- Codename Cougar
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Codename Cougar 
Traditional 代號美洲豹 Simplified 代号美洲豹 Mandarin Dàiháo měizhōubào Directed by Zhang Yimou
Yang FengliangWritten by Cheng Shiqing Starring Gong Li
Ge You
Liu Xiaoning
Wang XueqiCinematography Gu Changwei Release date(s) 1989 Running time 90 minutes Language Mandarin Chinese Codename Cougar (also known as Codename: Cougar, Operation Cougar or The Puma Action) is a 1989 Chinese thriller film. It was co-directed by Zhang Yimou and Yang Fengliang. Unlike the bulk of Zhang's early work (ranging from 1986's Red Sorghum to 1995's Shanghai Triad) which were all historical pieces, Codename Cougar is a modern thriller involving a skyjacked airliner and political intrigue.
The film was made as a private investment by a friend of Zhang, but parts of their initial ideas were censored by the Chinese authorities. In the end, the film broke even but earned no profits. Zhang called it "a purely commercial gun chase film".[1]
Contents
Plot
The film follows a commercial airliner on a routine flight between Taipei and Seoul that is hijacked and taken to mainland China by the fictional Taiwan Revolutionary Army Front. Communist authorities cannot seize the plane because of the presence of an important business figure on the flight, and agree to cooperate discreetly with Taiwanese authorities to defuse an already tense situation.
Cast
Reception
The film is generally considered a failure or a footnote to Zhang's general oeuvre; Time referred to the film as Zhang Yimou's last "purely frivolous work."[2]
References
- ^ Zhang Yimou. Frances K. Gateward, Yimou Zhang, Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2001, p. 31.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (2002-12-15). "In the Mood for Swordplay". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501021223-400044,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
External links
- Codename Cougar at the Internet Movie Database
- Codename Cougar at AllRovi
Films directed by Zhang Yimou 1980s Red Sorghum (1987) • Codename Cougar (1988)1990s Ju Dou (1990) • Raise the Red Lantern (1991) • The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) • To Live (1994) • Shanghai Triad (1995) • Keep Cool (1997) • Not One Less (1999) • The Road Home (1999)2000s Happy Times (2000) • Hero (2002) • House of Flying Daggers (2004) • Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005) • Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) • A Simple Noodle Story (2009)2010s Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) • The Flowers of War (2011)Cinema of China 
Categories:- 1989 films
- 1980s thriller films
- Mandarin-language films
- Chinese films
- Aviation films
- Films directed by Zhang Yimou
- Chinese film stubs
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