Veteran Hollywood director Renny Harlin said in Beijing on Tuesday that he was happy to do a Hong Kong film, "Bodies at Rest", fulfilling a long-time personal dream.

"Bodies at Rest," with a Chinese title literally meaning "The Silent Witness," concerns a hardworking forensics expert and his assistant, working in the morgue on Christmas Eve, who are suddenly accosted by masked intruders demanding access to the corpse of a Triad leader's daughter involved in a recent crime, to find a bullet.

Speaking at Tuesday's premiere, Harlin said he had been a fan of Hong Kong movies since he was a child and he had never expected to have the opportunity to make this film. "It feels like a dream come true," he added.

He also shared his views on the difference between Hollywood and Hong Kong film production approaches, saying that Hollywood filmmaking was well planned in advance, and wuld follow a step-by-step approach in shooting. However, the production of Hong Kong movies involved a lot of improvisation, which he enjoyed. 

The director praised Chinese filmmakers and the industry in general as one of the best in the world, and if he was ever involved in another Hollywood movie in the future, he would love to bring in a Chinese team.

Harlin, known for helming high-octane action stories such as "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger," has been living and working in China for five years pursuing a new phase of his career here. After the critically-rejected "Skiptrace" and "Legend of the Ancient Sword," the director seems to have got it right this time. 

According to a review by Elizabeth Kerr of Hollywood Reporter magazine: "Despite its flaws, 'Bodies' grabs you quickly and never really lets go for the entirety of its lean, efficient 90 minutes."

"Bodies at Rest" stars veteran Hong Kong actor Nick Cheung, young mainland actress Yang Zi, and with Hong Kong singer-and-actor Richie Jen as the villain, teaming up with actors Feng Jiayi and Carlos Chan. Cheung and Yang said they had faced a lot of action scenes when shooting that required their great strength and devotion, mentally and physically.

Yang recalled that, "The director told me my role was that of a 'hitgirl'; however, it turned out I was the girl who gets hit all the time." She jokingly wondered whether the director had confused her with Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh who often starred in action films, since their Chinese names share some similarity.

The director called Nick Cheung the anchor and center of the movie, "because he's professional, and he does a great job every day, so, all the other actors around him will want to be great as well." He also praised Yang's talent and hard work, "She showed me how strong she is in this movie."

"Bodies at Rest," a co-production from Hong Kong's Media Asia and the mainland's Wanda Pictures, opens in Chinese theaters on Aug. 16.

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