Painted Skin

2008 1h 43m ZH

😐

6.0

MID

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 173★6.3IMDB · 5,465

FantasyActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Painted Skin is based on one of Pu Songling's classic short stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Zhou Xun stars as Xiao Wei, a fox spirit that feasts on human hearts in order to maintain her lovely, youthful appearance. When General Wang Sheng (Chen Kun) 'rescues' her from a band of bandits and brings her home, trouble brews as the demon falls in love with the general.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Donnie Yen
Pang Yong
Zhou Xun
Xiao Wei
Chen Kun
Wang Sheng
Zhao Wei
Pei Rong
Sun Li
Xia Bing
Qi Yuwu
Xiao Yi / Lizard Demon
Jin Song
Gao Xiang
David Liang Kai-Di
Xia Huo Xiang

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gordon Chan
Writers: Gordon Chan, Abe Kwong Man-Wai, Lau Ho-Leung
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China, Hong Kong, Singapore

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 5

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 5

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Singapore.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 5

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Painted Skin Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 5

CAST

Did you know

Donnie Yen and Zhou Xun and Chen Kun carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 5

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1055300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gordon Chan directs. Produced in China, Hong Kong, Singapore. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Singapore.
3Part of the "Painted Skin Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Donnie Yen and Zhou Xun and Chen Kun carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt1055300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Production design: Bill Lui Cho-Hung
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Status: Released
Original language: ZH
IMDB: Painted Skin (2008)
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 5,465 votes

Awards

11 wins & 23 nominations total

Part of

Painted Skin Collection

Painted Skin is based on one of Pu Songling's classic short stories about a fox spirit that feasts on human hearts in order to maintain her lovely, youthful appearance.

Also by

Gordon Chan

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

TheTenth2018-04-25
★ 10/10
General Wang Sheng (Kun Shen) atacks a bandit camp and saves Xiaowei (Xun Zhou) who is a demon fox spirit that needs to feed on human hearts to keep her nice appearance. Wang Sheng brings her home and presents her to his wife Pei Rong (Vicky Zhao) that welcomes her and offers to keep her in her service. But Xiaowei falls in love with Wang. Strange events then happen, including people disappearing or dying, so Pei Rong turns to a demon hunter, Pang Yong (Donnie Yen), who is tired of things and not of much help. He meets an inexperienced demon hunter, Xia Bing (Li Sun) who is very interested in the events, and thinks a chameleon demon is the cause of problems. It is indeed such a demon, Xiaoyi (Yuwu Qi) that is in love with Xiaowei and kills people to bring her hearts. Pei Rong won't quit finding the source of problems and confronts Xiaowei that reveals her demon form and forms a pact with her : the killings stop, but Pei Rong takes the blame for the murders. This is a mix of faery tale, Wuxia and love story. The main cast does a breathtaking job, creating powerful characters with strengths and weaknesses, and led by their emotions and honor, including the demons. This makes a very moving story, as noone is really guilty and tries to hurt as few people as possible, or at least believes they're doing the right thing. I've been a fan of Vicky Zhao for years, and Donnie Yen is always great, but it's Xun Zhou that really shines here. Her mysterious charm creates a complex and charming character that we try to hope will either become good or be forgiven for her actions. Very recommended.

Production companies