To, Chi-long Christine (杜緻朗)

Critical Biography    Filmography    Reviews    Links   Bibliography

 To, Chi-long Christine – Critical Biography  Top

Christine To
Christine To

Christine To established her reputation as a screenwriter in the 2000s. Her first produced screenplay was for Wong Ching-po’s Jiang Hu (Triad Underworld, 2004), a genre exercise in crime and violence. The film had a strong cast (headlined by Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung) and was produced as a high-profile project by Lau, Eric Tsang, and Alan Tam. To’s work was immediately noticed, and she was hired to work on Ronnie Yu’s period action drama Fearless (2006), starring Jet Li.

Working from a story by Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou, To scored a hit in 2007 with her script for Chou’s directorial debut, Secret (2007), starring Chou, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, and Kwei Lun-Mei. The film was structured around a revelation late in the narrative that allowed audiences to piece the rest of the story together. To experimented further with this kind of puzzle-like narrative to an extreme in her next script, for the notorious thriller Murderer (2009). Directed by To’s frequent collaborator Roy Chow, Murderer was, however, derided by some critics for its often outrageous ideas and contrived plot mechanics.

To, however, quickly rebounded and wrote the script for Yuen Wo Ping’s 3D film True Legend (Beggar So) in 2010, before collaborating again with Roy Chow on the thriller Nightfall (2012), starring Nicky Cheung and Simon Tam. The film was similar in vein to Murderer, and won lead Nicky Cheung a Best Actor nomination at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards. To’s latest script is a further collaboration with director Roy Chow: Rise of the Legend (2014) stars Eddie Peng Yu-yan and is a new instalment in the longstanding series of martial-arts films about folk hero Wong Fei-Hung.

Filmography   Top

Feature Films:

RoleTitle (English)Title (Chinese)Year
Writer
Producer		Dynasty Warriors (Trailer)真·三國無雙2021
WriterThe Great Detective大侦探霍桑2018
WriterRise of the Legend (Trailer)黃飛鴻之英雄有夢2014
WriterNightfall (Trailer)大追捕2012
WriterTrue Legend (Trailer)蘇乞兒2010
WriterMurderer (Trailer)殺人犯2009
WriterSecret (Trailer)不能說的祕密2007
WriterFearless (Trailer)霍元甲2006
Writer
Story		Jiang Hu (Trailer)江湖2004

 

Reviews   Top

Nightfall (2012) Reviews:

Asian Movie Web:
http://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/nightfall.htm
City on Fire:
http://www.cityonfire.com/nightfall-2012-review/
Film School Rejects:
http://filmschoolrejects.com/reviews/review-nightfall-hong-kong-rhunt.php
Hollywood Reporter:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/nightfall-filmart-review-304237
Love HK Film:
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/nightfall.html
Moviexlcusive:
http://www.moviexclusive.com/detail.php?c=78&desc=N&p=1514&t=nightfall-2012_1514
Variety:
http://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/nightfall-1117947262/

True Legend (2010) Reviews:

City on Fire:
http://www.cityonfire.com/true-legend-2010-review/
Collider:
http://collider.com/true-legend-review-fantastic-fest/
Love HK Film:
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/true_legend.html
Moviexclusive:
http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/truelegend/truelegend.html
Screen Daily:
http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/true-legend-su-qi-er/5010883.article

Muderer (2009) Reviews:

HK Magazine:
http://hk-magazine.com/movie-review/murderer
Hollywood Reporter:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/murderer-film-review-93356/
Love HK Film:
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/murderer.html
Moviexclusive:
http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/murderer/murderer.html

Secret (2007) Reviews:

Asian Movie Web:
http://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/secret.htm
Love HK Film:
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/secret.htm
Moviexclusive:
http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/secret/secret.htm
Variety:
http://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/secret-2-1200555831/

Fearless (2006) Reviews:

Love HK Film:
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/fearless.htm
Moviexclusive:
http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/fearless/fearless.htm
New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/movies/22fear.html?_r=0
Variety:
http://variety.com/2006/film/reviews/fearless-2-1200517527/

Jiang Hu (2004) Reviews:

Asian Movie Web:
http://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/jiang_hu.htm
Betond Hollywood:
http://www.beyondhollywood.com/jiang-hu-2004-movie-review/
Far East Films:
http://www.fareastfilms.com/reviewsPage/Jiang-Hu-2244.htm
Love HK film:
http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/jiang_hu_2004.htm
Variety:
http://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/jiang-hu-1200527128/

Others:

Granite Studio:
http://granitestudio.org/2006/09/24/a-historians-review-of-jet-lis-fearless-who-was-the-real-huo-yuanjia-%E9%9C%8D%E5%85%83%E7%94%B2%EF%BC%9F/

Weibo of To, Chi-long Christine:
http://www.weibo.com/duzhilang

Bibliography   Top

  1. Bettinson, Gary. “Hong Kong Action Cinema.” China: Directory of World Cinema. Ed. Gary Bettinson. Bristol: Intellect, 2012. 22-27.
  2. Funnell, Lisa. “Transnational Chinese Mother: The Heroic Identities of Michelle Yeog and Pei Pei Cheng.” Funnell, Lisa. Warrior Women: Gender, Race, and the Transnational Chinese Action Star. Albany: SUNY Press, 2014. 31-56.
  3. Hunt, Leon . “Too Late the Hero? The Delayed Stardom of Donnie Yen.” East Asian Film Stars. Ed. Wing-Fai Leung and Andy Willis. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.