Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a Marvel film, is a movie financial smash. It’s also one of the year’s best-received films. And there’s one thing reviewers and moviegoers agree on: Tony Leung is the man behind this latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment. You may have heard of Simu Lin, Awkwafina but what about Tony Leung? What makes him the highlight?
Surprisingly, his role as Xu Wenwu in Shang-Chi is the Hong Kong superstar’s first major Hollywood endeavor. As a result, it will almost always serve as the first exposure to Leung for many Western audiences. That’s exciting. Because the Cult of Leung is always looking for new members.
Tony is not a well-known actor in the West, but he is known in Asia as the man who could communicate with his eyes. It’s both a tribute to his beautiful looks and his incredible acting abilities. This man has a lot to give, with over 40 years of acting experience, five Hong Kong Awards for Best Actor, and a Cannes Film Festival Best Award.
One unmistakable thread runs across Leung’s lengthy and illustrious career. Leung’s remarkable ability to convey a lot of information without saying anything. With Leung, all it takes is a glance: a painful upward stare, a stealthy glance, or a wounded flinch. His inner life isn’t so much written on his face as it is evidence of the existence of inner life. Leung’s characters have a heartbreaking realism about them. That is what distinguishes him as one of the best.
History
Tony Leung’s father was a gambler who abandoned his family when he was a child, and as a result of this, Tony Leung became reclusive. Tony Leung revealed in an interview that there were relatively few children from broken families like him in his school when he was a student.
He didn’t meet another acquaintance until later, Zhou Xingchi, who also came from a damaged household. Since he was a child, Stephen Chow has inspired him to be an actor. Tony Leung began to learn to act through him. Two people and an 8mm camera made some short videos on the spur of the moment. Tony Leung’s performance became a way for him to express his emotions.
Stephen Chow decided to apply for the TVB artist training class in the early 1980s and dragged Tony Leung along to support him. It’s thought that everyone had guessed the outcome. Although Stephen Chow failed the test, Tony Leung, who was accompanying him, was unexpectedly admitted. Tony Leung, who was only 27 years old at the time, starred in his first international masterpiece, “City of Sadness” in 1989. In the background of postwar Taiwan, the film depicts the life of a family of four brothers. Taiwan is full of optimism for the future after the end of Japanese rule. The fourth brother, a deaf photographer, is played by Tony Leung.
The initial stage of Tony Leung’s acting career comes to a close with this film. It’s also the most technically advanced, expressive, and impactful part of his show. In his eyes, every look and gesture is crystal obvious. The same talents can be found in performance icons like Wu Mengda when it comes to expressing the psyche of the character; after all, they are all from the TVB artist training class.
Tony Leung met Bole Wong Kar Wai, the most important person in his life, in the 1990s. Tony Leung acted in Wang Jiawei’s first film, A Fei’s True Story, in 1992. There is no conversation in this scene; instead, it is merely a role showcase with no role aim or powerful emotions.
Tony Leung’s performance traces melt away with each reshoot, and the characters become more real. After more than 20 takes, Tony Leung’s performance as the character is perfectly natural, and he doesn’t have to force it. This is Tony Leung’s second stage, in which he no longer expresses emotions spontaneously and is no longer as happy as he once was.
Tony Leung’s performances have become more natural since then, and he has begun to accentuate the characters’ underlying selves. Tony Leung, meanwhile, relied on this enigmatic and reclusive mode of interpretation and went on to win the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actor award. In the Mood for Love was an award-winning film.
The best performance by far was Lust Caution. The story follows a female student who approached a man while acting and used the opportunity to assassinate the traitor. Tony Leung portrays Mr. Yi, the traitor. Every second, Tony Leung inserts little subtleties into his act that you can’t see but can feel. At a glance, the character’s momentum may be noticed. This is a snake-like man. Tony Leung’s performance can be compared to that of In the Mood for Love and 2046, in that he plays a mystery part in which the audience is unable to predict the character’s thoughts, and he is also highly fit as a villain.
These roles are so similar that even Tony Leung would get them mixed up. Tony Leung’s part is similar to this. This scene depicts a devil, whereas the next depicts a lonely guy. Such a precise performance can be described as one-of-a-kind. From a different standpoint, Lust Caution doesn’t truly define where Mr. Yi is hazardous; it simply describes how he appears to be harmful. Tony Leung’s eyes are responsible for the entire film’s suspense.
Tony Leung has had a stellar career. Because he consistently outperforms his previous achievements. Success, he believes, should not be a one-time event. Self-improvement should be a constant process. And after a 40-year process, Shang-Chi was born, introducing him to a wide popular audience. So while watching Tony’s latest movie, pay special attention to his acting and give him credit for it. Those eyes, in particular, are the eyes of a superb actor.
Sources: Accented Cinema, Min News, MCU Times