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.
Hong Kong comedy legend Sammo Hung is a cop obsessed with the legacy of Bruce Lee (the Little Dragon), he teams up with the infamous Skinny Tiger and... Read more
A contraband dealer living in Kabukicho discovers there is danger lurking behind every corner when his untrusting exterior is slowly eroded by love, i... Read more
Acclaimed action director Corey Yuen delivers maximum entertainment in this sexy, high-octane thriller that'll blow you away. Starring Karen Mok (from... Read more
Jackie Chan is taught long-forgotten martial arts techniques by the ghostly guardians of a Shaolin temple, and when he fights a band of criminals they... Read more
Reviving Hong Kong cinema is this startlingly raw police actioner starring legend Sammo Hung as crime boss, Po, being hunted down by Detective Chan (S... Read more
In this kung fu classic from the Shaw Brothers, Traitorous minister Chin Kuei tries to halt General Yueh Fei's victorious battles against the country'... Read more
One of the loopiest kung-fu movies ever made, a garish masterpiece of martial arts kitsch by the hard-boiled master of the genre, Chang Cheh. The five... Read more
In this character-driven, kung-fu classic from the world famous Shaw Brothers Studios, Jimmy Wang Yu stars as Nieh Chen, a champion sword-fighter forc... Read more
Aka "Fists of Fury". In his first starring martial arts epic, Bruce Lee plays a naive country boy who chops and kicks his way through corruption and d... Read more
Hong Kong fantasy at its most amazing is on display in this tale of a woman raised in the mountains by wolves and in the service of an evil cult led b... Read more