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Richard James Havis

Cantopop’s “Four Heavenly Kings” all ventured into film with varying degrees of success.
Andy Lau Tak-wah has become as well known for his acting career as his singing one, Jacky Cheung Hok-yau has performed extremely well in select films – including three for Wong Kar-wai – while Leon Lai Ming was almost singularly unimpressive.
Aaron Kwok Fu-shing’s trajectory has been somewhat different.
His early performances were often derided but, during the first decade of the 2000s, he earned critical acclaim for his roles in two films, Divergence and After This Our Exile. Since then, he has carved out a durable and prolific career as a leading man.

Below, we look the early stages of Kwok’s movie career – which hold some surprises.
Story of Kennedy Town (1990)
A great small-scale cops-and-triads crime thriller directed by Wu Ma and featuring Kwok, Waise Lee Chi-hung and Mark Cheng Ho-nam. The story is similar to Bullet in the Head – which featured Lee in a similar role – and stars Kwok as one of three friends who kill a triad leader and then have to disappear.
Kwok, after overacting at the start, acquits himself well, and blends in beside the more experienced actors. The role does not stretch him particularly, but Kwok handles the transition from Lee’s best friend to his worst enemy with passion.
Saviour of the Soul (1991)


A fit-looking Kwok plays a vicious killer in this sci-fi action fantasy which looks like a dry run for the glossier The Heroic Trio (1993).
Kwok plays the kind of role that Ekin Cheng Yee-kin would later play, striking moody poses, relying on a floppy hairdo to get him through his scenes, and using numerous fight and stunt doubles for the action.
The film was an important step forward for co-star Andy Lau, who usually appeared in triad dramas and romances, but Kwok is certainly noticeable, posing dramatically and performing half the film in a futuristic eye patch.
Tricky weaponry is the order of the day here, and Kwok plays his manga-inspired character with a cool efficiency.
Legend of the Liquid Sword (1993)


There is not much to be said about this fantasy martial arts movie from Wong Jing other than that it is a run-of-the-mill production.
As a result of working under a director who does not seem to care much for his stars’ performances – except for that of Wong’s paramour Chingmy Yau Suk-ching – Kwok gives an awkward showing.
Outings like these, where Kwok just stands around looking gormless, gave him a bad name as an actor.
The Bare-footed Kid (1993)


This light martial arts drama stars Kwok as a bumbling peasant with excellent martial arts skills, who comes to town and gets caught up in a battle between a textile dyeing company and a criminal gang.
Kwok is adequate in the role, and uses stunt doubles and constructive editing to make up for his lack of kung fu skills.
The muddy storyline is packed with subplots, and Kwok’s attempts at being a romantic lead opposite Wu Chien-lien are outshone by the experienced Ti Lung, whose character is in love with Maggie Cheung Man-yuk’s textile mill boss.
Some of Kwok’s martial arts scenes are speeded up more than usual, and the result is horrible to see.
A Moment of Romance II (1993)


The first A Moment of Romance film, directed by the late action supremo Benny Chan Muk-sing and starring Andy Lau and Wu Chien-lien, is an iconic Hong Kong movie about a poor triad member’s love for a rich girl.
This sequel, which has little to do with the original, fails to measure up. Kwok takes Lau’s role, but things are reversed, with him being a rich kid and Wu Chien-lien returning to play a prostitute from mainland China who Kwok tries to save from a triad gang.
Kwok has Lau’s motorcycle but not his romantic charm. The actor’s action scenes are better than his sensitive ones.
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1996)


An action melodrama directed by Patrick Leung Pak-kin, making his debut after serving as John Woo Yu-sum’s assistant director, this stars Kwok as a boxer who accidentally kills the brother of the girl he loves in the ring.
“Kwok follows in Paul Newman’s boxer shorts as Ken Wong,” wrote critic Stephen Cremin, noting how the title, although not the plot, was borrowed from a 1956 US film.
Kwok’s role calls for a lot of tough and p**sed-off looks in and out of the ring, and he is competent in both scenarios.
Anna Magdalena (1998)


An early, relatively serious outing for Kwok in this romantic ménage a trois directed by art director Kenneth Yee Chung-man, which sees Kwok’s moody bad boy compete with nice guy Takeshi Kaneshiro for Kelly Chen Wai-lam’s love, and generally win out.
“Kwok is landed with a somewhat unsympathetic character, but breathes charm and boyish energy into the part,” wrote the Far East Film Festival’s Andrew Saroch.
The Storm Riders (1998)


Kwok was fine in this effects-heavy adaptation of the Hong Kong comic book, playing the macho Striding Cloud opposite Ekin Cheng’s more feminine Whispering Wind.
The script calls for Kwok to strike dramatic poses and gel with the effects, something that was not too taxing for the performer.
“Striding Cloud is a strong, striding brute with an angelic face, and a hunky body,” said the Post review. “He expresses himself by standing half-naked under a waterfall and screaming.”
Throw Down (2004)


Director Johnnie To Kei-fung’s most abstract film features Kwok in a supporting role as a tough judo expert.
To’s directorial vision – a homage to Akira Kurosawa’s judo film Sanshiro Sugata – required the actors to mute their emotions and eschew realism, and Kwok performs surprisingly well working under such unusual conditions.
Louis Koo Tin-lok is the lead, and it is certainly his film, but Kwok still makes his mark.
After This Our Exile (2006)


Given the chance to play a serious role in Patrick Tam Ka-ming’s Malaysia-set art house drama, Kwok put in a terrific performances as a man who abuses his wife.
“Exile is Kwok’s movie, with the actor-singer taking the biggest gamble of his career as the seedy father. Though more a dramatic presence than a real performance, Kwok is still remarkable in the role – a combination of gruff voice, body language and vacant/wild eyes that never develops into award-seeking mannerism,” wrote Variety critic Derek Elley.
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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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Hong Kong star Aaron Kwok went from ‘gormless’ to ‘adequate’ to ‘terrific’ in movies

Aaron Kwok in a still from Somebody Up There Likes Me (1996).

Aaron Kwok Fu-shing in a still from The Bare-footed Kid (1993). Kwok’s early films garnered mixed reviews. We take a look at some of them.

Aaron Kwok won the best actor prize for his role in Port of Call at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2016. Photo: Edward Wong

Once Upon a Time in China movies and the rip-offs rated

Jet Li as Cantonese martial arts legend Wong Fei-hung in a still from Once Upon a Time in China 2 (1992), directed by Tsui Hark. Photo: Golden Harvest

How Anita Mui held her own in films with popular male stars like Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow

Tony Leung Ka-fai, Chow Yun-fat and Anita Mui in a still from A Better Tomorrow III. Photo: Fortune Star Media Limited

Anita Mui and Stephen Chow in a still from comedy Justice, My Foot!. Mui’s remarkable versatility made her characters captivating to watch. Photo: Celestial Pictures Limited

How Leslie Cheung excelled in Chen Kaige films Farewell My Concubine and Temptress Moon

Zhang Fengyi (left) and Leslie Cheung in a still from Farewell My Concubine. Photo: Tomson Films

Leslie Cheung as Peking opera singer Cheng Dieyi in Farewell My Concubine, one of his greatest performances as an actor. Photo: SCMP

Cheung (right) and Chen Kaige on the set of Farewell My Concubine, in July 1992. Photo: SCMP

Cheung (left) and Fengyi Zhang in a still from Farewell My Concubine. Photo: Beijing Film Studio

(From left) Cheung, producer Hsu Feng and Chen Kaige at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak airport with the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for Farewell My Concubine. Photo: SCMP

Zhang and Cheung in a still from Farewell My Concubine. Photo: Tomson Films

Cheung in a still from Farewell My Concubine. Photo: Tomson Films

Cheung and Gong Li in a still from Temptress Moon. Photo: Tomson Films

Actress Shu Qi went from soft-porn to mainstream cinema star. Now she is a filmmaker too

Shu Qi on the red carpet at the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015. A director once described her as “a hardworking actress” who “can do anything she wants to do”, an observation proven by her career since. Photo: SCMP

Shu Qi attending the 15th Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Shu Qi at an interview with the Post in 1997. Her first Hong Kong film appearance came in 1995. Photo: SCMP

Shu Qi in a scene from the 1995 film Sex and Zen II.

Leslie Cheung and Shu in a still from Viva Erotica (1996). A Post film reviewer wrote that hers was a “career-making performance”.

Shu in a still from Millennium Mambo (2001), which screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and brought Shu much deserved recognition.

Shu and director Hou Hsiao-hsien at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong in 2008. Photo: SCMP

Shu Qi in a still from The Assassin.

Stephen Fung and Shu in a still from Bishonen (1998). The pair announced in 2016 that they had married in a small ceremony in Prague, in the Czech Republic.

Shu Qi at an interview with the Post in 2010. In 2019, she opened a noodle bar in Hong Kong with two other Taiwanese celebrities. Photo: SCMP

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

Stephen Chow at a film shoot in 1989. Photo: SCMP

Ng Man-tat (left) and Stephen Chow in a still from All for the Winner.

Stephen Chow (left) and Anita Yuen in a still from From Beijing with Love.

Gong Li (left) and Stephen Chow pose for photographers to promote The Flirting Scholar in 1993. Photo: SCMP

Stephen Chow in a still from Shaolin Soccer.

‘I am not Jackie Chan or Chow Yun-fat’: Hong Kong actor Lau Ching-wan on why Hollywood doesn’t need him, bad guy roles, and The Godfather

Lau Ching-wan during an interview with the Post in 1996. Photo: SCMP

Lau Ching-wan during an interview with the Post in 1996. He reveals why he measures his English comprehension against The Godfather and why Hollywood does not need him. Photo: SCMP.

Leon Lai (left) and Lau Ching-wan in a still from A Hero Never Dies (1998).

Lau Ching-wan in a still from Full Alert (1997).

Lau Ching-wan (left) and Anita Yuen in a still from C’est La Vie, Mon Cheri (1993).

Lau Ching-wan in a still from Too Many Ways to be Number One.

Lau Ching-wan (third from left) in a still from Big Bullet (1996), directed by Benny Chan.

Lau Ching-wan in a still from Lifeline (1997).

Lau Ching-wan and his wife, Amy Kwok, pose for photographers on the red carpet of the 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2013. Photo: SCMP

What they said about The Killer: director John Woo and stars Chow Yun-fat and Sally Yeh on shooting the classic Hong Kong action movie

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

Chow Yun-fat (right) as the hitman Ah Jong and Danny Lee as Detective Li Ying in a still from The Killer (1989), directed by John Woo.

Chow Yun-fat plays hitman Ah Jong in a still from The Killer.

John Woo in his Hong Kong office, pictured in 1993. Photo: SCMP.

Sally Yeh as Jennie the nightclub singer and Danny Lee as Detective Li Ying in a still from The Killer.

Chow Yun-fat (left) and Danny Lee in a still from The Killer.

Chow Yun-fat in a still from The Killer.

Hong Kong horror cinema, from kung fu ghost movies to adults-only shockers like the human flesh eaters of The Untold Story

A still from Mr Vampire (1985). Produced by Sammo Hung, the film about reanimated corpses spawned a series of sequels and imitators. Photo: Golden Harvest

How Hong Kong star Aaron Kwok went from ‘gormless’ to ‘adequate’ to ‘terrific’ in movies

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Aaron Kwok’s early films garnered mixed reviews, from a terrible outing in Legend of the Liquid Sword to a great one in After This Our Exile

Aaron Kwok’s early films garnered mixed reviews, from a terrible outing in Legend of the Liquid Sword to a great one in After This Our Exile