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.
Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre (1995)
7.5/10
Director: T F Mou
Portrays the ordeals of the members of a poor Chinese family as they try to survive the Japanese occupation of their city. This is an uncompromising p... Read more
Blade of the Rose (2004)
Director: Corey Yuen Kwai, Patrick Leung
Starring: Jaycee Chan, Edison Chen, Charlene Choi, Tony Leung (Ka Fai), Donnie Yen, Daniel...
Jaycee Chan (Jackie's son) makes his film debut in this comic martial arts fantasy as a young boy (with the inauspicous name of Charcoal Head) who is... 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
Born to Defend (1986)
Director: Jet Li
Starring: Jet Li, Kurt Roland Petersson, Jia Song, Paulo Tocha
Jet Li's first and last film as a director tells a story of foreign oppression as American G.I.s invade China, ganging up on kickboxing champ, Jet. W... Read more
Breaking News (2004)
6.7/10
Director: Johnnie To
Starring: Richie Jen, Kelly Chen, Nick Cheung
A violent gang of criminals take refuge in a Hong Kong apartment block - embarrassing the HKPD on local television by escaping from a whole battalion... Read more
Burning Paradise (1994)
7/10
Director: Ringo Lam
Starring: Willie Chi, Carmen Lee, Kam-Kong Wong
Willie Chi plays the legendary Fong Sai Yuk as a Shaolin student escaping with his master from the clutches of Manchu soldiers who have destroyed the... Read more
Butterfly Lovers (2008)
6.5/10
Director: Jingle Ma
Starring: Charlene Choi, Ge Hu, Chun Wu
Aka "The Assassin's Blade". Based on an ancient Chinese legend, Charlene Choi stars as Zhu Yanzhi, a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to e... Read more
Cat and Mouse (2003)
5.3/10
Director: Gordon Chan
Starring: Andy Lau, Cecilia Cheung, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong
Zhan Zhao is a deputy to the wise Judge Bao. When Zhan heads back home for a vacation, he uncovers a plot to assassinate Bao so that a rebel group can... Read more
Challenge of the Masters (1976)
6.9/10
Director: Liu Chia-Liang
Starring: Chia Hui Gordon Liu, Jimmy Wang Yu, Lily Li, Chen Kuan-tai
After ruining his school's attempt to win a "Pao" competition, a young Wong Fei-hung (Gordon Liu) is sent away with Master Luk Ah-choy (Chen Kuan-tai)... Read more
CJ7 (2007)
6.5/10
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Xu Jiao, Kitty Zhang
Hong Kong comedy king Stephen Chow directs and stars in this sci-fi family comedy as a struggling single father whose quest to find his son the perfec... Read more