collin Chou | … | Jade Warlord |
| Yifei Liu | … | Golden Sparrow / Chinatown Girl |
| Dongmei Xu | … | Inn Keeper’s Wife |
| Mathew Tang | … | Jade Officer #1 |
| Jun Cheng Hong | … | Jade Officer #2 |
| Alan Ng | … | Jade Officer #3 |
| Michelle Du | … | Painted Girl |
| Jun Yang | … | Herald #1 |
| Crystal Kung | … | Slave Girl |
| Jeffrey Kung | … | Herald #2 |
| Bingbing Li | … | Ni Chang (as Li Bing Bing) |
| Jia Xu Wei | … | Tracker |
| Ming Sheng Huang | … | Cult Killer #1 |
| Rui Li | … | Cult Killer #2 |
| Zhang Fei Long | … | Cult Killer #3 |
| Cheng Luo | … | Cult Killer #4 |
| Xiao Zhou | … | Cult Killer #5 |
| Hai-Bin Lin | … | Cult Killer #6 |
| Jie Zhi Hui | … | Cult Killer #7 |
| Ju Shi Xiao | … | Golden Sparrow’s Mother |
| Meng Guo | … | Young Golden Sparrow |
| Lu Cui Wen | … | Goat Herder |
| Xiao Yong Li | … | Young Monk #1 |
| Zhen Zhang | … | Young Monk #2 |
| Xiao Keng Ye | … | Abbot |
| Wan Zhao Zi | … | Medicine Monk |
| Matthew Grant | … | Paramedic |
| Alexis Bridges | … | Kam |
| Jason Chong | … | Lu Yan / Old hop |
| Kathleen LaGue | … | Mom (voice) |
| David Will No | … | Jade Officer (voice) |
| Tony Persico | … | Lopo’s right hand (voice) |
| Ming-Sing Wong | … | Cult Killer |
Source: imdb, wikipedia