Breathtaking stunts, and they are real

(From left to right) Actor Chen Han-dian, the movie's producer Wu Bing, lead actor Luke Bracey and DMG CEO Dan Mintz at a promotional event in Beijing. Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily

An upcoming Sino-US production claims to bring genuine action to the big screen.

The stunts are real. There are very few special effects.

Point Break, an action thriller about an undercover FBI agent's encounter with gangsters, is full of extreme sports. It is to be released on the Chinese mainland on Dec 4, three weeks before its premiere in North America.

The film is a remake of another film directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow in 1991.

Speaking at a promotional event for the new film in Beijing on Tuesday, Wu Bing, the movie's producer, said: "The preparation for the film took four years. It began with a casual chat with Bigelow. She said: 'You were an athlete before. Why not try remaking my film?'"

Wu is an entrepreneur, who once was a gymnast.

Nine popular destinations for extreme sports fans were chosen to make the film, including the 979-meter-high Angel Falls in Venezuela for rock-climbing, Aiguille de le Grani, Italy, for skiing and Maui, Hawaii, for surfing.

Luke Bracey, the lead actor, says: "The original film was about surfing in southern California. But many sports, which people couldn't imagine 25 years ago, feature in this film."

It took 221 days to shoot the film, which is considered long by today's industry standards.

All major actors in the film, including Bracey, are fans of extreme sports.