Cheung: 'Battle' was a labour of love

HONG KONG (AP) - Director Jacob Cheung says his new movie "A Battle of Wits" was a labour of love that took more than a decade to bring to reality and isn't just another attempt to cash in on the demand for epic films set in ancient China.

Promoting the film at a Hong Kong news conference, Cheung said he spent nearly 11 years working on it. "I'm not making films based on what the market needs," he said. "I think the script . . . can convey the message of appreciating peace and considering the means by which we obtain our goals."

"A Battle of Wits," based on a Japanese comic book, is the story of a follower of ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi who tries to stay true to his anti-war teachings, even as his followers stray from his beliefs. It is scheduled to open Thursday in Hong Kong, mainland China and Southeast Asia.

The movie, funded by investors from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, stars Andy Lau, Ahn Sung-ki and Choi Si-won from South Korea, China's Fan Bingbing and Taiwan's Nicky Wu.

Chinese cinema has seen a slew of big productions set in ancient China in recent years, such as Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" and Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords."

Zhang also is due to release "Curse of the Golden Flower," a story revolving around ancient Chinese politics starring Chow Yun-fat and Gong Li, next month.


Cheung said he focused on developing the script of "A Battle of Wits" and made sure the movie wasn't so flashy that its message would be obscured.

"I don't think there's much point to playing hide-and-seek with the camera," he said.

Cheung said he wants the movie to promote the message that "there are no heroes in war," and that "anyone who tries to solve problems through war can only fail."

The director said he found the film's epic scale challenging.

"The film involves an army of 100,000 attacking a city with a population of 4,000 people. There were many battle scenes, which I haven't done before."

He said he received some help from action director Dong Wei.