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Classic Hong Kong cinema
In this 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.
Updated: 15 Jul, 2026
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[1]
How pioneering studio UFO redefined early-1990s Hong Kong cinema
Peter Chan’s studio revolutionised Hong Kong cinema, scoring numerous hits during its short life, such as Comrades, Almost a Love Story.
13 Jul, 2026
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[2]
Beyond The Killer: why Law with Two Phases is Danny Lee’s best police film
Danny Lee’s nuanced role in Law with Two Phases redefined Hong Kong police dramas, showcasing gritty realism and complex character arcs.
05 Jul, 2026
[3]
How Running on Karma with Andy Lau hid a Buddhist tragedy behind muscles
Lau played a muscular monk-turned-stripper with karmic visions opposite Cecilia Cheung in this film that began light and then got grim.
28 Jun, 2026
[4]
How Fennie Yuen went from Hong Kong teen idol to serious actress
A popular Hong Kong actress in the 1980s and 90s, Yuen started in teen comedies like the Happy Ghost films before pivoting to dramatic roles.
21 Jun, 2026
[5]
How Pang Ho-cheung’s early black comedies disrupted Hong Kong cinema
The writer-director’s You Shoot, I Shoot (2001) and Men Suddenly in Black (2003) injected a dose of dark satire into a waning local industry.
14 Jun, 2026
[6]
How the Young and Dangerous films of the 1990s made triad gangsters sexy
As Young and Dangerous turns 30, we look back at the six-film series that marked a shift in how gangsters were portrayed.
07 Jun, 2026
[7]
How Sharla Cheung excelled next to Stephen Chow in 1990s Hong Kong cinema
Sharla Cheung Man’s cool glamour and movie-star looks were a feature of 1990s Hong Kong cinema. Here are some of her best films.
31 May, 2026
[8]
The best car stunts in Hong Kong cinema: Police Story, Initial D and more
The most famous car stunt in Hong Kong movie history, and one that made its stuntman instantly famous, feature on our list of the best.
24 May, 2026
[9]
Why Alex Law and Mabel Cheung’s nostalgic films are among their finest
Two of the most poignant movies by life partners Law and Cheung explore migration and memory, and star the likes of Sammo Hung and Simon Yam.
17 May, 2026
[10]
Lau Ching-wan’s best mid-1990s films, from Loving You to Big Bullet
Several of Lau’s mid-1990s roles strongly hinted at the greatness to come for the four-time best actor winner.
10 May, 2026
[11]
Why Angela Mao, aka ‘the new Bruce Lee’, was a better fighter than Michelle Yeoh
Angela Mao, star of hits like Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind, was billed as the ‘new Bruce Lee’ by Golden Harvest after his death.
03 May, 2026
[12]
The bloody legacy of The One-Armed Swordsman film sequels
The two follow-ups to The One-Armed Swordsman are somewhat different to the original hit film but plenty of blood runs through all three.
26 Apr, 2026
[13]
Why these 1980s Hong Kong crime movies produced by Tsui Hark are hidden gems
The Big Heat and Gunmen, both released in 1988, are brutal action thrillers full of violence, brotherhood drama and intrigue.
19 Apr, 2026
[14]
Why these 3 Hong Kong comedies from the 1970s and 80s became local favourites
Itchy Fingers, Pom Pom and Where’s Officer Tuba? were mainstream films that shone amid the proliferation of kung fu and action comedies.
12 Apr, 2026
[15]
What happened when Ann Hui adapted Eileen Chang’s classic stories?
Director Ann Hui has adapted three of Eileen Chang’s stories for the big screen. We look at two: Love in a Fallen City and Eighteen Springs.
05 Apr, 2026
[16]
3 Anthony Wong films from the early 90s that show his wide acting range
Before becoming stereotyped for extreme roles, Wong gave nuanced turns as a whiny gangster opposite Chow Yun-fat and as Veronica Yip’s tormentor.
29 Mar, 2026
[17]
How director Benny Chan bridged old-school stunts and modern action
2003’s Heroic Duo and 2007’s Invisible Target were full of the director’s flair for action, reckless stunts and literal explosive scenes.
22 Mar, 2026
[18]
How Herman Yau transitioned from gory cult films to action blockbusters
Once known for Category III shockers such as Ebola Syndrome, Herman Yau has become the go-to director for action blockbusters.
15 Mar, 2026
[19]
This Hong Kong martial arts movie pioneered the superhero team in Chinese cinema
The Five Venoms launched the iconic run of the Venom Mob, a group of actors brought together by Chang Cheh that appeared in various films.
08 Mar, 2026
[20]
Love ‘A Better Tomorrow’? The Hong Kong director and film that inspired it
Patrick Lung Kong was known for films that imparted moral lessons. We look at ‘The Story of a Discharged Prisoner’ and ‘Teddy Girls’.
01 Mar, 2026
[21]
How these 2 films became classics of Hong Kong’s Chinese folk opera cinema
Love Eterne and Dream of the Red Chamber are two very different ‘huangmei diao’ films from legendary Hong Kong director Li Han-hsiang.
22 Feb, 2026
[22]
Why these 2 films from Hong Kong director Allen Fong are New Wave masterpieces
‘Father and Son’ and ‘Ah Ying’, which both won best film at the Hong Kong Film Awards, are compelling neo-realist explorations of Hong Kong.
15 Feb, 2026
[23]
A beginner’s guide to watching Hong Kong martial arts movies
Flying, ‘weightless’ leaps, unrealistic injuries and long fight scenes are all part and parcel of Hong Kong martial arts movies. Here’s why.
08 Feb, 2026
[24]
How Wicked City and 2000 AD rewrote the rules of Hong Kong cinema
Tsui Hark-produced alien flick Wicked City and Gordon Chan’s 2000 AD were ambitious projects that tried things new to the Hong Kong industry.
01 Feb, 2026
[25]
3 of Hong Kong martial arts legend Alexander Fu Sheng’s more unusual movies
Chinatown Kid, The Deadly Breaking Sword and Treasure Hunters saw Fu taking on more varied projects than his usual Shaolin kung fu films.
25 Jan, 2026
[26]
Why Ronny Yu’s The Postman Fights Back is an unusual wuxia gem
Starring Leung Kar-yan and with a young Chow Yun-fat on the cast, 1982’s The Postman Fights Back is an intriguing mix of Western and wuxia.
18 Jan, 2026
[27]
3 of Gong Li’s surprising 1990s Hong Kong movie roles
Gong switched gears after making it in Chinese art-house films, starring with Stephen Chow, Brigitte Lin and others in lesser-known movies.
11 Jan, 2026
[28]
Why Jet Li and Wong Jing’s The New Legend of Shaolin is underrated
The 1994 cult classic The New Legend of Shaolin blends comedy, action and child martial artists in a fresh take on the Shaolin myth.
04 Jan, 2026
[29]
How Stephen Chow and Donnie Yen reinvented Bruce Lee’s classic Chen Zhen
Fist of Fury 1991 with Stephen Chow and TV series Fist of Fury with Donnie Yen saw two different versions of Bruce Lee’s famous character.
28 Dec, 2025
[30]
3 forgotten Hong Kong wuxia gems from director Chor Yuen
Chor Yuen’s Duel for Gold, Clans of Intrigue and Jade Tiger may be less famous than some of his other films, but are just as groundbreaking.
21 Dec, 2025
[31]
3 female action stars who ruled Hong Kong cinema alongside Michelle Yeoh
Like Michelle Yeoh, female fighters Cynthia Rothrock, Kara Hui and Shih Szu starred in their own must-see Hong Kong action classics.
14 Dec, 2025
[32]
Was Chow Yun-fat’s mainland Chinese film career a success or a flop?
We look at five films that Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat made in mainland China, with roles including a sleazy con man and Confucius.
07 Dec, 2025
[33]
How Johnnie To redefined Hong Kong’s gangster genre with 3 mid-2000s classics
Exiled, Mad Detective and Sparrow show the director at his eclectic best, mixing violence, humour and chaos.
30 Nov, 2025
[34]
How Bruce Lee hit the big time and other Hong Kong cinema highlights from 1972
Amid Bruce Lee’s rise to stardom, we look at what else made Hong Kong film headlines in 1972, from a Lee challenger to a local ‘Bond Girl’.
23 Nov, 2025
[35]
3 Hong Kong romance films that pushed the boundaries
Sci-fi story Saviour of the Soul, fantasy tale Anna Magdalena and the provocative Isabella went outside the norm for Hong Kong romances.
16 Nov, 2025
[36]
Hong Kong’s 1985 horror film The Island was a rare gorefest
This brutal horror story about a field trip to a remote island inhabited by three crazed brothers was a rare outlier for Hong Kong cinema.
09 Nov, 2025
[37]
How Chan Koon-tai, Bruce Lee’s counterpart, wowed with his kung fu skills
Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Studio made Chan their answer to Lee in the 1970s. Here are 2 films that put his martial arts prowess to good use.
02 Nov, 2025
[38]
Sammo Hung’s directorial debut was a hit. Then came Bruce Lee’s Game of Death
Hung’s first film as director, The Iron-Fisted Monk, led to the daunting task of wrapping up the film Lee had left unfinished when he died.
26 Oct, 2025
[39]
Jean-Claude Van Damme films with Hong Kong roots, including Bloodsport
Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme has made a number of films either filmed in or linked closely to Hong Kong. Here are four.
19 Oct, 2025
[40]
How Stephen Chow’s The God of Cookery proved he could do so much more
At a time when Stephen Chow was best known for his nonsensical comedies, The God of Cookery saw him transform as a filmmaker.
12 Oct, 2025
[41]
How Mabel Cheung’s The Soong Sisters faced censors and sensitive politics
The Hong Kong director’s story of three Chinese sisters who all married influential figures covered various politically sensitive subjects.
05 Oct, 2025
[42]
How Ann Hui skilfully tackled dementia in lauded Hong Kong film Summer Snow
Hui’s 1995 film Summer Snow presented a warm and gentle picture of Alzheimer’s disease, a stigmatised subject in Hong Kong at the time.
28 Sep, 2025
[43]
How Ringo Lam’s Prison on Fire films mixed action and social commentary
Lam’s Prison on Fire (1987) focuses on the harshness of prison life, while Prison on Fire II (1991) goes all out on the violence.
21 Sep, 2025
[44]
How Carina Lau became a top film star and her best movies
Despite her many supporting parts, Lau’s ability to put her mark on her work means she’s always great to watch. We look back at her career.
14 Sep, 2025
[45]
Why Queen of Temple Street is one of the best Hong Kong films ever made
Starring Sylvia Chang, Queen of Temple Street is a gritty drama about a brothel operator, her daughter and the prostitutes who work for her.
07 Sep, 2025
[46]
How Hong Kong movie star Louis Koo fared in his action roles
Despite not having a martial arts background, Louis Koo has shone in several action films. We look at Drug War, The White Storm and Paradox.
31 Aug, 2025
[47]
Better looking than Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, the rise of Yuen Biao
The youngest but least famous of the ‘Three Dragons’, Hong Kong star Yuen Biao doubled for Bruce Lee and boasted his own martial arts style.
24 Aug, 2025
[48]
How director Ann Hui left her mark on the martial arts and horror genres
Better known for realistic films about social issues, Hong Kong director Ann Hui also dabbled in other genres. Here we look at two stand-outs.
17 Aug, 2025
[49]
This film featured some of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung’s best action scenes
Wheels on Meals, starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao and filmed in Spain, was a mix of incredible fight scenes and a great plot.
10 Aug, 2025
[50]
How Tsui Hark followed up on his fantasy classic A Chinese Ghost Story
Tsui Hark’s popular martial arts fantasy A Chinese Ghost Story spawned a number of sequels. We look at two of Hark’s follow-ups.
03 Aug, 2025
[51]
Have you seen these films by star Hong Kong directors Ronny Yu and Tsui Hark?
Chow Yun-fat and Sally Yeh charmed in Yu’s 1984 horror The Occupant, while Tsui joined Joey Wong and Sam Hui in 1985 comedy Working Class.
27 Jul, 2025
[52]
How Andy Lau channelled The Godfather to play Hong Kong’s most corrupt cop
Lee Rock, Lawrence Lau’s two-part Hollywood-style biopic of infamous policeman Lui Lok, painted a vivid picture of 1960s Hong Kong.
20 Jul, 2025
[53]
The Hui Brothers defined Hong Kong comedy in the 1970s. How they fared later
We revisit three of Michael Hui’s best films as a comedy actor and co-screenwriter, aided by brothers Ricky and Sam, from the 1980s onwards.
13 Jul, 2025
[54]
Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan disliked this Hong Kong film director, but why?
Lo Wei, Hong Kong’s first ‘million-dollar director’, made hits including The Big Boss and Fist of Fury but had a big ego that caused issues.
06 Jul, 2025
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[55]
How John Woo’s Face/Off, Windtalkers, Paycheck showed his experimental side
We take a look at three of John Woo’s Hollywood movies from the late 1990s and early 2000s and what they meant for the Hong Kong director.
29 Jun, 2025
[56]
How Hong Kong director Wai Ka-fai’s first 3 films revealed his versatility
Wai Ka-fai’s Peace Hotel, Too Many Ways to Be No. 1, and Needing You featured stars including Andy Lau, Chow Yun-fat and Cecilia Yip.
22 Jun, 2025
[57]
How Hong Kong director Ringo Lam freshened up the crime genre with 2 films
Ringo Lam infused 1999’s Victim with notes of The Exorcist, and teamed up with Tsui Hark and Johnnie To for 2007’s ‘chaotic mess’ Triangle.
15 Jun, 2025
[58]
How Bond films were the spark for Aces Go Places action comedy
A happy-go-lucky hero was deemed the missing ingredient for an action comedy hit. Sam Hui was hired for Aces Go Places. 4 sequels followed.
08 Jun, 2025
[59]
3 early horror films from Twilight of the Warriors director Soi Cheang
Soi Cheang Pou-soi’s first horror films were very low-budget and relied on clever use of cameras and cuts instead of special effects.
01 Jun, 2025
[60]
In this movie, Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman fight a duel
Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman sees a Hong Kong film character fight a Japanese one. Who won depended on which film version you saw.
25 May, 2025
[61]
3 Andy Lau movies that show Hong Kong actor’s action chops
In the 2000s, Lau added action star to his CV with roles involving martial arts, guns and gangsters. Three films show his versatility.
18 May, 2025
[62]
Hong Kong director Teddy Chen’s 3 Mission: Impossible-style misfires
Spurred by Mission: Impossible’s success, Chen made three films full of CIA agents and explosions aimed at Western audiences. None did well.
11 May, 2025
[63]
Hong Kong 1941 shows grim realities of wartime Japanese occupation
1984 Leong Po-chih film with Chow Yun-fat as one of a trio of friends stays character driven while showing Japanese atrocities, expert says.
04 May, 2025
[64]
From a ‘Chinese RoboCop’ to Shu Qi sex scenes, Hong Kong exploitation films
Hong Kong cinema was late to the exploitation genre, but made up for lost time. We recall three 90s classics full of sex, violence and gore.
27 Apr, 2025
[65]
How Lust, Caution made waves for its sex scenes but overdid the caution
Although beautifully staged, this Hong Kong-US-China production starring Tony Leung and Tang Wei had a muddled story and misguided messages.
20 Apr, 2025
[66]
The Gordon Chan film series that reshaped Hong Kong police movies
1994’s The Final Option, starring Michael Wong, was such a hit it spawned a prequel and sequels. We recall them and how they were received.
13 Apr, 2025
[67]
What were Donnie Yen’s early movies like before Ip Man? 5 films revisited
Hong Kong martial arts actor Donnie Yen rose to super stardom with Ip Man, but some of his films as a young actor showcase his skills best.
06 Apr, 2025
[68]
‘Could have been 3 movies’: Chang Cheh’s The Brave Archer crams in a lot
Hong Kong filmmaker Chang Cheh wanted to do justice to Louis Cha’s The Legend of the Condor Heroes. But his trilogy is dense and confusing.
30 Mar, 2025
[69]
What other films did A Chinese Ghost Story’s Tony Ching Siu-tung direct?
From a film starring Kelly Chen and Donnie Yen to an Indiana Jones rip-off with Jet Li, 4 of Tony Ching’s lesser-known productions.
23 Mar, 2025
[70]
Riley Ip’s 3 best Hong Kong films, with stars such as Shu Qi and Eric Tsang
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Riley Ip made films featuring stars such as Takeshi Kaneshiro and Anthony Wong. Here are the 3 best.
16 Mar, 2025
[71]
From worst to best, 4 fantasy wuxia films with weird monsters
We recall a lurid mix of wuxia and witchcraft, Cheng Pei-pei in Dragon Swamp, and two films featuring a risible lizard and non-giant spider.
09 Mar, 2025
[72]
Broken Oath, starring Angela Mao, is a hidden gem of kung fu film
Angela Mao, all glammed up, plays an assassin in Broken Oath, a 1977 remake of a Japanese classic. It is one of her greatest performances.
02 Mar, 2025
[73]
Hong Kong cinema had a terrible time in the early 2000s. Here’s why
Hong Kong’s film industry suffered a huge slump from 2000-2009, but did the mainland Chinese market and China co-productions save it?
23 Feb, 2025
[74]
How 3 Hong Kong directors in turn-of-the-century Hollywood survived
John Woo teamed with Tom Cruise for a ‘boring’ hit. Peter Chan turned to romance. Ringo Lam and Jean Claude van Damme made stomachs churn.
16 Feb, 2025
[75]
From Initial D to Sausalito, 5 films that show director Andrew Lau’s range
Known for the Infernal Affairs trilogy and Young and Dangerous films, Andrew Lau’s output is wide-ranging. We recall some lesser known films.
09 Feb, 2025
[76]
3 of the best Chinese wuxia films made in the 21st century
Sword-fighting films were popular in the 1960s and 1990s. Tsui Hark and Derek Yee were among directors who reinvented the genre this century.
02 Feb, 2025
[77]
Martial arts maestro’s 36th Chamber of Shaolin sequels a mixed bag
Shaw Brothers backed Lau Kar-leung to make two sequels to The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, one so bad it was the studio’s last martial arts film.
26 Jan, 2025
[78]
How Swordsman, Tsui Hark’s wuxia film, started a new fantasy era
Tsui Hark’s 1990 Hong Kong film Swordsman was a long and rambling affair that was difficult to follow, yet it was a resounding success.
19 Jan, 2025
[79]
Sammo Hung plays his and Jackie Chan’s schoolmaster in Painted Faces
1988 Hong Kong film follows Yu Jim-yuen, the master of the Peking opera school in Kowloon whose pupils included Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
12 Jan, 2025
[80]
4 notable Monkey King adaptations in Hong Kong cinema. One stars Donnie Yen
We recall Journey to the West film adaptations, from Stephen Chow’s turn in the title role to one in which Donnie Yen plays the Monkey King.
05 Jan, 2025
[81]
8 classic Hong Kong movies that influenced filmmaking in the city
Hong Kong filmmaking underwent successive evolutions thanks to films like Fist of Fury, Infernal Affairs and John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow.
29 Dec, 2024
[82]
3 of John Woo’s lesser known action films, one so violent it was shelved
A triad movie with a young Stephen Chow, a crude war film and a crime caper starring Leslie Cheung. These 3 Woo projects fly under the radar.
22 Dec, 2024
[83]
Stephen Chow’s ‘heroic’ makeover for Fight Back to School movies
Known for lowbrow comedies and playing the underdog, Chow was successfully recast as a suave hero, playing a cop undercover as a schoolboy.
15 Dec, 2024
[84]
The Ip Man movies without Donnie Yen, including a Wong Kar-wai version
The Ip Man story has been explored in multiple films, from Wong Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster starring Tony Leung to one featuring Anthony Wong.
08 Dec, 2024
[85]
The rise and fall of Hong Kong’s ‘middle class’ film studio
D&B films, started by watch retailer Dickson Poon, launched Michelle Yeoh’s action-movie career and was known for its ‘middle class values’.
01 Dec, 2024
[86]
How the Erotic Ghost Story films shocked and seduced Hong Kong
The trio of 1990s adult movies with Hong Kong sex symbols like Amy Yip and Japanese adult-video actresses like Kudo Hitomi were a huge hit.
24 Nov, 2024
[87]
4 very different Hong Kong romance films from the 2000s to watch
From July Rhapsody with Jacky Cheung to Love in a Puff with Miriam Yeung and Andy Lau in Love on a Diet, these movies offered something new.
17 Nov, 2024
[88]
Was remaking classics like Police Story, A Better Tomorrow a good idea?
We look at four remakes of classic Hong Kong films, from a Jackie Chan-led Police Story from the 2000s to a riff on Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury.
10 Nov, 2024
[89]
Why Circle of Iron, based on a Bruce Lee idea, turned out badly
Based on a script Lee abandoned, the 1978 film ended up a bizarre mix of poor martial arts and mysticism. An expert dissects what went wrong.
03 Nov, 2024
[90]
‘Gormless’ to ‘adequate’ to ‘terrific’, Aaron Kwok’s early film career
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.
27 Oct, 2024
[91]
All 10 Once Upon a Time in China movies and rip-offs rated
Tsui Hark’s film series that originally starred Jet Li as martial arts legend Wong Fei-hung spawned several knock-offs, such as Kickboxer.
20 Oct, 2024
[92]
11 films that best show the acting chops of Hong Kong’s Anita Mui
Anita Mui’s remarkable versatility made her characters captivating to watch in films that co-starred names like Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat.
13 Oct, 2024
[93]
How Leslie Cheung shone in Farewell My Concubine and Temptress Moon
Cheung’s turns opposite Gong Li as a gay opera singer and a gigolo in 20th century China were two of his best, but both fell foul of censors.
06 Oct, 2024
[94]
Why Brandon Lee’s only Hong Kong film, Legacy of Rage, is underrated
The Crow was Lee’s best movie but he was great in dubbed crime film, despite refusing to do kung fu for fear of comparisons with his dad.
29 Sep, 2024
[95]
4 Hong Kong martial arts films that celebrate deadly ‘flying guillotine’
An assassins’ weapon that removed heads, the fictional ‘flying guillotine’ was featured in a number of Hong Kong wuxia films.
22 Sep, 2024
[96]
How The Eye movies led Hong Kong horror in the early 2000s
Oxide and Danny Pang’s supernatural thriller The Eye established their reputation as horror directors; two equally good sequels followed.
15 Sep, 2024
[97]
How Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat led Hong Kong’s gambling movie craze
Wong Jing set Hong Kong’s gambling movie genre in motion in 1989. We recall three of the best, including a parody that saw the most success.
08 Sep, 2024
[98]
How Derek Yee used genre crime films to tell truths about Hong Kong
Derek Yee Tung-sing’s crime films One Nite in Mongkok, Protégé and Triple Tap were gritty and realistic, and refused to glamorise the underworld and crime. We unpack these three classics.
01 Sep, 2024
[99]
Why 1984’s Shanghai Blues remains one of Tsui Hark’s best films
Lively, with slapstick humour and full of romcom tropes, Shanghai Blues remains one of Tsui Hark’s favourite films; 40 years after its release, it was screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
25 Aug, 2024
[100]
Is Bullet in the Head John Woo’s best film? A deep dive into the movie
John Woo’s Bullet in the Head, loved by critics and fans alike, is an anti-war film centred around male friendship, a frequent theme for the director, and a political commentary on Hong Kong of its era.
18 Aug, 2024
[101]
Why martial arts film The Avenging Eagle wowed Shaw Brothers fans
With echoes of Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti Westerns, fight scenes featuring some cool weapons, and a great ending, The Avenging Eagle was part of Shaw Brothers’ ‘last hurrah’, film producer Frank Djeng says.
11 Aug, 2024
[102]
Ready to freak yourself out? 5 Hong Kong horror film gems
From a deeply upsetting movie about a necrophiliac to a ‘mentally scarring’ film about black magic, an expert on Hong Kong cinema picks his five favourite horror movies produced in the city.
04 Aug, 2024
[103]
How Hong Kong’s film industry was transformed by producer Ng See-yuen
From launching Jackie Chan’s career with kung fu comedies to helping end big studios’ stranglehold on filming, Ng See-yuen has had a huge influence on Hong Kong cinema.
28 Jul, 2024
[104]
Hong Kong production house made Johnnie To a star. 5 of its forgotten films
From a Tony Leung Chiu-wai crime thriller to a stylised hit-girl drama to a weird triad fantasy, we revisit and rate the first five films from Milkyway Image, formed by producer-directors Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai.
21 Jul, 2024
[105]
The 1973 film that saved Hong Kong’s Cantonese cinema from decline
Chor Yuen’s 1973 film The House of 72 Tenants took in more money than Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon in Hong Kong, and making it in Cantonese, not Mandarin Chinese, proved a turning point for the industry.
14 Jul, 2024
[106]
‘I do what I like’: what Sylvia Chang said about her film career
Taiwanese actress-director Sylvia Chang has spoken to the Post on many subjects, from saying no to Hollywood and Asian stereotypes to making films on women. We recall her most quotable quotes.
07 Jul, 2024
[107]
9 reasons the world loves Hong Kong films – not just for Bruce Lee
We look beyond the dangerous stunts and innovative action sequences, and martial arts stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, to discover why Hong Kong films have often travelled so well.
30 Jun, 2024
[108]
How King Hu’s ‘lost film’ The Valiant Ones was his most action-packed
The Valiant Ones, King Hu’s 1975 martial arts drama, was rediscovered after being ‘lost’ for two decades. A film critic tells the Post why it stands out from the director’s other films.
23 Jun, 2024
[109]
Is Simon Yam Hong Kong cinema’s hardest working actor?
Adults-only and mainstream crime films, sex films, and serious dramas with Alex Law and Ann Hui – Simon Yam has done them all. Good-looking and with an expressive face, he has a work ethic second to none.
16 Jun, 2024
[110]
Profile | Who is Gordon Liu, Kill Bill actor and beloved martial artist?
Gordon Liu, who sneaked off to learn kung fu behind his parents’ backs as a child, has had a career that spanned decades. Notably, he appeared as two different characters in the Kill Bill films.
09 Jun, 2024
[111]
‘Tsui Hark at his most creative’ in Sherlock Holmes-like Detective Dee films
Hit 2010 film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, starring Andy Lau, had many of the hallmarks of Tsui Hark’s earlier wuxia films. Sammo Hung choreographed the action. Two more films followed.
02 Jun, 2024
[112]
How Fruit Chan film trilogy traces cultural change amid Hong Kong handover
Fruit Chan Gor’s Made in Hong Kong, The Longest Summer and Little Cheung depict Hong Kong working-class life at the time of the handover from British to Chinese rule, and the start of cultural change.
26 May, 2024
[113]
China was the answer: how Hong Kong directors turned to filming war epics
Inspired casting, with Andy Lau facing off against Maggie Q and Sammo Hung narrating, helped Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon succeed. Martial arts scenes light up God of War, some involving Hung.
19 May, 2024
[114]
Why Infernal Affairs II and III couldn’t live up to the original film
Infernal Affairs, the 2002 psychological Hong Kong cop drama starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau, was a box-office hit, but proved a hard act to follow when the studio asked for two more films.
12 May, 2024
[115]
Jealous of Bruce Lee, he took on the Bond-like film The Man from Hong Kong
In 1975’s The Man from Hong Kong, Jimmy Wang Yu thought he had found the vehicle that would propel him to Bruce Lee-level international fame – but the James Bond-like film did not click with viewers.
05 May, 2024
[116]
How Stanley Kwan explored sexuality in his films Lan Yu and Hold You Tight
Hold You Tight and Lan Yu were daring films for their time. The first stars Chingmy Yau, then an actress in adults-only films, as a bored wife who has an affair, while the latter is a stylish gay drama.
28 Apr, 2024
[117]
Why Jackie Chan didn’t turn his back on Hong Kong after Rush Hour’s success
In 1998, Rush Hour shot Jackie Chan to international fame. But after making the film with Chris Tucker, Chan ultimately decided not to abandon Hong Kong, and continued to make films in both places.
21 Apr, 2024
[118]
Hong Kong’s Category III adult film industry laid bare in 2 films
Viva Erotica (1996) and Vulgaria (2012) are two contrasting Category III satirical films that reveal a different side of Hong Kong’s once-famed, often crazy adult movie industry.
14 Apr, 2024
[119]
300 acting credits, 45 as a director: Wu Ma’s amazing Hong Kong film career
Hong Kong actor and director Wu Ma had a prolific career in front of and behind the camera. His best film, The Dead and the Deadly, showed the formula for success.
07 Apr, 2024
[120]
How the first two Ip Man films made Donnie Yen a superstar
The first two Ip Man movies, directed by Wilson Yip, use old-school kung fu, nationalism and fabrications to make the eponymous martial artist, and the actor who plays him, Donnie Yen, household names.
31 Mar, 2024
[121]
Wayne Wang’s early films and why Hong Kong frustrated the American director
At the start of his career, Asian-American director Wayne Wang worked in his native Hong Kong and the United States, growing as a filmmaker, before shooting his first big hit, The Joy Luck Club.
24 Mar, 2024
[122]
Let’s hear it for these Johnnie To, Ringo Lam, Lau Kar-leung action movies
Three hidden gems of Hong Kong action cinema, To’s judo film Throw Down, Lau’s kung fu comedy and Lam’s relationship drama within a crime story should be on the radar of any serious fan of the action genre.
17 Mar, 2024
[123]
Stunning action, Hollywood gloss: Johnnie To changed Hong Kong crime films
Two crime films Johnnie To shot in the early 2000s changed the game for the genre in Hong Kong – 2003’s PTU, starring Lam Suet and Simon Yam, and 2004’s Breaking News with Richie Jen and Nick Cheung.
10 Mar, 2024
[124]
3 Jet Li action movies fusing guns and kung fu – before he went to Hollywood
Jet Li reinvented himself in the 1990s from a period kung fu movie star to a modern action hero. We look at three of his gun fu films fusing firearms and fighting, before he left Hong Kong for the US.
03 Mar, 2024
[125]
Why Ann Hui’s debut feature The Secret was such an important Hong Kong film
Ann Hui’s The Secret (1979), based on a real-life double murder case, helped usher in the Hong Kong New Wave cinema movement, while it was also one of the few women-led films at the time.
25 Feb, 2024
[126]
Man on the Brink: the original Hong Kong undercover police drama
Man on the Brink, directed by Alex Cheung, is finally getting the overseas recognition it deserves 40 years after its release. A critic explains how the undercover police drama was ahead of its time.
18 Feb, 2024
[127]
‘It’s like tai chi’: what Tony Leung learned about acting from 4 directors
Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai has worked with top directors from John Woo to Wong Kar-wai during a 40-year career. We look back at what he has said he learned from some of them.
11 Feb, 2024
[128]
How John Woo’s Hard Boiled shows the best of Hong Kong action-film making
Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Chiu-wai star in John Woo’s 1992 film Hard Boiled, the epitome of the director’s stylised filmmaking and storytelling. We look at the stories behind the making of a classic.
04 Feb, 2024
[129]
Why Infernal Affairs director’s A Man Called Hero didn’t live up to the hype
Released in 1999, Andrew Lau’s martial arts film A Man Called Hero followed hot on the heels of his 1998 Hong Kong hit The Storm Riders, but the Infernal Affairs director couldn’t recreate its success.
28 Jan, 2024
[130]
The Hong Kong director behind Bride of Chucky and 3 other Hollywood films
We take a look at Hong Kong director Ronny Yu’s Hollywood films, from a family movie about kung fu kangaroos fighting to uphold Chinese virtues to horror films Freddy vs. Jason and Bride of Chucky.
21 Jan, 2024
[131]
How Hong Kong New Wave director Yim Ho explored rarely seen sides of China
A social drama, a historical romance, a murder mystery, an ethnographical work – Hong Kong filmmaker Yim Ho drew a series of pictures of China, each one different, in movies he made in the 1980s and 1990s.
14 Jan, 2024
[132]
How Tsui Hark made two of Hong Kong cinema’s most nihilistic films
Tsui Hark made two of his most daring films in 1980, one a satire with a cannibal theme, the other an extremely violent take on society, with characters who wreak destruction for the hell of it.
07 Jan, 2024
[133]
‘Stunts keep Chan ahead’: every 90s Jackie Chan Hong Kong film rated
Martial arts superstar Jackie Chan looked to broaden his range as an actor in Hong Kong-produced movies in the 1990s, making hits such as Rumble in the Bronx and forgettable films such as Mr Nice Guy.
31 Dec, 2023
[134]
Beyond Bruce Lee: the rise of Hong Kong cinema during the 1970s
In the 1970s, Michael Hui was the box-office champion, Jackie Chan achieved stardom, and kung fu and sex sold movies. What else happened in Hong Kong cinema during that decade?
24 Dec, 2023
[135]
How Stephen Chow’s Royal Tramp films put a new spin on an old story
Stephen Chow’s slapstick comedy, mixed with the action choreography of Tony Ching and star power of Sharla Cheung and Brigitte Lin, made for a popular retelling by Wong Jing of a well-known tale.
17 Dec, 2023
[136]
The difference between ‘real kung fu’ and Jackie Chan’s? This actor knows
Hong Kong martial arts star Chen Kuan-tai took pride in having been a kung fu professional. Ti Lung was handy with a sword in wuxia films and, like Chen, a regular in Chang Cheh’s films for Shaw Brothers.
10 Dec, 2023
[137]
How Hong Kong’s Mabel Cheung directed 2 of the best films about 80s New York
The Illegal Immigrant, which featured non-professional actors, some playing themselves, and An Autumn’s Tale, with Chow Yun-fat, capture 80s New York’s violence, crime and poverty.
03 Dec, 2023
[138]
When a young Lisa Lu acted opposite James Stewart and Marlon Brando
Lisa Lu is best known internationally for films like Crazy Rich Asians. In Hong Kong, she made an indelible mark as a general in The 14 Amazons. Before that, she had a prolific screen career in America.
26 Nov, 2023
[139]
‘This is it’: the 90s film set on which Michelle Yeoh was seriously injured
Ah Kam, a 1996 film by Ann Hui starring Michelle Yeoh and Sammo Hung, combined realistic drama, melodrama and triad action. Seen as experimental, it was overshadowed by an injury Yeoh sustained on set.
19 Nov, 2023
[140]
Don’t call me gweilo: how Michael Wong got his break in Michelle Yeoh film
Michael Wong’s early films in Hong Kong saw the Chinese-American actor treated like a foreigner, and typecast as a cop after starring as one in the Michelle Yeoh vehicle Royal Warriors.
12 Nov, 2023
[141]
Michelle Yeoh’s mentor, Jackie Chan’s boss – the many sides to Sammo Hung
Actor, producer, martial artist – Sammo Hung has loomed large in Hong Kong’s film industry since the 1960s. We bet you don’t know about some aspects of his long movie career.
05 Nov, 2023
[142]
How movies about a cartoon pig called McDull celebrated Hong Kong life
My Life as McDull, animated movie about a humdrum pig, charmed Hong Kong film-goers with the character’s hard work and persistence. Sequels of varying quality followed.
29 Oct, 2023
[143]
How Wong Jing ruled the box office in 1990s Hong Kong
Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat and Stephen Chow were among the leading actors who worked with director-producer Wong Jing, whose crude, sex-filled films dominated the Hong Kong box office. What set him apart?
22 Oct, 2023
[144]
How youth romance Feel 100% captured the spirit of 1990s Hong Kong
Woody Allen and The Wonder Years fan Joe Ma’s youth romance Feel 100% launched the film career of Cantopop star Sammi Cheng and made fellow singer Ekin Cheng a heartthrob.
15 Oct, 2023
[145]
Wilson Yip before Ip Man: 5 of the Hong Kong director’s offbeat early films
Famous for directing the Ip Man films, Hong Kong director Wilson Yip started out making quirky comedies, ghost stories and other dramas. We look at five of those films here.
08 Oct, 2023
[146]
A war film or a martial arts movie? How Kurosawa inspired a Hong Kong epic
Jimmy Wang Yu directed 1973 action epic Beach of the War Gods. One of his most underrated movies and an underperformer at the box office, it is based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai.
24 Sep, 2023
[147]
How to make a Hong Kong action film: the secrets of directors like John Woo
Hong Kong film directors such as John Woo, Benny Chan and Wong Kar-wai have revealed down the years how they make an action move, from developing storylines to working with martial arts choreographers.
17 Sep, 2023
[148]
How Gen-X Cops led a new crop of Hong Kong action films in the 1990s
Hong Kong cinema had to reinvent itself in the late ’90s to combat flagging ticket sales. Gen-X Cops led the way, with new young stars Nicholas Tse and Stephen Fung, computerised special effects and a faster pace.
10 Sep, 2023
[149]
More than ‘vases’: the complex roles women have in Stanley Kwan’s films
Stanley Kwan’s early films during the 1980s and 1990s centred on women, giving the actresses who played them roles focused on their characters and not just their looks. We take a closer look at four of those films.
03 Sep, 2023
[150]
‘Problem kids’: Hong Kong actors Francis Ng and Anthony Wong in the 1990s
Hong Kong film stars Francis Ng and Anthony Wong are well known now, but in the early 1990s when they began appearing in movies they were mainly character actors and still looking for recognition.
27 Aug, 2023
[151]
The 2 sides of Hong Kong director Johnnie To shown in 2 great movies
Johnnie To’s ‘Lifeline’ and ‘The Mission’ show the Hong Kong action director’s two contrasting approaches to making movies: going for box-office glory, and just doing what he wants.
20 Aug, 2023
[152]
How early Patrick Tam and Ann Hui films show Hong Kong New Wave’s diversity
The differences between Hong Kong directors Patrick Tam and Ann Hui’s early films Nomad and The Story of Woo Viet exemplify the breadth of style and range of themes of Hong Kong New Wave cinema.
13 Aug, 2023
[153]
The time Michelle Yeoh stepped away and Cynthia Khan stepped in
With action stars Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock unavailable to film In the Line of Duty 3 and In the Line of Duty 4, Cynthia Khan stepped in. Cast as a new character, she made the role her own.
06 Aug, 2023
[154]
Why Ringo Lam’s films with Jean-Claude Van Damme deserve a reappraisal
Maximum Risk, the 1996 film that marked Hong Kong action director Ringo Lam’s Hollywood debut, lacked many of his characteristic flourishes, but the editing was sharp and there was a memorable sauna scene.
30 Jul, 2023
[155]
How Olivier Assayas helped actress Maggie Cheung explore her limits
Hong Kong star Maggie Cheung showed her acting abilities in two films directed by Olivier Assayas: Irma Vep, in which she played a version of herself, and Clean, in which she played a recovering heroin addict.
23 Jul, 2023
[156]
Wong Kar-wai’s 2046 and My Blueberry Nights: not his best work, but …
My Blueberry Nights, starring Natalie Portman and Norah Jones and 2046, featuring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Zhang Ziyi, generally rank low on lists of filmmaker Wong Kar-wai’s best work, but have their merits.
16 Jul, 2023
[157]
How Charlie Young became one of Hong Kong’s most versatile actresses
Charlie Young, who has worked with actors including Donnie Yen and Tony Leung Chiu-wai and with directors such as Wong Kar-wai, is known for being ‘wholesome’ – but has not let that limit the roles she takes on.
09 Jul, 2023
[158]
1980s Hong Kong cinema: Chow Yun-fat, mob movies and adults-only films
Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s was a time of change: the big studios’ power was waning, John Woo introduced the genre of bloody gangster films, and martial arts films got a modern update.
02 Jul, 2023
[159]
Hong Kong New Wave cinema: the directors and their ground-breaking movies
Ann Hui, Tsui Hark, Patrick Tam: from the mid-1970s on, Hong Kong New Wave directors shook up the city’s film industry, bringing new techniques and a new style of filmmaking. We recall key players and their films.
25 Jun, 2023
[160]
How filming Hard Target taught John Woo some hard lessons about Hollywood
In Hong Kong, Woo had been used to having full control of a film’s shooting, but making Hard Target he learned Hollywood doesn’t work that way. Then there was the film’s star, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
18 Jun, 2023
[161]
Tsui Hark: FAQs about the Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter
He made stars of Jet Li and Brigitte Lin, helped John Woo’s directing career take off, and directed classic flims such as Once Upon a Time in China. But there’s a lot you may not know about the legendary Tsui Hark.
11 Jun, 2023
[162]
‘His films have a forthright attitude towards sex’: the movies of Tony Au
Former Variety critic Derek Elley explains why Tony Au Ting-ping was one of the great Hong Kong filmmakers of the 1980s and early ’90s. Considered a maker of romantic dramas, his work in fact spans the genres.
04 Jun, 2023
[163]
Best quotes of Hong Kong’s ‘girl next door’ Karen Mok over the years
Karen Mok was a movie and Cantopop sensation in Hong Kong during the 1990s and 2000s, and she’s sat down with the Post numerous times to talk. We recount some of her best quotes.
28 May, 2023
[164]
Police and criminals as bad as each other in ’80s film Long Arm of the Law
In Johnny Mak’s Long Arm of the Law there are no heroes. Frank Djeng, who provides the commentary for 88 Films’ forthcoming Blu-ray release of the classic Hong Kong film, explains why.
21 May, 2023
[165]
Meet Anita Yuen, the Audrey Hepburn of Hong Kong who crossed Jackie Chan
With her unaffected, natural quality Anita Yuen stood out, a critic said, and it helped her land roles playing forthright women. Peter Chan made her his muse, but she was said to have a short fuse.
14 May, 2023
[166]
A Hong Kong filmmaking masterclass from Wong Kar-wai, Johnnie To and more
For Wong Kar-wai, characters determine plot. For Wong Jing, filmmaking means giving audiences what they want. Film directors’ comments about their approach to movie making tell us a lot.
07 May, 2023
[167]
How Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express made Faye Wong a movie star
Filmed in six weeks, Chungking Express has an improvisatory feel. It features a memorable turn by singer Faye Wong, in her first film, and won Tony Leung Chiu-wai best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
30 Apr, 2023
[168]
Is Enter the Dragon Bruce Lee’s best movie? Experts compare notes
Enter the Dragon made Bruce Lee a household name upon its release in 1973. It remains the late martial arts idol’s most popular work, but was it his masterpiece? Experts weigh in.
23 Apr, 2023
[169]
How biopic of silent-film star Ruan Lingyu was the making of Maggie Cheung
Maggie Cheung puts in a career-defining performance as ‘China’s Greta Garbo’ Ruan Lingyu in Center Stage, and its director, Stanley Kwan, feels that she discovered how to be a true actress while making the film.
16 Apr, 2023
[170]
From Jet Li to Wong Kar-wai, the 1990s: last golden age of Hong Kong cinema
The 1990s was the last golden age of Hong Kong cinema, with a slew of groundbreaking films that produced new stars such as martial arts actor Jet Li and art-house darling Wong Kar-wai.
09 Apr, 2023
[171]
The story of Amy Yip, Hong Kong sex symbol of the 1990s who never bared all
‘Hong Kong actress Amy Yip owes her fame to her figure,’ wrote the Post in 1990 of the city’s sex symbol – who insured her breasts for US$250,000 and made her mark in erotic films without ever baring all.
02 Apr, 2023
[172]
Lights, camera, action: the forgotten history of Hong Kong cinema
From the first public screenings in 1897 to the first Chinese film shot in the city, the first film studio, the first Cantonese ‘talkie’ and the eventual supremacy of Mandarin-language films, a short history of Hong Kong cinema.
26 Mar, 2023
[173]
Tony Leung Chiu-wai on that gay sex scene with Leslie Cheung, and more
In interviews with the Post down the years, Tony Leung talked about being tricked by Wong Kar-wai on Happy Together, how he hated having his hair shaved off for a role, and why he considers himself a shy person.
19 Mar, 2023
[174]
When Everything Everywhere’s Michelle Yeoh was Hong Kong’s action queen
Michelle Yeoh, who won an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once, was the queen of Hong Kong action films for a decade from the mid-1980s, doing her own stunts opposite Jackie Chan, Jet Li and others.
12 Mar, 2023
[175]
How Andy Lau’s gangster falls for an innocent girl in A Moment of Romance
Benny Chan made his mark in 1990 with A Moment of Romance, a vehicle for Hong Kong star Andy Lau. Chan artfully blended triad action, melodrama and romance in a film that is still fondly remembered.
05 Mar, 2023
[176]
How Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle refreshed the martial arts film genre
Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, created by director and actor Stephen Chow, were game-changers for the martial arts movie genre, expanding its potential.
26 Feb, 2023
[177]
7 surprising facts about Hong Kong filmmaking history you may not know
Hong Kong studios turned to sex movies when kung fu films didn’t sell, and made Hong Kong Emmanuelle; Andy Lau learned martial arts – and other surprising Hong Kong film facts.
19 Feb, 2023
[178]
How comedy legend Michael Hui led the 1970s resurgence of Cantonese films
Hong Kong comedy legend Michael Hui was part of the resurgence of Cantonese cinema in the 1970s, with films including The Private Eyes, Security Unlimited and The Contract.
12 Feb, 2023
[179]
Andy Lau, Hong Kong star, on a ‘good enough’ career without trying Hollywood
Andy Lau has often talked to the Post about his life in movies. We recall the time he said he is ‘the lowest-paid artist’ in Hong Kong, how Hollywood does not treasure Chinese actors, and much more.
05 Feb, 2023
[180]
Reservoir Dogs with more charismatic actors: Ringo Lam’s City on Fire
Ringo Lam’s crime thriller City on Fire, starring Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee, was the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and a snapshot of 1980s Hong Kong.
29 Jan, 2023
[181]
Why Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat’s hopes of Hollywood success were dashed
The star of action movies such as The Killer, Chow Yun-fat hoped to extend his range in Hollywood but instead was offered more of the same. Soon he was back in Hong Kong.
22 Jan, 2023
[182]
‘Kung fu heaven’ to bloody hell, 2 of martial arts director’s best films
Kung fu legend Lau Kar-leung’s films Martial Club and The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter both feature Gordon Liu and Kara Wai in leading roles, but could not be more different.
15 Jan, 2023
[183]
The weirder the better: John Woo on creating characters for his comic films
Silent-movie comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, as well as Mel Brooks and Blake Edwards, inspired John Woo comic films such as Money Crazy.
08 Jan, 2023
[184]
The stellar movie career of Michelle Reis, ‘nice girl who can play nasty’
The Julia Roberts of Hong Kong was the Post’s early verdict on Michelle Reis, who had no acting training but excelled opposite Jet Li, Leon Lai and Stephen Chow in a string of 1990s hits.
01 Jan, 2023
[185]
King Hu, Chang Cheh, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan: a martial arts cinema history
From the film that changed everything to fighting with fists instead of swords, girl power and the birth of a legend, milestones in the development of Hong Kong martial arts cinema.
25 Dec, 2022
[186]
What Wong Kar-wai’s first two movies show about his style of filmmaking
From the meaning of their Chinese titles to what Wong Kar-wai is like behind the camera, what their casts and the director had to say about his first films, As Tears Go By and Days of Being Wild.
18 Dec, 2022
[187]
How Johnnie To’s Election films gave Hong Kong triads a more refined edge
Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka-fai play opposing triad leaders, one refined, the other violent, in Election, influenced by The Godfather and Japanese yakuza movies.
11 Dec, 2022
[188]
How Chingmy Yau shocked Hong Kong and became one of its biggest sex symbols
Chingmy Yau’s transition from respectable actress to star of Category III adult films full of sex and violence like ‘Naked Killer’ was quite the revelation in Hong Kong in the 1990s.
04 Dec, 2022
[189]
Happy birthday Bruce Lee: 7 things about the actor that you may not know
Did you know that Bruce Lee wanted to add comedy to his films, and was a fan of samurai films? Bone up on the martial arts icon on what would have been his 82nd birthday.
27 Nov, 2022
[190]
Is Fist of Fury Bruce Lee’s best film? The story behind its making
Bruce Lee expert Carl Fox examines the making of Fist of Fury, the actor’s longest running film that is ‘one of Lee’s best’.
20 Nov, 2022
[191]
Is the ‘brotherly love’ in Hong Kong martial arts films homoerotic?
Stanley Kwan used a 1997 documentary to argue the male bonding in director Chang Cheh’s films is homoerotic, but Chang tells him emphatically it is not.
13 Nov, 2022
[192]
Clara Law on her movies about Chinese emigration, and enjoying herself
One of Hong Kong’s least commercial filmmakers, Clara Law, herself an emigrant to Australia, addressed Chinese migration from a novel angle in her films.
06 Nov, 2022
[193]
Gothic horror in a Chinese setting: The Phantom Lover with Leslie Cheung
Director Ronny Yu brought Gothic horror to a Chinese setting in 1995 film The Phantom Lover, starring Leslie Cheung, but it was inspired by an earlier film by ‘China’s Horror Master’ Maxu Weibang.
30 Oct, 2022
[194]
How triad film Young and Dangerous defied critics to become a classic
Pop stars, fashionable clothing and a fresh take on triad life made the Young and Dangerous series so popular that there were five sequels, one prequel, and numerous spin-offs and rip-offs made.
23 Oct, 2022
[195]
Chow Yun-fat on his favourite actors, dislike of violence and ‘amazing’ wife
In interviews with the Post over the years, Chow Yun-fat talks about being a romantic at heart, his dislike for violence, why his favourite actor is Robert DeNiro, and how he copes with fame.
16 Oct, 2022
[196]
The Shaw Brothers directors whose films ran the gamut from wuxia to erotica
Hong Kong directors are often celebrated for making a particular style of film. Not Chor Yuen or Li Hanxiang. The former went from melodramas to martial arts movies, the latter from period dramas to soft-core sex films.
09 Oct, 2022
[197]
How Sammo Hung found the magic formula for Hong Kong ghost films
Traditional Cantonese ghost films were anti-superstition. In films like the Mr Vampire series, Sammo Hung blended comedy, Chinese superstition and martial arts to give Hong Kong cinema-goers home-grown horror.
02 Oct, 2022
[198]
The Killer: what John Woo, Chow Yun-fat, Tsui Hark and Sally Yeh said
The Killer made John Woo famous overseas and introduced romantic comedy actor Chow Yun-fat as an action hero. Chow, Sally Yeh and Woo talk about shooting the Hong Kong classic.
25 Sep, 2022
[199]
‘I am not Jackie Chan’: actor Lau Ching-wan on Hollywood dreams, his roles
In a 1998 interview, Hong Kong actor Lau Ching-wan talked about always playing the hero, his love for The Godfather and why Hollywood would not offer him a fitting role.
18 Sep, 2022
[200]
These films made Stephen Chow famous before Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle
Critics called him ‘Hong Kong’s hottest actor’ of the 1990s – no, it was not Jackie Chan, it was Stephen Chow, known for Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle but who struck box-office gold well before those films’ success.
11 Sep, 2022
[201]
Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master II a ‘real kung fu’ antidote to wire fu movies
Drunken Master II departed from the humour of its prequel in favour of complex kung fu, as Jackie Chan’s protest against the fantastical ‘wire fu’ movies of the early 1990s – and it won an award for its choreography.
04 Sep, 2022
[202]
In the Mood For Love: what Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Wong Kar-wai said
Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung voiced their frustrations at the length of the shot and director Wong’s lack of character guidance, but say it made their performances better.
28 Aug, 2022
[203]
In hit film Boat People, Ann Hui tried to explain refugees fleeing Vietnam
Set in a grim post-war Vietnam, Ann Hui’s Boat People, starring Andy Lau and George Lam, was a hit in Hong Kong. She meant it to explain why refugees were fleeing the country. China saw it as critical of communism.
21 Aug, 2022
[204]
How Fruit Chan’s Made in Hong Kong reflected the grim reality of 1997
Set in a bleak public housing estate where triad gangs and loan sharks harass the residents, Fruit Chan’s groundbreaking film, made independently of movie studios, painted a picture of Hong Kong rarely seen.
14 Aug, 2022
[205]
Romance meets ghost story in Hong Kong movie masterpiece Rouge
Anita Mui plays the ghost of a 1930s prostitute searching for her lover, played by Leslie Cheung, in 1980s Hong Kong in Stanley Kwan’s nostalgic film.
07 Aug, 2022
[206]
‘A statement against violence’: Gordon Chan on his gangster film Beast Cops
Hong Kong filmmaker Gordon Chan talks about how different directing Jackie Chan in Thunderbolt was to shooting Beast Cops – ‘we had a lot of fun on the set’ – and the intent behind its ending.
31 Jul, 2022
[207]
With Brigitte Lin in gender-neutral role, this Tsui Hark comedy’s aged well
Brigitte Lin plays a cross-dressing warlord’s daughter and Sally Yeh a Beijing Opera performer in Tsui Hark’s entertaining 1986 comedy Peking Opera Blues, set in the Chinese Republic of 1913.
24 Jul, 2022
[208]
‘I’ve never had such a reaction’: filmmaker Derek Yee on a surprise 1993 hit
Featuring Lau Ching-wan and Anita Yuen, C’est La Vie, Mon Cheri made more at the box office than films starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, earned critical acclaim and won six prizes at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
17 Jul, 2022
[209]
How Running Out of Time shaped the ‘Johnnie To Cinematic Universe’
Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To was known for his more commercial projects, but 1999 movie Running Out of Time, starring Andy Lau and Lau Ching-wan, reinvented To as an auteur filmmaker.
10 Jul, 2022
[210]
Fallen Angels: Wong Kar-wai on the film that was almost Chungking Express
Wong talked in a 1995 interview about Fallen Angels, and why he cast Leon Lai, Michele Reis, Charlie Yeung, and Karen Mok in completely different roles to what audiences would expect.
03 Jul, 2022
[211]
Why Peter Chan’s early films felt like a breath of fresh air in Hong Kong
Peter Chan’s early films, featuring the likes of Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, are full of Hong Kong references yet ‘have an international, almost placeless feel’.
26 Jun, 2022
[212]
What Maggie Cheung said about Wong Kar-wai, Olivier Assayas and her career
The Hong Kong actress on how Wong Jing launched her career, what it was like working with Wong Kar-wai, finding love with Olivier Assayas, and being turned off by commercial and Chinese films.
19 Jun, 2022
[213]
When Bruce Lee directed Way of the Dragon and made Chuck Norris a star
The Way of the Dragon is the first, and last, film Bruce Lee directed. Set in Rome, it made US martial artist Chuck Norris a household name and – not that he sought it – launched his action movie career.
12 Jun, 2022
[214]
Hong Kong’s first art-house film, The Arch was ahead of its time
Cecille Tong Shu-shuen’s 1970 classic The Arch is considered Hong Kong’s first art-house film. Made when martial arts films were all the rage, it was ahead of its time, critics say.
05 Jun, 2022
[215]
How Ringo Lam’s Full Alert blends action with premonition of 1997 handover
Ringo Lam’s 1997 crime thriller Full Alert, starring Lau Ching-wan and Francis Ng, was a comment on the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, as well as featuring a hyper-realistic car chase.
29 May, 2022
[216]
‘I am not a violent man’: John Woo on action films and working in Hollywood
Hong Kong director John Woo relocated to Hollywood in the 1990s, before returning to Hong Kong. He talks about his directing style and the difficulties of working in the US in this 1997 interview.
22 May, 2022
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