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.
An all-star action spectacle involving a petty crook (Sammo Hung) in '30s China who returns to his impoverished hometown with a plan to save it by for... Read more
Jackie Chan plays two roles in this time-bending comic fantasy. He is both Qin Dynasty General Meng Yi, and his contemporary reincarnation, archaeolo... Read more
Ancient Chinese martial arts tradition dictates that only those loyal initiates who trained the longest and fought the hardest were to have access to... Read more
Every ten years the King of the Sword (Sammo Hung) and the King of the Spear (director Liu Chia-liang) meet for a duel that inevitably ends in a draw.... Read more
One of the classics of martial arts cinema, this is often referred to as the first real martial arts film, focusing as it does on techniques and style... Read more
Four heroes in the early days of the Chinese Republic embark on a secret mission for the Nationalist Guard. They have just seven days to reach the in... Read more
A famous fighter saves a young girl from a band of robbers, but is falsely accused of her family's murder. In hiding, he raises the child as his own... Read more
This was the first Hong Kong- Kung Fu action film to be shot in mainland China, and also Jet Li's first major film, 18 year-old Jet Li brings his incr... Read more
Testosterone-soaked thriller from Hong Kong's Dante Lam, starring Edison Chen as a hot-headed cop recruited for an elite sniper team who find themselv... Read more
The evil Lord Conquer (Sonny Chiba) is close to becoming the most powerful Warlord in the world but to do so he must defeat the holy Sword Saint (Anth... Read more