KUALA LUMPUR Pirated copies of a new Hollywood action film starring Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat have hit the streets in Malaysia four months before its premiere, a report said Saturday.

Film distributors were shocked that illegal VCD copies of the "Bulletproof Monk" have gone on sale for five ringgit (US$1.3) as it was still in its post-production phase, the afternoon Malay Mail said.

The US$52 million film, produced by John Woo and released by MGM Studio, was scheduled to open April 16 worldwide.

A Motion Picture Association of America official told the tabloid they believed a Far East syndicate with Hollywood connections shot the pirate copy during a screening at an MGM studio in Hollywood.