Naked Ambition (2003 film)
Naked Ambition (Chinese: 豪情, literally "Wanton Emotions") is a 2003 Hong Kong sex comedy film directed by Chan Hing-ka and Dante Lam,[1] and starring Louis Koo (who also co-produced), Eason Chan[1] and Josie Ho.[1] Ho went on to win the Best Supporting Actress award at the 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards.[2] Based on a true story the film is set in the world of Hong Kong's pornography and prostitution business. It was followed in 2014 by a sequel in name, Naked Ambition 2, however the two films share no characters or settings.
| Naked Ambition | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Traditional | 豪情 |
| Simplified | 豪情 |
| Mandarin | Háo Qíng |
| Cantonese | Hou4 Cing4 |
| Directed by | Dante Lam Chan Hing-ka |
| Produced by | Chan Hing-ka Louis Koo Amy Chin |
| Written by | Chan Hing-ka |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Tommy Wai |
| Cinematography | O Sing-pui Wong Wing-hung |
| Edited by | Cheung Ka-fai Chan Ki-hop |
Production company | China Star Entertainment Group One Hundred Years of Film Icon Films Panorama Entertainment Go Film Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 131 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | HK$8,279,733 |
Plot
Andy (Louis Koo) and John (Eason Chan) are made redundant by their employer, a comic book publisher, and together with laid off colleagues go in search of a magazine publishing idea with which to make their fortunes. They ultimately stumble on the idea of a pornographic brothel guide; rather than unobtainable porn models their magazine features actual prostitutes working in the territory, together with an assessment of the girl and where she can be found. Their magazine, Ho Ching (豪情), is an unexpected hit and rakes in profits from both readers and working girls, as girls featured in the magazine see a jump in the number of punters and rates.
The visibility and money from this success leads to run ins with the law and organised crime, but what drives a wedge between Andy and John is their attitude to sexual temptation. Initially their write ups of their models are purely fictional, but the success of the magazine as an advertising tool leads to girls becoming willing to do whatever it takes in order to get a good review, and both Andy and John give in to the temptation of all the sex offered to them, damaging their relationships with girl friends and loved ones. Ultimately John manages to extract himself from the world of porn and prostitution, whilst Andy finds it impossible to leave.
Background
The film is based on real people and real events and the magazine Hao Qing is an actual one and is as it is depicted in the film. The character Andy is based on "Frankie" who appears in the end credits narrating a coda to the film.
Cast
| Cast | Role | Notes |
| Louis Koo | Andy | |
| Eason Chan | John Chan (陳健忠) | |
| Josie Ho | Tess Chiu (趙啷啷) | |
| Niki Chow | Kiki | Beautiful but uncouth bargirl, becomes Andy's lover and the face of Hao Qing |
| Jo Kuk | Titty Bird (崔波波) | Having been reviewed as being able to give the perfect blowjob, sees such an increase in the number of customers that she begins to franchise her name and reputation |
| Cherrie Ying | Pamela | |
| Denise Ho | Fanny | |
| Jess Sum | Cindy | |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Winner |
| 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Josie Ho |
References
- "Naked Ambition". Hong Kong Movie DataBase. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- "List of Award Winner of The 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards". Hong Kong Film Awards. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
External links
- Naked Ambition at Douban (in Chinese)
- Naked Ambition (2003 film) at the Mtime.com (in Chinese)
- Naked Ambition at Rotten Tomatoes
- Naked Ambition on IMDb