See Chow Edited

The pre- and post:
A CYF article by Lisa Stokes and Michael Hoover, as originally written; and as finally published in the Orlando Weekly of February 12th, 1998.

My Latest GeoPropaganda ... :

This is a slightly odd thing to put at my site, but I thought it was fascinating to see how the original article, as it was reworked by editorial staff for a naive audience, changed to emphasize CYF's alien origin and action background.

Many thanks to authors Lisa Stokes and Michael Hoover for courteously permitting me to reprint the original draft, and the final version (Orlando Weekly, February 12 to 18, 1998, page 15).

The Draft:		The Edit:
Chow Power		Hong Kong killer hits Hollywood
He's been dubbed "the coolest actor in the world" and you've probably never seen him on screen. Now's your chance. Meet Chow Yun-Fat, Asia's most popular actor, poised to attract Hollywood's moviegoers with The Replacement Killers which opened locally Friday.		Chow Yun-Fat has been dubbed the coolest actor in the world by many action-video aficionados, and most movie audiences in the United States have never seen him on the big screen. Now Asia's most popular actor - and one of Hong Kong's most famous exports - is poised to make the jump in America from underground-video hero to Hollywood star with the release of his new feature film, "The Replacement Killers."
Despite making 80 films, Chow remains relatively unknown among Western audiences. True, he's built a cult following with his automatic weapons-toting action heroes in John Woo's films, such as The Killer. Woo's Hong Kong movies reinvented the gangster genre and have influenced hot and hip '90s filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino.		Chow has built a cult following over the course of almost 80 films, most notably playing automatic weapons-toting action heroes in director John Woo's Hong Kong productions. Films like Woo's "The Killer" reinvigorated the gangster genre and heavily influenced hot and hip '90s filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino.
But what sets the Chow-Woo productions above the imitations is their character-driven stories enhanced by the actor's screen presence. This is what first-time director Antoine Fuqua (known for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" music video) is aiming for in The Replacement Killers.		What sets the Chow-Woo productions above the imitations is the combination of character-driven stories and Chow's charismatic screen presence - a chemistry director Antoine Fuqua (known for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" video) tries to recreate in this new Woo-produced film.
Chow plays John, a hitman with heart, who refuses to carry out a job on a child. His boss (Kenneth Tsang), sends two "replacement killers" after him. When Lee needs a passport to return to China, he finds Meg (Mira Sorvino), a forger. Typical actioner. But beneath the guns and mayhem lies a familiar plot.		Chow plays hitman-with-heart John Lee, who refuses to carry out a job on a child. His boss, Mr. Wei (Kenneth Tsang), sends two "replacement killers" after him. When Lee needs a passport to return to China, he is assisted by forger Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino), who is subsequently drawn into Lee's dangerous predicament.
Turns out John became an assassin in order to bring his family to the States and now fears for their safety. The boss has lost his son. Meg has no family. And the cop (Michael Rooker) after them is a divorced parent of a son in trouble. So the story weaves the complications of contemporary domestic life, and Chow's and Sorvino's volatile relationship shows families learning to get along because they need each other.		[This paragraph snipped ... perhaps because of the inaccuracy about Rooker's character's family life?]
The Replacement Killers is Chow's first English language film; working in Hollywood was a new experience for him. "I was like a kid going to Disneyland. It was a lot of fun, and the crew was great," relates the actor. Critics have compared Chow Yun-Fat to Clint Eastwood for his destructive force, Paul Newman for his wounded sensibility, and Cary Grant for his rakish charm. This diversity reflects his own work, ranging from action to drama and comedy. Chow himself cites French icons Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon as influences and once admitted Robert DeNiro was his hero. He recently introduced One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Toronto Film Festival and claimed the movie and Jack Nicholson's acting had a major impact on his life.		While Chow has been compared to Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, and Cary Grant, working in Hollywood was a new experience for him. "I was like a kid going to Disneyland. It was a lot of fun and the crew was great," he says.
Chow's screen power comes from a talent usually associated with character actors able to submerge themselves in their roles. Combining this trait with an ability to act on the edge, he conveys a humanness which draws the viewer to him, no matter what is happening, or with whom he shares the screen. His instincts are sharp, and his playfulness infectious. His generosity with other actors and people makes him well respected in the profession and greatly loved by fans. Chow is the most recent of a wave of imports from the Hong Kong industry, including director Woo, producer Terence Chang, and Michelle Yeoh of the current Bond smash Tomorrow Never Dies. Talk about family values. Chang is manager of both Chow and Yeoh, and Woo and Chang are executive producers of The Replacement Killers; Woo and Chang have formed Lion Rock Productions, and Chow, Woo, and Chang are expected to team up for the comedy caper King's Ransom. Chow's next movie, The Corruptor, will be produced by Oliver Stone and co-star Mark Wahlberg. Meantime, if you can't get enough of Chow, check out his Hong Kong movies at your local mom and pop Asian video store. What impression does the actor want to make on U.S. audiences? "I want them to think, when they see me the first time on the screen, 'Here's a buddy coming from the East." Welcome, we've been waiting for you.		Chow combines an ability to immerse himself in a role with an on-the-edge approach to acting to convey a rare humanity in his film roles. Part of a veritable invasion from Hong Kong's film industry that includes Woo, producer Terence Chang and Michelle Yeoh of the current Bond smash, "Tomorrow Never Dies," Chow is eager to make a good impression on American audiences. "I want them to think, when they see me the first time on the screen, 'Here's a buddy coming from the East." With the one-two punch of "Killers" and Chow's next movie, Oliver Stone's "The Corruptor," he may just do that. -- Lisa Stokes and Michael Hoover

I tell you, it's enough to generate a new edition of Orientalism. I was particularly taken aback by the tone changes from "Chow power" to "Hong Kong killer hits Hollywood" and from "wave of Hong Kong actors" to "invasion". Not to mention the hilarious reconstruction of 'CYF is new in Hollywood / Critics rave about him' in the original draft to 'While critics have raved about him, CYF is new in Hollywood'. :P

Well, there you are. I'm just waiting now for someone to write an academic article on media coverage of Asian stars -- the use of military metaphors and analogies of violence, the stress on physicality, the simplistic 'histories' ... Froth, mutter, rant. :P

And once again, many thanks to authors Lisa Stokes and Michael Hoover for courteously permitting me to reprint the original draft, and the final version (Orlando Weekly, February 12 to 18, 1998, page 15).

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