Film Analysis on Crazy Stone

Crazy Stone Hao Ning's 2006 film Crazy Stone is part action thriller, and part comedy crime caper. It has a polished look and feel due to excellent cinematography and good use of multiple camera angles. Because of the direction, cinematography, sounds, and editing prowess of Hao Ning, Crazy Stone looks almost like a Hollywood big budget movie. The film does not necessarily have a wide array of special effects, but those that are used judiciously and within the appropriateness of the tone of the movie.

Humor is a huge part of what makes Crazy Stone as effective as it is. The combination of action/suspense elements with the multiple levels of humor is what makes Crazy Stone an instant success. The director understands what film pacing is about, in the way that the serious scenes draw in the viewer for just enough time before inserting another joke or prank. Some of the jokes are slapstick in nature, especially those that occur between the three crooks and the security guard.

Other jokes are more contextual or clever in terms of use of language such as puns. Combined with the action elements, the humor is nuanced and takes the film beyond just being an action movie. The overall tone and style of the production are also compelling, and viewers will be riveted as they would be to a Hollywood film. However, Crazy Stone is a relatively low budget Chinese movie.

It competes with Hollywood in terms of its being a fun, action-packed crime caper but one that does not play into the usual Hollywood formulas. The love interests are stereotyped, but it works within the humorous nature of the movie. The humor is distinctly Chinese, and the lighthearted nature of the film is such that Ning is not trying to make some grand statement. Crazy Stone is designed to entertain, and it is successful.

Ning's film is about a man who finds a precious jade stone in a factory in Chongqing. The owner of the factory tries to guard the "crazy stone" because he has a master plan for its use. This master plan is rather generous in nature, which is why he becomes the character the audience most roots for and sympathizes with.

The factory owner might lose his factory due to the pressures of economic takeover, and he is concerned about not just the future of his own business but of his workers as well. Therefore, the factory owner wants to put the precious jade on display to earn money that will save the factory. The factory is being bought out by a major corporate interest.

Without going too much into the political and economic realities of China, the director does manage to capture some of the background and cultural context that is important for fully understanding Crazy Stone. It also helps to place in context the fact that jade is a revered item throughout Chinese culture and has a symbolic role in this film. Of course, the factory owner is not the only person interested in the coveted jade stone. Soon, everyone is clamoring to get a hold of the jade.

The factory owner must place his best security guards in place, and they have a difficult time warding off all the thieves. There are basically three main.