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Richard James Havis

Want to make an action film the Hong Kong way? In our unofficial “masterclass”, legendary action and martial arts filmmakers tell you how it is done.
John Woo Yu-sum on how to develop a universal story for your film:
“In my films, I explore themes and emotions that are common to everyone. Even though we all walk different paths – depending on culture and background – I believe there are some ideas that are universal.
“For instance, we all want to believe there is justice, love, morality and beauty in the world. I want to show that violence can be defeated by justice.
How Gen-X Cops led a new crop of Hong Kong action films in the 1990s
“My heroes use their self-discipline to combat injustice. My characters obey a code of loyalty – I want to show that life is precious.”
Ringo Lam Ling-tung on how to get a film up and running:
“First I have to get an idea – something I won’t get bored with over the space of a year. Then I deal with the “mechanical” aspects such as inventing a set-piece. Then I send the scriptwriter home to put it all down on paper,” he told film critic Derek Elley.
“We’ll look at it together again, then I’ll go and hide away somewhere and fix everything, including the dialogue.
For Victim, I went off to Bangkok for five days.”

Peter Chan Ho-sun on how a drama director should prepare for shooting an action film like “The Warlords”:
“Action films require choreographers, stunt doubles, and so on, and that just complicates the whole filmmaking process more. When the number of people on the set is high, the relationships are not as close, and that’s not great for dealing with emotional scenes.
“That’s why I have shied away from them – it’s always been hard for me to imagine making a film with so many people.”

The late action maestro Benny Chan Muk-sing on having a large team:
“I prefer shooting action scenes [to dramatic scenes] as you have got a lot of people to share your burden.
“It allows you more time to think – I am a very slow thinker!” he told the Post.
If there is too much drama in an action film, it may upset the action fans
Benny Chan
“Ip Man” director Wilson Yip Wai-shun on establishing your own directorial style – or not:
“Style is just a signboard that you hang up. I don’t worry about establishing a style for my movies.
“If you put my movies together, there will definitely be something that proves they all come out of me.

“But I don’t think it’s good to focus on the things that are shaping my style. Slow motion is, of course, John Woo’s style, but I feel that in his later works, he uses slow motion for the sake of it. Is that good?”
The legendary King Hu discussing how to plan a martial arts shoot:
“Before we began shooting [Come Drink with Me], we had a rehearsal organised for the wushu experts we had hired. The goals were sevenfold – first to see if the actors could actually execute the moves, and second to give the props man a good idea of where to use real props and where to use fakes.

“But the most important goal was to prepare safety measures for when the actors performed especially dangerous moves. Finally, we determined in advance which moves would require stunt doubles.”
Martial arts fan Wong Kar-wai on using the action to tell a story:
“The traditional martial arts film has the goal of stimulating the viewers’ senses. With Ashes of Time, I wanted the senses to also be means of expressing the characters’ feelings.

“When Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia is playing with the sword, it’s a dance. When I filmed Tony Leung Chiu-wai, the blind warrior, in slow motion, I showed his fatigue as he faces his life, which is symbolised by the weight of his sword.”
Benny Chan on keeping the focus on the action:
“It’s difficult to strike a balance [between action and drama]. If there is too much drama in an action film, it may upset the action fans.”

Famed choreographer Yuen Woo-ping on how to train the actors:
“In Hong Kong, if the movie stars are experienced, they all know a little bit of kung fu, so they just rehearse on the set during the shoot. They can shoot right away.
“Here in the US, the Western actors don’t know kung fu so they have to rehearse, maybe three months ahead,” Yuen told martial-arts film director, producer and screenwriter Martha Burr.
“[In the US], I have six assistants from Hong Kong to help. The six assistants do the basic training and then I do the main movements for the film.

“I will observe the actor to get an idea of how far he or she can go, and then design the action specifically for him or her. We get an idea of each person’s ability, and then we decide.”
“A Man Called Hero” director Andrew Lau Wai-keung on the proper use of special effects:
“We still place priority on the script first and then incorporate the special effects into the story. We have never wavered from that, but we have to consider that sometimes the audience likes to see certain things.

“A lot of factors play a part – the lighting and the art direction, for example. We don’t tell ourselves we have to have ‘X’ number of effects; it’s actually a combination of all the factors working together.”
Versatile director Gordon Chan Kar-seung on how to work with – or not work with – martial arts choreographers:
“I have to use a martial arts choreographer for the fight scenes, but I always work closely with him.
“In Hong Kong, when the martial arts choreographers take over, the real directors leave. There is a lot of pressure to do that, but I always stay. I don’t do the choreography, but I try and set the tone of the scene.

“I had a hard time shooting [Jet Li Lianjie’s] Fist of Legend, as I asked the martial arts choreographers not to shoot too much combat footage – I didn’t need too much fighting, as I was focused on the human drama.
“But they just kept on shooting fight after fight, saying that we needed more to satisfy the audience. I said that I was there to tell a good story, and that would satisfy the viewers, but the choreographers were not convinced.”
Ang Lee on the rigours of making a martial arts movie:
“We shot Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon around the clock with two teams. I didn’t take one break in eight months, not even for half a day. I was miserable – I just didn’t have the energy to be happy.

“Near the end, I could hardly breathe. I thought I was going to have a stroke. It was bad.
“Six months later I am resting now, trying to get fit again. But since I’m middle-aged, I’ll probably never get back to normal.”
In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved industry.
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From Cheng Pei-pei to Michelle Yeoh, Hong Kong cinema’s history of action heroines

Hong Kong film festival celebrates 37 years of queer cinema

Famous Chinese women in folklore, from Hua Mulan to a consort who brought down a dynasty

‘Rest in eternal peace’: veteran horror actor, filmmaker Simon Loui dies at age 62

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Hong Kong action films are made: directors including John Woo, Benny Chan and Wong Kar-wai on their craft

Yuen Woo-ping on the set of Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy (2018).

King Hu on a film set in a still from the documentary “The King of Wuxia Part 2: The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon”. The most important step in rehearsals for a film was to prepare safety measures for when actors perform dangerous moves, Hu said. Photo: Sky Films

Ringo Lam Ling-tung in an interview with the Post in 1999. Photo: SCMP

Peter Chan Ho-sun in an interview with the Post in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Wilson Yip Wai-shun in an interview with the Post in 2004. Photo: SCMP

King Hu (left) demonstrates a move to actor Roy Chiao in a still from “The King of Wuxia”. Photo: Qixia Films

Wong Kar-wai, pictured in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Benny Chan on the set of “Gen-Y Cops” in 2000. Photo: SCMP

Yuen Woo-ping on the set of “Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy” in 2017. 

Andrew Lau Wai-keung in an interview with the Post in 1999. Photo: SCMP

Gordon Chan Kar-seung in an interview with the Post in 2008. Photo: SCMP

Ang Lee on the set of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 1999. Photo: SCMP

From Women to Red Rose White Rose, the actresses in Stanley Kwan’s early films had starring roles where they were more than just ‘vases’

Joan Chen and Winston Chao in a still from “Red Rose White Rose”.

Sylvia Chang Ai-chia in a still from “Full Moon in New York”, one of Stanley Kwan Kam-pang’s early movies that centred on women.

Cora Miao in a still from “Women”.

Stanley Kwan at an interview with the Post in 2005. Photo: SCMP

Tony Leung Chiu-wai (left) and Irene Wan Pik-ha in a still from “Love Unto Waste”.

Chow Yun-fat (left) and Tony Leung in a still from “Love Unto Waste”.

(From left) Sylvia Chang Ai-chia, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Siqin Gaowa in a still from “Full Moon in New York”.

Joan Chen (left) and Winston Chao Wen-hsuan in a still from “Red Rose White Rose”.

Hong Kong movie stars Francis Ng and Anthony Wong and their careers in the 1990s: comedy, crime and character acting

Anthony Wong (left) and Francis Ng at the  19th Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Coliseum in April 2000. The pair had been a breath of fresh air for Hong Kong film-goers in the 1990s with their unconventional style. Photo: SCMP

Francis Ng (top) and Anthony Wong in a still from “Dancing Lion” (2007), co-directed by Ng and Marco Mak Chi-sin. Photo: SCMPost

Anthony Wong in a still from “Beast Cops” (1998), directed by Gordon Chan and Dante Lam. Photo: Media Asia Films

Francis Ng at the Udine Far East Film Festival in 1999.

Ng (front) in a still from “Infernal Affairs II” (2003). Photo: SCMPost

Ng at an interview with the Post in 2017. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Wong in a still from “The Untold Story” (1993).

Best actor winner Anthony Wong Chau-sang (left) and best actress winner Anita Yuen Wing-yee at the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards in April 1994. Photo: SCMP

Wong at an interview with the Post in June 2023. Photo: Jonathan Wong

How Hong Kong action movie director Johnnie To’s films Lifeline and The Mission show the different sides to his  filmmaking

Roy Cheung in a still from “The Mission” (1999).

Lau Ching-wan in a still from the movie “Lifeline” (1997), directed by Hong Kong action film auteur Johnnie To. Photo: Shaw Brothers Studio

Johnnie To at an interview with the Post in 1999. Photo: SCMP

Lau Ching-wan in a still from “Lifeline” (1997). Photo: Shaw Brothers Studio

Simon Yam (centre) in a still from “The Mission” (1999).

How Hong Kong New Wave cinema classics Nomad and The Story of Woo Viet, early movies by Patrick Tam and Ann Hui, show the movement’s diversity

Leslie Cheung in a still from “Nomad”, directed by Patrick Tam.

Leslie Cheung and Cecilia Yip in a still from “Nomad” (1982), directed by Patrick Tam. The differences between this and Ann Hui’s “The Story of Woo Viet” highlight the broad stylistic and thematic range of the Hong Kong’s New Wave cinema.

Pat Ha (left) as Kathy and Kent Tong as Pong in a still from “Nomad”.

Film director Patrick Tam at an interview with the Post in 2006. Photo: SCMP

Leslie Cheung (left) as Louis and Kent Tong as Pong in a still from “Nomad”.

Chow Yun-fat as Woo Viet and Cherie Chung in a still from “The Story of Woo Viet”. 

Chow Yun-fat (left) and Tong Kam-tong in a still from “The Story of Woo Viet”.

No Michelle Yeoh, no problem: how Cynthia Khan made In the Line of Duty 3 and 4 her own with her sensational performances, including one alongside a young Donnie Yen

Cynthia Khan and Donnie Yen in a still from “In the Line of Duty 4”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Cynthia Khan in a still from “In the Line of Duty 3”. Khan stepped in when Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock were unavailable to film sequels to their hits “Yes, Madam!” and “Royal Warriors”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Hiroshi Fujioka (left) and Cynthia Khan in a still from “In the Line of Duty 3”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Cynthia Khan in a still from “In the Line of Duty 3”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Donnie Yen in a still from “In the Line of Duty 4”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Cynthia Khan in a still from “In the Line of Duty 4”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

(From left) Yuen Yat-choh, Donnie Yen and Cynthia Khan in a still from “In the Line of Duty 4”. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Classic Hong Kong cinema

Classic Hong Kong cinema: John Woo on action, violence, influences, growing up in poverty and working in Hollywood in 1997 interview

Legendary Hong Kong action film director John Woo in 1990. Photo: SCMP

Famous Hong Kong action film director John Woo talks about his life and work in a 1997 interview. Photo: SCMP

John Travolta (top) and Nicolas Cage in a still from Face/Off.

John Woo during an interview in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Tony Leung (left) and Chow Yun-fat in a still from Hard Boiled (1991), directed by Woo.

Woo (left) shakes hands with actor Tom Cruise at a photo call in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2000.

Danny Lee (left) and Chow Yun-fat in a still from The Killer, a 1989 film directed by John Woo.

Woo in his office in 1993. Photo: SCMP

Woo on the set of Red Cliff, with actor Takeshi Kaneshiro.

How Ringo Lam crime thriller Full Alert mixed realistic action on Hong Kong streets with premonition of 1997 handover

Lau Ching-wan in a still from Full Alert.

Lau Ching-wan hunting down an escaped robber in the mean streets (Bird Street) of Mong Kok in Ringo Lam’s 1997 movie Full Alert.

Ringo Lam, pictured in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Lau Ching-wan (left) and Francis Ng in a still from Full Alert.

Amanda Lee (front) in a still from Full Alert. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

Francis Ng in a still from Full Alert.

Ringo Lam in an interview with the Post in 1997. Photo: SCMP

Hong Kong’s first art-house film, Cecille Tong Shu-shuen’s The Arch, starring Crazy Rich Asians’ Lisa Lu Yan, was ahead of its time

Lisa Lu in a still from Cecille Tong Shu-shuen’s The Arch (1970), considered to be Hong Kong’s first art-house film.

Cecille Tong and members of her staff at Joss, the Chinese restaurant she runs on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Lisa Lu, who starred in The Arch and The Empress Dowager, poses with her daughter Lucia Hwong in 1978. Photo: SCMP

Lisa Lu in a still from The Arch.

Promotional stills for Sup Sap Bup Dup (1975), directed by Tong.

A scene from the 1974 film China Behind, directed by Tong.

How Bruce Lee’s Way of the Dragon made Chuck Norris a star with their fight in Rome’s Colosseum, and what the film showed about Lee’s directing

Bruce Lee in a still from The Way of the Dragon (1972). Photo: Criterion Collection

Bruce Lee in a still from The Way of the Dragon (1972), which he starred in and directed. Photo: Criterion Collection

Bruce Lee as Ah Lung (front) and Nora Miao as Chen Ching Hua in a still from The Way of the Dragon. Photo: Golden Harvest

Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee in a still from The Way of the Dragon. Photo: LCSD

Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in a still from The Way of the Dragon. Photo: Criterion Collection

Maggie Cheung in her own words, on Wong Kar-wai and In the Mood for Love, marrying Olivier Assayas and being an actress, not just a film star

Interview with award-winning actress Maggie Cheung Man-yuk at Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Maggie Cheung at an interview with the Post in 2001. Photo: SCMP.

Maggie Cheung (left) and Cherie Chung in a still from Prince Charming (1984).

Maggie Cheung (left) and Andy Lau in a still from As Tears Go By (1988).

Maggie Cheung in a still from the 1996 film Irma Vep.

Maggie Cheung (left) and Tony Leung in a still from In the Mood for Love (2000).

Peter Chan’s early films, featuring the two Tony Leungs and Maggie Cheung, were a breath of fresh air in Hong Kong

Anita Yuen (left) and Leslie Cheung in a still from He’s a Woman, She’s a Man (1994).

A promotional image of He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Father (1993), starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai (first from right) and Tony Leung Ka-fai (second from right). Peter Chan Ho-sun’s early films “have an international, almost placeless feel” despite their local issues and references.

Film director Peter Chan Ho-sun in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Eric Tsang (left) and Leslie Cheung in a still from He’s a Woman, She’s a Man, the 1994 film directed by Peter Chan.

Fallen Angels: Wong Kar-wai on casting Leon Lai, Michele Reis, Charlie Yeung and Karen Mok against type in 1995 film

Michele Reis and Takeshi Kaneshiro in a still from Wong Kar-wai’s Fallen Angels. Photo: Block 2 Pictures and Jet Tone Contents

Leon Lai in a still from Wong Kar-wai’s Fallen Angels, the 1995 film that was almost part of Chungking Express.

Wong Kar-wai in front of a promotional poster for Fallen Angels in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Takeshi Kaneshiro in a still from Fallen Angels.

Leon Lai (left) and Michele Reis in a still from Fallen Angels.

Michele Reis in a still from Fallen Angels.

(Clockwise from top left) Charlie Yeung, Michele Reis, Leon Lai and Takeshi Kaneshiro in a still from Fallen Angels.

Leon Lai plays a hitman in a still from Fallen Angels.

How Running Out of Time, starring Andy Lau and Lau Ching-wan, helped shape the ‘Johnnie To Cinematic Universe’

Andy Lau in a still from Johnnie To’s Running Out of Time (1999).

Andy Lau, pictured with Helena Law at the 19th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2000, where he was named best actor for his role in Running Out of Time. Photo: SCMP

A still from The Mission (1999).

Lau Ching-wan (left) and Andy Lau in a still from Running Out of Time (1999).

Johnnie To in his Kwun Tong office in 1999. Photo: SCMP

Ekin Cheng in a still from Running Out of Time 2.

Likened to Hollywood hit Love Story, this film beat Jackie Chan, Jet Li at the Hong Kong box office in 1993

Anita Yuen (left) and Lau Ching-wan in a still from C’est La Vie, Mon Cheri.

Anita Yuen (left) and Lau Ching-wan in a still from C’est la Vie, Mon Cheri. It beat films starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li to become a box-office hit in 1993. Photo: courtesy of LCSD 

Film director Derek Yee Tung-sing giving a thank-you speech after being awarded the best director prize at the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards for his film, “C’est La Vie, Mon Cheri”. Photo: SCMP

Lau Ching-wan (left) and Anita Yuen in a still from C’est La Vie, Mon Cheri.

Winners at the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards pose for a group picture. From left in the first row are best supporting actor Paul Chun Pui, best actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang, best actress Anita Yuen Wing-yee, best supporting actress Fung Bo-bo and best director Derek Yee Tung-shing. With the exception of Wong, all the others worked on C’est La Vie, Mon Cheri. Photo: SCMP

Brigitte Lin’s first gender-neutral role, Sally Yeh’s butch Beijing Opera performer make Tsui Hark’s 1986 period comedy Peking Opera Blues highly enjoyable

Peking Opera Blues starring Brigitte Lin remains an enjoyable tale of espionage, Chinese opera and gender bending. Mark Cheng (left) and Brigitte Lin in a still from Peking Opera Blues. Photo: Peking Opera Blues

Playwright Raymond To Kwok-wai, pictured in 1994, was the screenwriter behind both Shanghai Blues and Peking Opera Blues. Photo: SCMP

Sally Yeh (left) in a still from Shanghai Blues, which was released two years before Peking Opera Blues. Photo: Hong Kong Film Archive

(From left) Brigitte Lin, Cherie Chung and Sally Yeh in a still from Peking Opera Blues. Photo: Peking Opera Blues

Tsui Hark, posing beside the poster for another of his movies, A Better Tomorrow III, in 1989. Photo: SCMP

Brigitte Lin (right) in a still from Peking Opera Blues. Photo: Peking Opera Blues

A change from Jackie Chan and Jet Li – Beast Cops’ Gordon Chan on how directing the Hong Kong gangs vs police film was not like his previous work

A still from Beast Cops. Photo: Handout

(From left) Sam Lee, Anthony Wong and Michael Wong in a still from Beast Cops, a Mong Kok-set gangs vs police action drama directed by Gordon Chan.

Best actress Sandra Ng Kwan-yu (left) and best actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang with their awards at the 18th annual Hong Kong Film Awards in 1999. Ng starred in Portland Street Blues and Wong in Beast Cops. Photo: SCMP

Jet Li in a still from Fist of Legend, the 1994 film directed by Gordon Chan.

Michael Wong (front) in a still from Beast Cops.

Directors Gordon Chan (left) and Dante Lam, pictured in 2006. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Anthony Wong, Kathy Chow and Michael Wong in a still from Beast Cops.

Anthony Wong in a still from Beast Cops.

Romance meets ghost story in Hong Kong movie masterpiece Rouge, starring Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung and directed by Stanley Kwan

Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung in a still from Rouge.

Leslie Cheung and Anita in a still from Rouge (1988), directed by Stanley Kwan, in which she plays a 1930s courtesan who returns 50 years later as a ghost seeking her lover, played by Cheung.

Anita Mui (centre) alongside Alex Man (left) and Elaine Chu in a still from Rouge.

Stanley Kwan in an interview with the Post in 1988. Photo: SCMP.

Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung in Rouge.

Made in Hong Kong, Fruit Chan’s take on grim reality of 1997 for many in the city, and how the groundbreaking independent film was conceived

Sam Lee in a still from Made in Hong Kong. Photo: Focus Films Limited

Sam Lee in a still from Made in Hong Kong, Fruit Chan’s 1997 film about the grim reality of life for many people in Hong Kong. Photo: Golden Scene

(From left) Wenders Li, Sam Lee and Neiky Yim in a still from Made in Hong Kong.

Fruit Chan (centre), winner of Best Director and Best Picture at the 3rd Golden Bauhinia Awards Ceremony, alongside actors Neiky Yim (left) and Sam Lee, in 1998. Photo: SCMP

Sam Lee and Neiky Yim in a still from Made in Hong Kong. Photo: Golden Scene

Sam Lee and Neiky Yim in Made in Hong Kong. Photo: Nicetop Independent

Why Boat People, starring Andy Lau and George Lam, Ann Hui’s hit film about post-war Vietnam, displeased the Chinese and French authorities

Andy Lau as To Minh in a still from Boat People (1982). Ann Hui intended the film to tell a human story that explained why refugees were fleeing Vietnam. Hong Kong film-goers saw it as an allegory of the city’s future under Chinese rule. Photo: Bluebird Film Company

George Lam (left) and Season Ma in a still from Boat People. Photo: Bluebird Film Company

Ann Hui won the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 77th Venice Film Festival in 2020. Photo: Reuters

A still from Boat People showing Vietnamese military personnel in the streets.

Andy Lau as To Minh (left) and George Lam as Akutagawa in a still from Boat People.

Andy Lau as To Minh in a still from Boat People.

What they said about In the Mood For Love: director Wong Kar-wai and stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung on filming the romantic drama

Maggie Cheung in a still from In The Mood For Love. Photo: Jet Tone Films

Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a still from In the Mood for Love, directed by Wong Kar-wai. Photo: Jet Tone Films

Tony Leung (left), Maggie Cheung and director Wong Kar-wai during the promotion for In the Mood For Love in Cannes, in 2000. Photo: AFP/Jack Guez

Maggie Cheung in a still from In the Mood For Love. Photo: Jet Tone Films

Tony Leung in a still from In The Mood For Love. Photo: Jet Tone Films

Tony Leung (left) and Zhang Ziyi in a still from 2046. Photo: Block 2 Pictures and Jet Tone Contents

Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in a still from In the Mood For Love. Photo: Jet Tone Films

Jackie Chan focused on ‘real kung fu’ in Drunken Master II in reaction to shoddy ‘wire fu’ martial arts films of the early 90s

Jackie Chan in a still from Drunken Master II (1994). The movie focused heavily on real kung fu by real martial artists, as an antidote to the slew of shoddy ‘wire fu’ movies in the early 1990s.

Jackie Chan at an interview with the Post in 1994. Photo: SCMP

Jackie Chan in a still from Drunken Master (1978). Photo: Golden Harvest

Jackie Chan (left) on the set of Drunken Master II.

Jackie Chan (right) and Felix Wong in a still from Drunken Master II (1994).

Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle were not the films that made the Hong Kong comedian famous – so which ones did?

Stephen Chow as Trinket in a still from the film Royal Tramp.

Stephen Chow (left) and Ng Man-tat in a still from Royal Tramp. Critics called Chow 
 “the finest Hong Kong comedian of his generation” and “Hong Kong’s hottest actor” of the 1990s.

Stephen Chow at an interview with the Post in 1989. Photo: SCMP