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.
Reign of Assassins (2010)
6.9/10
Director: Chao-Bin Su
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Kelly Lin, Woo-sung Jung
In Ancient China, "Drizzle" is the most deadly and ruthless assassin of the Dark Stone gang. After a life of theft and murder, she seeks to atone for... Read more
Little Big Soldier (2010)
7/10
Director: Sheng Ding
Starring: Lee-Hom Wang, Jackie Chan
Warring states Liang and Wei collide in battle leaving only two men standing - an aging foot soldier (Jackie Chan) and the rival general (Lee-Hom Wang... Read more
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop (2009)
5.7/10
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Sun Honglei, Zhao Benshan, Dahong Ni, Xiao Shen-Yang, Yan Ni
It looks like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel but satisfying end when a Chinese noodle shop owner plots to execute his unfaithful wife... Read more
Empire of Silver (2009)
6.1/10
Director: Christina Yao
Starring: Aaron Kwok, Jennifer Tilly, Tie Lin Zhang, Hao Lei, Ding Zhi Cheng, Lei Zhen Yu
China, 1899. A hedonistic young man, Third Master (Aaron Kwok), must assume the role of heir to a banking empire he cares little about. Following the... Read more
Last Train Home (2009)
7.7/10
Director: Lixin Fan
Offering a rare glimpse into little-seen aspects of Chinese society, this documentary looks at the annual migration of urban workers,130 million stron... Read more
City of Life and Death (2009)
7.7/10
Director: Chuan Lu
Starring: Hideo Nakaizumi, Ye Liu, Wei Fan, Yuanyuan Gao
Director Chuan Lu pulls off a rare feat by providing a clear-eyed drama about an event in Chinese-Japanese history - the 1937 Rape of Nanking followin... Read more
The Message (2009)
7.4/10
Director: Qunshu Gao, Kuo-fu Chen
Starring: Xiaoming Huang, Dahong Ni, Wang Zhiwen, Zhang Hanyu
1942, Nanking: following a series of assassination attempts on Japanese officials, the spy chief collects those suspected of the attempted-sabotage in... Read more
Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)
6.8/10
Director: Teddy Chen
Starring: Donnie Yen, Hu Jun, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Simon Yam, Wang Xueqi, Eric Tsang, B...
1906, City of Victoria (British Colony of Hong Kong). In five hours, in the distance of thirteen blocks, the one man who holds a nation's fate must su... Read more
The Founding of a Republic (2009)
4.9/10
Director: Jianxin Huang, Sanping Han
Starring: Andy Lau, Chen Kaige, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, John Woo, Stephen Chow, V...
Featuring (in roles large and small) a host of China's biggest films stars, this epic tells the story of post-WWII China and the troubles it faced. Th... Read more
An Empress and the Warriors (2008)
5.9/10
Director: Tony Ching Siu-Tung
Starring: Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Xiaodong Guo, Kelly Chen
In the tradition of "Seven Swords" comes the action saga of a kingdom locked in a desperate battle for survival. In ancient China, in the vacuum of th... Read more