Chapter 508: The Greatness of Fatherly Love

Although Duke was the only member of the production to attend, Warner Brothers placed immense importance on this market. The local branch of Warner had partnered with the China Film Group to aggressively promote Taken.

The film didn't touch on any sensitive issues—and even if it did, they pertained strictly to France's immigration problems. Its PG-13 rating also guaranteed the absence of excessively gory scenes.

Whether the capital was official or private, it existed to chase profit. Duke had proven with countless facts that his films generated unimaginable revenue, so the China Film Group naturally spared no effort in its promotion.

Ultimately, the China Film Group hadn't gone to such great lengths to invite him here for the sake of Sino-American relations or to extend a hand of friendship. Their only goal was maximizing profit.

Of course, in Duke's view, this was a win-win cooperation. Otherwise, he wouldn't have flown over.

During the film festival, reports and advertisements for Taken could be seen everywhere across the major local media.

"To a large extent, Duke Rosenberg's films have pushed the internationalization of Hollywood commercial cinema a massive step forward. Among ordinary Chinese audiences, Duke is the most recognized Hollywood director. Speed, The Rock, Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy—all directed by him—have been imported to domestic theaters and are deeply loved by moviegoers."

"Fresh off his win for Oscar Best Director, the man who is the best in the world at shooting commercial blockbusters has officially landed in China with his latest anti-terrorism action thriller, Taken. Word has it that this film gathers all the essential elements of a commercial movie: a star-studded cast, thrilling car chases, and crisp action, leaving people with infinite anticipation..."

On June 10, 2004, before the sun even set, numerous movie fans had gathered in front of Shanghai Cinema. They waited eagerly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the top Hollywood director.

Aside from them, numerous entertainment reporters and film industry insiders had also flocked to the venue, including Jiang Xiaojun and Baldy Ge, who had rushed over first thing in the morning.

"Incredible, truly incredible."

Standing in the waiting area in front of the cinema, Jiang Xiaojun spoke in a heavy Beijing Accent.

He turned to Baldy Ge and said, "This director is no ordinary person. When I attended the Cannes Film Festival the year before last, he and a single film—merely there for an exhibition screening—beat the entire Cannes Film Festival to a pulp, making the organizers lose a ton of face. Word has it that the board of directors decided they won't invite him back to Cannes unless he officially enters the competition section."

"His personal total box office is number one in the world," Baldy Ge said, adjusting his bowtie as he looked down at the director stepping onto the red carpet. "Even if film festivals and the Oscar can be manipulated behind the scenes, this is a solid, undeniable achievement."

"Exactly!" Jiang Xiaojun gave a thumbs-up. "In my eyes, when it comes to commercial cinema, he's the absolute best!"

Baldy Ge dipped his chin slightly. "He plays the commercial movie game. Box office numbers speak for themselves."

Just as in Hollywood, Duke kept a brisk pace after stepping onto the red carpet. Although plenty of fans had shown up, they weren't overly enthusiastic; he was, after all, not a movie star who drew massive crowds. Furthermore, directors in this country were still far from stepping into the limelight the way they did overseas.

Maintaining his usual style, he didn't go over to sign autographs or strike poses in the photography area. As the finale guest of the Premiere, Duke quickly strode down the long red carpet.

Taken wasn't in the competition section; it was only part of the exhibition segment. After wrapping up his routine interviews, Duke walked into the cinema's grand screening hall with the Warner Brothers representatives. Before the film began, he followed local custom and stepped onto the stage to say a few brief words.

Everything he said had been drafted by the professional PR staff of the Warner Greater China Region. It was nothing more than praising the film festival and the local audience, followed by a statement of belief that the local film industry had a brilliant future.

Then, the screening began.

Compared to the lengthy The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Taken, meticulously edited by Duke, had a runtime of just over ninety minutes. Like his earlier Speed and The Rock, its plot was tight and its pacing incredibly fast!

While retaining the original film's framework, Duke had performed major surgery on the movie, especially its opening.

After the routine studio logos, there were no drawn-out title sequences. The film jumped straight to the point: Agent Bryan Mills charged into a warehouse single-handedly, neutralizing criminals one by one with crisp moves, before finally bursting into the boss's office and wiping out the smuggling syndicate's core leadership in one fell swoop.

The entire sequence lasted less than five minutes. Bryan's fighting style lacked flashy moves; every strike was executed in the most lethal manner possible, effortlessly giving the audience the feeling that a real life-and-death struggle would look exactly like this.

"It's not kung fu," Baldy Ge said, turning to look at Jiang Xiaojun. "Didn't they say kung fu was popular in Hollywood recently? It seemed to start right after Duke Rosenberg's The Matrix. Why did he give up on it?"

"Who knows?" Jiang Xiaojun shrugged. "He's one of the best directors in the world, at least commercially. To reach his current position, his grasp on the market must be incredibly sharp. Could kung fu movies be about to decline in Hollywood?"

Jiang Xiaojun was not just an actor, but a director. Although he couldn't direct films for the time being due to certain reasons, his instincts were still incredibly sharp.

The plot of the movie was extremely simple. After completing his final mission, Bryan decided to retire early so he could take care of his daughter. During a gathering with three former colleagues, he constantly talked about his broken family and lovely daughter, indirectly establishing his image as a loving father.

No different from a typical Hollywood action flick, the opening action sequence was followed by plot buildup. Through Bryan looking at a photo album and reminiscing, the background of a typical Hollywood hero was clearly laid out. Just like all heroes, he had a wounded family behind him.

Bryan's relationship with his ex-wife and daughter wasn't particularly harmonious, but this couldn't stop a father's love. It was one of the greatest emotions in the world—cliché, yet easily capable of touching people's hearts.

Moreover, due to his profession, Bryan was very clear about the dark side of the world. Having a daughter who lacked social experience yet was exceptionally beautiful meant he was destined to shoulder an undeniable responsibility as a father.

Thus, after his daughter pulled a series of little tricks to travel to France, she and her companion became the targets of a gang kidnapping. With only ninety-six hours to save her, the father was about to sweep through Paris like a hurricane.

The saying "without enmity, no father-son relationship forms" could equally be applied to a father and daughter. To fulfill her and her companion's dream of following U2's European tour, the daughter didn't hesitate to deceive her father with lies about visiting museums in Paris.

Her female companion was completely unreliable. The moment they arrived at the French airport, she was charmed by the good looks of a young human trafficker. Not only did she share a cab with him to their lodging, she fantasized about sleeping with the handsome guy who called himself Peter. She even strongly urged the daughter—who was still a virgin—to take this opportunity to have a romance in France and complete her transition into womanhood.

As a result, less than half an hour into her fantasies, they were kidnapped by the men the handsome guy called in.

Because the companion wasn't a virgin, she couldn't be sold at a high price to rich businessmen. They injected her with drugs and intended to force her into prostitution, but an accident occurred along the way—she died of an overdose, a truly tragic outcome.

Young people were filled with endless fantasies about the world, including the romance of flings and the anticipation of chance encounters, yet they remained oblivious to the world's hidden dangers.

At this point, no matter what choices a deeply loving father with a special background made—a man filled with fury and desperate to rescue his beloved child—he wouldn't incite much resentment from the audience.

On the contrary, familial love touched the heart even more than romantic love; it was a value advocated by the entire world. The greatness of fatherly love was vividly embodied in Bryan, easily moving the viewers.

Perhaps swapping in an agile, muscular actor would have also made the movie look good, but Liam Neeson endowed this father—a man who would do anything to save his daughter—with the aura of an epic hero.

He was tall yet agile, polite yet brimming with power. When he saw his daughter's best friend dead in a cell, his suppressed emotions completely erupted. The torture interrogation of the Albanian was incredibly badass. The moment the steel spike was brutally driven into the man's thigh, the audience felt it was driven by the emotion of a father avenging his daughter rather than a secret agent catching a criminal.

Thus, an American ex-agent, an aging father, a relentless hunter who killed as easily as chopping vegetables, carved a bloody path from America to Paris to prevent his kidnapped daughter from being forced into prostitution by human traffickers. Kill, kill, kill!

To save his daughter, a father would pay any price!

This was a very traditional Hollywood action film, but Bryan still stood apart from traditional Hollywood heroes. For instance, he was more ruthless and his strikes were far more merciless, yet no one felt dissatisfied by this.

Duke's films never lacked immersion. The buildup of the plot made it incredibly easy for the audience to fall into an illusion: if their own family members were trafficked by a gang, and they had the capability, would they make the exact same choices as Bryan in their raging fury?

In fact, the answer was obvious. This was a world where blood would always be thicker than water.

When Bryan unleashed his bloody revenge, not a single one of those traffickers who deserved to go to hell was spared! Bang, bang, bang! Kill, kill, kill!

Many in the audience couldn't help but think: if everyone had a dad like this, society would be so much more harmonious and peaceful!

"Hey, Xiaojun."

Baldy Ge suddenly said, "You should have your daughter take a good look at this movie!"

Thinking of his mischievous daughter who always went out of her way to rebel, Jiang Xiaojun nodded. "I really should have her watch it."