Who Killed Cock Robin (Mandarin: 目擊者, lit. "Eyewitness") is a 2017 Taiwanese neo-noir crime thriller film,[4][5] written and directed by Cheng Wei-hao. The film follows a journalist who unravels a series of mysteries as he investigates a long-forgotten hit-and-run accident that occurred nine years ago. It also marked Cheng's second collaboration with Hsu Wei-ning, after The Tag-Along. The film also stars Kaiser Chuang, Ko Chia-yen, Christopher Lee and Mason Lee.[6] It was released on 31 March 2017, in Taiwan.[7]
| Who Killed Cock Robin | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Cheng Wei-hao |
| Screenplay by | Cheng Wei-hao |
| Story by | Dorothy Chen[1] |
| Produced by | David Tang |
| Starring | Kaiser Chuang Hsu Wei-ning Ko Chia-yen Christopher Lee Mason Lee |
| Music by | Li Ming-chieh |
Production company | Rise Pictures |
| Distributed by | Vie Vision Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | Taiwan |
| Languages | Mandarin, Taiwanese |
| Budget | NT$43 million[2] |
| Box office | NT$52.4 million (Taiwan)[3] |
Premise
editNine years ago, journalist Hsiao-chi witnessed a hit-and-run crash on a mountain road when his vehicle broke down. In that accident which happened on a stormy night, the male driver was instantly killed, and the female passenger Hsu Ai-ting fell into a coma. In a panic, Hsiao-chi took photos of the hit-and-run vehicle registration plate. However, the pictures were too blurry to be used as evidence, and therefore facts of the accident were never established. Years later, Hsiao-chi discovers that his second-hand car is connected to that accident and he begins his search for the truth behind this long forgotten case.
Cast
edit- Kaiser Chuang as Wang Yi-chi (Hsiao-chi), journalist
- Hsu Wei-ning as Maggie, journalist and Hsiao-chi's supervisor
- Ko Chia-yen as Hsu Ai-ting, car accident survivor
- Christopher Lee as Chiu Ching-kai (Chiu-ge), chief editor
- Mason Lee as Chou Cheng-wei (A-wei), junior police officer
- Cheng Chih-wei as A-chi, car mechanic
- Ian Chen as Liao Tzu-fan, Hsu's boyfriend
- Tang Chih-wei as Chung-wen
- Mario Pu as Wang
Production
editPrincipal photography on the film began in March 2016.[8] Filming wrapped up one and a half months later. Much of the film was shot using a handheld camera, with the intention of conveying the realist setting. The director stated: "by using such a technique it makes the audiences feel as if they were the witnesses themselves."[9]
Soundtrack
edit| Who Killed Cock Robin | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Li Ming-chieh | |
| Released | 31 March 2017 |
| Genre | Film soundtrack |
| Label | MUSDM |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Story Beginning" | 01:42 |
| 2. | "Accident" | 01:42 |
| 3. | "Hi Wang Sir" | 02:28 |
| 4. | "Ons" | 02:27 |
| 5. | "True One" | 02:15 |
| 6. | "Old Memory" | 03:58 |
| 7. | "Newspaper Office" | 02:38 |
| 8. | "Oriental Beauty Tea" | 04:40 |
| 9. | "Who Is It" | 01:54 |
| 10. | "Handcuffs" | 05:10 |
| 11. | "True Two" | 02:18 |
| 12. | "Wei Story" | 04:56 |
| 13. | "Looking For....." | 02:12 |
| 14. | "True Three" | 04:54 |
| 15. | "I Am Sorry (feat. Lisa Liang)" | 01:58 |
| 16. | "Combet" | 03:10 |
| 17. | "Kidnap" | 04:24 |
| 18. | "Horror Story" | 04:48 |
| 19. | "Wkcr Song" | 02:30 |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54th Golden Horse Awards | Best Leading Actor | Kaiser Chuang | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Mason Lee | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Yeh Jen-hao and Liu Wei-yi | Nominated | |
| Best Film Editing | Kipo Lin | Nominated | |
| Best Sound Effects | R.T Kao, Chen Wei-liang and Forgood Sound | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ News, Taiwan (April 2017). "Director and screenwriter spar over Taiwanese thriller - Taiwan News".
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "許瑋甯床戲半瓶威士忌搞定 《目擊者》柯佳嬿被下封口令 - 即時新聞 - 20170308 - 蘋果日報". appledaily.com.tw. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "TFI-國家電影中心 Taiwan Film Institute - 電影票房資訊-每月票房公告". www.tfi.org.tw.
- ^ "Review: Stylish Taiwanese neo-noir 'Who Killed Cock Robin' lacks pep". Los Angeles Times. 21 February 2019. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019.
- ^ Daniel XIII (26 January 2019). "Movie Review: Who Killed Cock Robin (2017)". horrorfuel. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019.
- ^ "Filmart: Taiwan's MandarinVision unveils buzzy slate". screendaily.com. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "目擊者 | | iLOOKER電影網 |".
- ^ "莊凱勛、許瑋甯合作新戲【目擊者】，上戲飆演技 下戲分享面膜保養品！". iwant-radio.com. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ "Wrap Press Conference for Cheng Wei-hao's Who Killed Cock Robin - Taipei Film Commission". filmcommission.taipei. Retrieved 20 March 2017.