Movie to watch : To The Fore

"To The Fore" is a movie drama with youthful vigor and hot-bloodedness that captures the intensity, drama, sweat and tears that goes into the world of professional cycling. 

It will be featuring some of the best cycling scenes set across the globe, this movie will definitely be a treat for your senses whether you are a non-cyclists or cycling enthusiast.

Director Dante Lam lends his signature touch of focusing on the human drama to drive the plot forward. Join these young cyclists as they strive towards their goals, and discover what needs to be done in order to achieve their dreams.

Story Synopsis:

In a professional cycling race, the riders are likened to “special forces”, each with their own strategy and tactics, whether as the leader (line-breaker), the cover (wind-breaker) or the backup (support), with each specialized member playing their part to perfection.

Team Radiant consists of talented Korean cyclist Zheng Ziyuan (played by Choi Siwon) - the team’s line-breaker, newcomer Chou Ming (played by Eddie Peng) and Qiu Tian (played by Shawn Dou) the wind-breaker. These 3 make up the perfect combination, and ultimately form the light of hope that will defeat Team Phantom, their fierce competitor.

But as with all races, there can only be one winner. As Zheng claims the winner’s title, the other members of his team quietly remain in the background. The trio enjoys success till Zheng’s fateful injury. Due to financial troubles, the trio is forced to split up – the once comrades now turned foes, each now spearheading teams of their own.

With each defeat, this trio grows stronger, each becoming better with their different experiences. Finally, the 3 face one another in the same competition. Who will cut through the pack and emerge victorious?

  

Key attractions:

Directed by award-winning director Dante Lam of MMA movie "UNBEATABLE",  "To The Fore" will bring you on a globe-trotting journey as we follow the heroic struggles of Eddie Peng, Choi Siwon, Shawn Dou, Wang Luodan and other stars as they courageously push themselves to the limits while racing across the world in the magnificent world of cycling races.  

Be prepared to witness breath-taking scenes spanning across Europe, 10 different cities in Asia, aerial scenes over Taipei and Taiwan, Central Hong Kong, the snow-capped Italian Alps, the modern Busan in South Korea, the majestic Tengger Desert, Shanghai and more.

Some of the key locations in the film:

Tengger Desert

Tengger Desert is China’s 4th largest desert, with undulating dunes and billowing sands everywhere, stretching as far as the eye can see. Hidden within this vast expanse of desert, lies the Swan Lake & Moon Lake, a pair of oasis that is surrounded by vegetation, offering a contrast amidst the golden ocean of sand.

As Eddie Peng fondly recalls, “I found Tengger Desert to be very memorable. It was really fun and beautiful. Having this opportunity of a lifetime to play a role of a desert cyclist, was worth it no matter how much effort it took.”

The Alps

The grand snow-capped Alps served as the backdrop for the mountainous cycling scenes. The track may be challenging, but the spectacular views makes up for it. Shawn Dou in particular, was very excited to have witnessed 2 full-sized rainbow appearing in front of him – a scene so special that he even rode back and forth the mountain 6 times in order to ensure a perfect shot was captured in the film!

Central Hong Kong

The heart of Hong Kong is constantly bustling with heavy traffic, but director Dante Lam was adamant to capture the exciting thrill when thousands of cyclists race along the famous Hong Kong tram lines.

In order to pull this tricky scene off, the cast & crew had to prepare everything the night before, be ready by the break of dawn, and wrap up the scene in the shortest time possible to minimize the traffic disruption.

Busan, Korea

South Korea has one of the most complete cycling scenes amongst Asian countries. With some help from the Korean Cycling Association, the film will feature Busan’s famous “Spo1 Park” and also the support of Korean national cyclists. The “Spo1 Park” houses some of the most advanced bicycle racing & training facilities within Asia, which serves as an important training venue in transforming the actors into proper professional cyclists.

Kaohsiung Road Closure

Director Dante Lam had an ambitious vision: to film a massive cycling scene stretched across 13KM involving thousands of cyclists. In the scenic roads of Kaohsiung, he got his wish. With the cooperation of multiple parties, the film managed to secure a 13KM stretch of road which also saw the deployment of 20 aerial cameras as well as simultaneous land and air filming. The scene not only captures the Qijin Marine Park, Meinong Lake but also many panoramic views of Taiwanese scenery – though the magnificence of a major cycling event.

Character Introduction :

"To The Fore" introduces some strong characters, each driven by their own ambitions and desires. Some who are racing for victory; some who trying to prove themselves. To achieve their dreams, they will let nothing stop them in achieving their goals.

Chou Ming (played by Eddie Peng)

Chou Ming is a wind-breaker expert who had already been making waves in the competitive cycling scene when he was recruited by Team Radiant. In Team Radiant, he forges a friendship with the team’s superstar rider Zheng, but Chou Ming’s desire to win gradually starts pulling him away – and he comes to a realization that victory can only be achieved with sacrifice.

To what extend will Chou Ming sacrifice his everything in order to win?

Zheng Zhiyuan (played by Choi Siwon)

Zheng is a Korean cyclist that is known as a cool-headed and all-rounded rider. He shares very strong ties with Brother Li (played by Andrew Lin) and shows no hesitation when Brother Li approaches him to be part of Team Radiant. In Team Radiat, he forms a close relationship with Chou Ming but as Chou Ming’s skills gradually catching up to his own, Zheng knows that a show-down between these good friends will soon be inevitable.

Qiu Tian (played by Shawn Dou)

Qiu Tian plays a more supportive role in Team Radiant. Due to a heart condition, he assists the other riders in wind-breaking & capturing positions to make up for his inability to sprint. Initially, Qiu Tian and Chou Ming form a great partnership – but when both of them fall for the same girl Shiyao (played by Wang Luodan), they turn into bitter rivals. Upon Team Radiant’s disbanding, Qiu Tian pours all his efforts into overcoming his health condition and slowly, but surely is becoming Chou Ming’s greatest competitor.

  

Huang Shiyao (played by Wang Luodan)

Originally from China, Huang Shiyao is a former women’s track cyclist that is now part of Team Virgo. After 6 months of intensive effort and emerging as a top competitor in the cycling scene, she discovers that she has a pulmonary embolism which is turning out to be difficult to cure. With her health and financial condition casting a dark shadow over her cycling dreams, she decides to make one last attempt to the competitive cycling scene.

To complicate matters, her friends Chou Ming and Qiu Tian both have taken a fancy to her, and she knows that she can only pick one at the end of the day. Who will she pick?

"To The Fore" is co-produced by Emperor Motion Pictures, Evergrande, iQiyi, Sunning & Huace Media, and distributed by Emperor Motion Pictures. The film is directed by Dante Lam, and features the cast members: Eddie Peng, Choi Siwon, Shawn Dou, Wang Luodan, Carlos Chan, Nana Au-Yang and Andrew Lin.

It is distributed by RAM Entertainment in Malaysia and is scheduled be released in cinemas nationwide on 6 Aug 2015. I can't wait to watch it......because of the sceneries and because a couple of my favourite actors are in it.... hehehe... can anyone guess who???

(pictures here are all from RAM Entertainment and Google.com and only for illustration purposes)