Overview
Shanghai Grand, also known as Shanghai Grand 1996 to differentiate this film from the more illustrious 1980 television series of the same Chinese title, is a 1996 Hong Kong action crime drama film directed by Poon Man-kit and starring Andy Lau, Leslie Cheung, and Ning Jing.
This film was directed by Poon Man-kit and produced by Tsui Hark and his production company Film Workshop. It is a loose adaptation of the 1980 television series The Bund in many respects, even though it was done by narrating the action in three segments, each featuring the main characters of the film. Leslie Cheung was cast as Hui Man-keung, the original protagonist of The Bund, while Andy Lau was cast as the film's protagonist - Hui's close friend Ting Lik, a well-meaning but somewhat naive triad leader who was not amused when Hui fell in love with the same girl as the one of his affections. Ning Jing played their love interest Fung Ching-ching.
The story was set in Shanghai during the Republican era, when the city was dominated by triads shortly before it was occupied by the Japanese in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Plot
Hui Man-keung (Leslie Cheung), an agent the Taiwan People's League participates in fighting against Japanese invaders with his fellow comrades. While on their ship back to Taiwan, they were ambushed by the Japanese troops (with the help of a traitor), who want the list of all the nationalists. Hui becomes seriously injured in a gunfight with the Japanese and falls in the water, and ends up in Shanghai and is found by Ting Lik (Andy Lau), a young, low-class labourer but dreams being a powerful triad leader. Ting takes Hui back to his home while confiscating the latter's revolver.
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