Chinese Cinema
Alice's collection of Chinese films is growing as the film industry there expands and begins to embrace an ever-increasing international audience. Films from China are often marked by great craft and attention to detail, and the stories are involved and often carry a political subtext. Though we have very little that is pre-1990, there is everything here from engaging personal stories to sweeping historical epics.
Pictured: Maggie Cheung in the stylized and breath-takingly beautiful 'Hero' from master craftsman Zhang Yimou.
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon (2008)
6.2/10
Director: Daniel Lee
Starring: Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Maggie Q, Vanness Wu
Set in ancient China at a time when the Empire was divided between three powers, the Kingdom of Wei, the Kingdom of Shu, and the Kingdom of Wu, "Three... Read more
The Sorcerer and the White Snake ( Blu-ray ) (2011)
5.9/10
Director: Tony Ching Siu-Tung
Starring: Jet Li, Charlene Choi, Eva Huang, Raymond Lam
White Snake (Eva Huang) in the guise of a beautiful woman falls in love with a young herbalist, Xu Xian (Raymond Lam). At her own risk but with the he... Read more
An Elephant Sitting Still (2018)
The first, and tragically only, film from Chinese novelist turned filmmaker Hu Bo is an ambitious and unforgettable film, reminiscent of the works of... Read more
Warriors of Heaven and Earth ( Blu-ray ) (2003)
6.4/10
Director: He Ping
Starring: Wen Jiang, Nakai Kiichi, Zhao Wei, Wang Xueqi
After years of service to the Chinese Emperor, Japanese emissary Lai Xi longs to return home, but is bound to complete one last mission - the capture... Read more
White Vengeance (2011)
6.3/10
Director: Daniel Lee
Starring: Leon Lai, Yifei Liu, Zhang Hanyu, Shaofeng Feng
In a time of tyranny and oppression, deception is everywhere. Insurgency swells among the people as two friends battle for supremacy - and the love of... Read more
Sacrifice (2010)
6.2/10
Director: Chen Kaige
Starring: Ge You, Wang Xueqi, Zhang Fengyi
A powerful General (Wang Xueqi) at the court of Duke Ling decides to seize the throne by murdering the Duke and pinning the crime on his rivals, the d... Read more
A Young Prisoner's Revenge (2002)
Director: Mu Deyuan
Starring: Zhao Youliang, Chen Si Cheng, Xi Mei Juan
A fifteen year old boy is charged with a robbery, in order to reduce his sentence the family offer the judge a bribe, but unbeknowns to them the lawye... Read more
Fearless ( Blu-ray ) (2006)
7.7/10
Director: Ronny Yu
Starring: Jet Li, Nathan Jones, Jean Claude Leuyer, Brandon Rhea, Shido Nakamura, Betty Su...
Rumoured (sadly) to be Jet Li's last wushu film this epic biopic tells the story of Chinese national hero and founder of the Jingwu Sports Federation,... Read more
The Warlords ( Blu-ray ) (2007)
7.1/10
Director: Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Starring: Andy Lau, Jet Li, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jinglei Xu
Far from the stylistic martial arts pics of recent times, this unrelentingly violent historical epic set during the Qing Dynasty of the late 19th cent... Read more
Yi Yi ( A One and a Two ) (Blu-ray) (1999)
8.2/10
Director: Edward Yang
Starring: Nianzhen Wu, Elaine Jin, Kelly Lee, Jonathan Chang, Issey Ogata
Set in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, writer/director Edward Yang's acclaimed drama juxtaposes old and new, love and heartbreak as it follows the em... Read more