Hong Kong Cinema
Hong Kong had a prolific pre-1970s film industry, but it was the supremely talented and determined Bruce Lee who brought Hong Kong film to the international stage. This tiny island nation has been integral to the introduction of the martial arts genre to the rest of the world. One look at Uma Thurman's yellow jumpsuit in the Kill Bills is enough to show us this influence is still alive and very much kicking. After Lee's death in 1973 the industry lost some of its momentum and stuck to the tried and true chop socky formula, but by the 1980s a new talent was emerging in the form of John Woo, inventor of so-called 'balletic gunplay'. This style of shooting shoot-outs captured the imaginations of many young American film makers and emerges in films as diverse as 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'The Matrix'. The martial arts genre was reinvigorated by talents such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li who wanted to introduce more story into the action, and in recent years film maker Wong Kar Wai has challenged what it means to be an HK film, steering clear of Kung Fu and concentrating on more personal, quirky stories. Undoubtedly there is more to see from this exciting port of call...
Right: There can be no more an iconic figure in the martial arts world, than the master himself, the late, great Bruce Lee.
Kung Fu Yoga (2017)
5.2/10
Director: Stanley Tong
Starring: Jackie Chan
Two professors team up to locate a lost treasure and embark on an adventure that takes them from a Tibetan ice cave to Dubai, and to a mountain temple... Read more
Ip Man 3 (2015)
7.1/10
Director: Wilson Yip
Starring: Donnie Yen, Mike Tyson, Lynn Hung
Donnie Yen returns to the role that made him an international icon; portraying Ip Man, the real-life Wing Chun grandmaster who mentored Bruce Lee. In... Read more
The Grandmaster (2013)
6.6/10
Director: Wong Kar-wai
Starring: Tony Leung (Chiu Wai), Zhang Ziyi
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, THE GRANDMASTER is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of the legendary Kung FU master... Read more
The Grandmaster ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
6.6/10
Director: Wong Kar-wai
Starring: Tony Leung (Chiu Wai), Zhang Ziyi
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, THE GRANDMASTER is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of the legendary Kung FU master... Read more
Man of Tai Chi (2013)
6.1/10
Director: Keanu Reeves
Starring: Karen Mok, Keanu Reeves, Simon Yam, Tiger Chen
Keanu Reeves makes his directorial debut in this explosive marital arts drama that reunites him with legendary Matrix Trilogy fight choreographer Yuen... Read more
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013)
6.2/10
Director: Herman Yau
Starring: Anthony Wong, Jordan Chan, Eric Tsang
In postwar Hong Kong, legendary Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man is reluctantly called into action once more, when what begin as simple challenges from ri... Read more
Ip Man: The Final Fight (Blu-ray) (2013)
6.2/10
Director: Herman Yau
Starring: Anthony Wong, Jordan Chan, Eric Tsang
In postwar Hong Kong, legendary Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man is reluctantly called into action once more, when what begin as simple challenges from ri... Read more
Nightfall (2012)
6.4/10
Starring: Nick Cheung, Simon Yam
An old but serious miscarriage of justice clouds a current police investigation looking into the death of a mutilated corpse. Read more
Drug War (2012)
7/10
Director: Johnnie To
Starring: Sun Honglei, Louis Koo
Manufacturing just fifty grams of meth in China will earn you a death sentence, and Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) has manufactured tons of it. After a violen... Read more
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)
5.4/10
Director: RZA
Starring: Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, Rick Yune, RZA , Cung Le, Jamie Chung, Byron Mann, Dave...
Stylish martial arts action adventure inspired by classic kung fu movies. In 19th-century feudal China, a small village is threatened by warring facti... Read more