Masterofoneinchpunch's Top 50 HK Films

[masterofoneinchpunch]

I wrote the following five years ago. I am going to do a rewrite of it probably next year. I wanted another place to post this just in case my co-site goes down, plus you might get a kick out of it. I am posting it exactly as I had wrote it (I will fix mistakes though, but the order I'm keeping for history aka I've changed my mind on a few things since then.)

Masterofoneinchpunch's Top 50 HK Films:

Hong Kong cinema comprises some of the most unique movie experiences one will encounter. Commercial cinema is the norm and the hybrid entertainments that are made for mass consumption can range from the ridiculous to the sublime. While their most popular genres from wuxia, martial arts, and triad movies are familiar to transnational audiences there is much more to this prestigious movie-making culture.

Defining what a Hong Kong film is can be a bit tricky. I will expect that the director be a legal resident of Hong Kong and/or employed by a legally registered film company in Hong Kong (now HKSAR). Here are Hong Kong Film Award's rules of eligibility for 2008: http://www.hkfaa.com/nominee/regulation_e.html which has slightly influenced some of my decisions though I am actually going to be stricter with my own personal criteria.

For example, here are some important collaborative films I am not counting for this list: Hero (2002, China/Hong Kong, Zhang Yimou), Raise the Red Lantern (1991, China/Hong Kong, Zhang Yimou), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan/Hong Kong, Ang Lee), Farewell my Concubine (1993, China/Hong Kong, Chen Kaige), Enter the Dragon (1973, Hong Kong/USA, Robert Clouse) and Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976, Hong Kong/Taiwan, Jimmy Wang Yu).

As with all canons there is certainly a bias on my part. I enjoy much from the action cinemas of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, John Woo and Chang Cheh. I have come to appreciate much of the directorial work of Johnnie To and acting of Chow Yun-fat. I like much of the art-house direction of Wong Kar-wai. I have just started getting into such directors as Michael Hui and Ann Hui. David Borwell wrote his excellent book Planet Hong Kong after watching about 380 films (he has watched much more several years later). I have seen a few hundred more than that so I feel qualified to make this list [img=http://www.criterionforums.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif].

There is much that I have not delved into so this list will change from time-to-time so expect to see modifications. There are many films on the cusp of the top 50 that I have only watched recently that another viewing will push them higher on this list. I later might make this into a top 100 list.

EDIT: link is no longer active: Master's Top 50 HK list on listsofbests.com. I hope you will join that list.

However someone was nice enough to put this on IMDB. Check here.

FYI: critical or popular films I have not seen: The House of 72 Tenants (1973), Boat People (1982), Comrades - Almost a Love Story (1996).

So away we go:

[masterofoneinchpunch]

1) Police Story (1985: Jackie Chan): One of the greatest action pictures I have ever seen. Its influence can be seen in many American action pictures from Tango and Cash (1989) to Bad Boys II (2003), but none can quite compare to the ruggedness and the actual danger the stuntmen faced in this film (several were injured quite bad). From the destruction of the shanty town by a runaway car, bad guys thrown off of buses onto the concrete to Jackie risking his life in several fight scenes I have never been as amazed with a film as this movie. This movie is one of the main films that got me into Hong Kong cinema.

2) Hard-Boiled (1992: John Woo): The other film that got me into Hong Kong cinema. While for me it is a toss-up between this and The Killer (which is probably a better made film) I end up choosing this one for its voracious appetite of gun battles as well as the fact that I have seen this many more times. While some of this movie can be read as an allegory of the handover of 1997 and the Chang Cheh influence is quite evident whose going to think about that during the final very long shoot-em-up action scene. Chow Yun-fat spitting out the toothpick is one of my favorite scenes.

3) Drunken Master (1978: Yuen Wo-ping): Most HK film fans and critics usually put the sequel ahead of this movie – I do not. While I like both this film has always had a special place in my martial arts viewing acumen as one the quintessential old-school martial arts films. After years of toiling in somewhat obscurity in HK cinema he had two hits in a row for Seasonal. After this film exploded in popularity, Jackie Chan’s career would never be the same. An irreverent take on Cantonese hero Wong Fei-hung it is a great mixture of comedy and excellent “form” action. Like The Big Boss (1971) and A Better Tomorrow it is a watershed moment in HK cinema.

4) The Killer (1989: John Woo): The literal translation of the Chinese title is “A Pair of Blood Spattering Heroes” which gives you an idea of what you are in for. This film would influence many Hollywood filmmakers with its Heroic Bloodshed tale of an assassin (Chow Yun-fat in another great performance) who accidently blinds an innocent woman, his cop doppelganger in Inspector Li Ying (Danny Lee) who is pursuing him and the assassin’s journey to make-up for the loss-of-sight. This mixture of Chang Cheh male code and Jean Pierre Melville brooding character influences is absolutely brilliant, unique and surprisingly was probably had more influence with American and European audiences than in HK.

5) Chungking Express (1994: Wong Kar-wai): Quickly shot while on break from Ashes of Time, this beautifully directed movie of loneliness and lamenting time because of the upcoming handover to China combines the aesthetics of Wong Kar-wai’s Eastern heart and Western influences such as Godard and Bresson. I find the movie utterly charming with Faye Wong as the most memorable character with her crush on cop 663 (Tony Leung) and her ineffable choices in dealing with his apartment. This movie may change your interest in expiration dates.

6) Infernal Affairs (2002: Andrew Lau Wai-keung, Alan Mak Siu-fai): This movie is mostly known for being the source of the Academy Award winning The Departed (2006; I prefer this over the two, though I do like The Departed) which is unjust considering how strong the performances are and how interesting the story is. It is one of my favorite triad/cop dramas to come out of HK. This movie would spawn two sequels and analogous to The Godfather the second is a great movie which some consider better then the first while the third was just not quite as good as the previous two.

7) Drunken Master 2 (1994: Liu Chia-liang, Jackie Chan): One of the few martial art (no wuxia) films to get positive critical reception. It is in Time Magazine's "All-Time 100 Best Films" list for example. While I am one of the few to like the first better then the second, this is still one of my favorite MA movies with his irreverent portrayal of Wong Fei-hung. The 10 minute plus fight with Ken Lo at the end is awesome in its pace, construction and technique. There is great comedy with the late Anita Mui as his step-mother (though I am not so sure of using Ti Lung as his dad).

8) Days of Being Wild (1990: Wong Kar-wai): Often considered in HK as Wong’s greatest film it is close to being my favorite as well. Leslie Cheung gives a fantastic performance (my second favorite with Farewell my Concubine as his greatest role) as York a rich womanizer who is searching for his real mother (both literally and figuratively). His “one minute” scene with Maggie Cheung has to be one of the all-time great pick-up lines. Christopher Doyle’s first film with Wong and the brilliant cinematography certainly shows. It is a movie not only about "Ah Fei" culture, but longing, loneliness and the memory of time.

9) A Better Tomorrow (1986: John Woo): The influence of this film cannot be denied. It would create an icon in Chow Yun-fat as Mark the quintessential heroic bloodshed hero, create a fashion trend in sunglasses and raincoats (in a very warm environment), and forever stereotype Woo with operatic gunplay. The Jean Pierre Melville and Chang Cheh influences are thick and I being a fan of both certainly helped me appreciate this film (I have seen it several times both before watching analogous Melville and Cheh films and after as well). Its themes of loyalty, brotherhood and stylized violence would not only change HK cinema and ultimately American action cinema it is one of my favorite films.

10) The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978: Liu Chia-liang): The archetypal Shaolin and training movie. Awesome in its depiction of how a pushover can became a master through arduous training and a determined heart. This film would stereotype Lau Kar-fei as San Te and for years he would have to keep his head shaved (if hair was necessary he would wear a wig) to be ready for the next Shaolin monk role. Originally released in the United States as Master Killer (not really a good title for a monk though) it would be one of the most popular Shaw Brothers films released in the US and in Europe. This is a great movie to show to someone new to martial art cinema.

11) The Prodigal Son (1981: Sammo Hung): Sammo Hung is arguably one of the most important figures in all of Hong Kong martial arts. He is not only important as an actor, martial arts choreographer, but a director as well. This is his ode to an important figure in Wing Chun -- Leung Jan (along with Warriors Two). It is a superb example not only the display of Wing Chun but also has some excellent scenes dealing with Peking Opera, has excellent cinematography and has a good blend of martial arts and comedy. This movie has one of Lam Ching-ying’s best performances as Leung Yee-tai the male performing as a female in the opera troupe.

12) Come Drink With Me (1966: King Hu): King Hu did not direct many films, but he always held with high esteem and such critics as David Bordwell and Stephen Teo consider him amongst the finest of Hong Kong’s directors (even though a good chunk of his small oeuvre is from Taiwan). This Peking Opera influenced movie is a sight to behold with sagacious choreography (Han Ying-chieh) and cinematography (Ho Lan-shan). This movie features one of the most famous of martial art heroines in Chang Pei Pei’s Golden Swallow.

13) The Mission (1999: Johnnie To): Trying to pick a favorite Johnnie To film is a futile exercise. I like so much of his output. But The Mission is one of those great low-key crime films that it must have come as a big shock in HK. It’s showing of Triad-life malaise is like a warped version of a Michelangelo Antonioni film. Great cast with Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Simon Yam, Roy Cheung and To regular Lam Suet. Fits perfect in To’s “team spirit” theme. This is a great film to watch if the only Triad films you are familiar with are from John Woo.

14) Once Upon a Time in China (1991: Tsui Hark): Another Wong Fei-hung film on my list but this time helmed by intermittently brilliant Tsui Hark and starring one of the most well known of China’s martial artists a wushu trained (this is Northern style compared to the Hung Gar style the real Wong Fei-hung was known for) excellent athlete named Jet Li. The dazzling fight with the ladders is one of the best ever committed to celluloid. This movie has an interesting plot dealing with the turmoil of early 20th Century China, great direction and the movie’s sets and choreography look quite good. Followed by countless sequels, this is still my favorite of the bunch.

15) Encounter of the Spooky Kind (1980: Sammo Hung): I feel that this is the greatest comedic, martial arts Hong Kong with horror film there is. Sammo Hung who stars and directs this is in his prime. He is in the best shape of his life as well as in his creative peak. The dueling Taoist finale is the best scene in the film. Fans of exploding chickens and hopping vampires (kyonsi) will definitely appreciate this. Be warned, the filmmakers were as nice to chickens in this as Sam Peckinpah was in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973). This is definitely recommended to those who are interested in seeing many different aspects of Chinese supernatural concepts.

16) Throw Down (2004: Johnnie To): Oh this is such a fun film. Made as a homage to Akira Kurosawa's Sanshiro Sugata (1943) and Kurosawa in general, it still feels like a To film. It is quirky and quite eccentric but for fans of Johnnie To's more personal films like PTU and The Mission they will find this one of his better movies. One of Louis Koo Tin-Lok (Election, Rob-B-Hood) best performances as as Szeto To who is an enigmatic ex-Judo expert who mysteriously quite competition to drink, gamble and stumble his way through life. There are excellent secondary characters (angry mumbling video game playing triad member) and quirky situations that seem to inhabit Johnnie To’s universe.

17) Project A (1983: Jackie Chan): When you combine the talents of Seven Little Fortunes Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao you know something special is going to happen. Add in the dangerous disregard for stuntmen’s life as well as the famous clock stunt that Jackie did as homage to Harold Lloyd, the bicycle chase scene reminiscent of Buster Keaton, the Cantonese comedy, the painful fight scenes, pirates and you have another great Jackie film from the 1980s. This film helped push martial art films out of the Qing era. While some prefer the sequel to this, after watching both several times this is by far my favorite of the two. This is a great looking and fantastic action film.

18) The Private Eyes (1976: Michael Hui): A top HK list should not be complete without a film by Michael Hui. This is a director and actor I really need to see more of though and have been waiting forever for HKFlix to get a box set of his work in to purchase. I found this to be an absolutely hilarious mixture of sight gags (one of the better shoplifting gags I've seen), nonsense humor, martial arts reference (Sammo Hung was the action director so the Bruce Lee humor references worked quite well), midgets, giants, and pretty much everything thrown in. Fans of comedies like Airplane, the Pink Panther series and The Naked Gun series should check this out. Hong Kong aficionados should make this a top priority if they have not already seen this.

19) Infernal Affairs II (2003: Andrew Lau Wai-keung, Alan Mak Siu-fai): Very rarely do sequels even come close to measuring up the original (and the third in this series does not measure up to the first two), but this prequel is well-acted, well paced and by some fans is considered better than the original. While I am not sure of that, I am sure that this is a worthy film in many respects. Francis Ng’s performance (who has had experience with the triads in the past) parallels a Michael Corleone in a cool intensity in his triad leader Ngai Wing Hau. I think it is one of the best performances I have seen in fact. The duo of Eric Tsang and Anthony Wong also work well against each other. This is a great film to show people who think HK movies are too excessive in acting styles.

20) Kung Fu Hustle (2004: Stephen Chow): Stephen Chow is a world unto himself. His hybrid humor of Cantonese language puns, slapstick situations, Warner Bros. cartoon influence, sometimes off-putting violence and then mixed with a fanatical devotion to Bruce Lee and add a plethora of other elements you get Stephen Chow. This is a brilliant mixture of comedy, special effects and martial arts. Chow is in very familiar territory as the underdog and slacker Sing who eventually has to get over his inadequacies and face the number 1 assassin (of course in Chow’s world this is a very middle-aged looking man who is very, very deadly in his prowess of martial arts). Chow is the chosen-one indeed.

21) The One-Armed Swordsman (1967: Chang Cheh): While not my favorite one-armed martial artist film, that would be Master of the Flying Guillotine, it is certainly an exciting, bloody (and another watershed movie on this list) from Chang Cheh. This movie stars Jimmy Wang Yu, a swimming champion and future Taiwanese gangster (who would figure prominently in the lives of several big HK stars) whose martial art skills were never the best nor was he the greatest actor. However, whenever he had just one arm his films were usually better (not sure why). This is a violent, revenge epic full of missing limbs that is one of Cheh’s better movies.

22) Exiled (2006: Johnnie To): A great heroic bloodshed tragedy with a mix of film noir and western elements. Johnnie To shows over and over unique ways to show triad/cop films with his own style of “team spirit.” Francis Ng when motivated, like Anthony Wong in this, is full of panache and is one of the better HK actors. Exiled is a different take then The Mission with many of the same themes, but probably an easier film to get into then The Mission for fans of action cinema. Superb choreography, another good soundtrack in a To film this time from Guy Zerafa and well this movie is just plain worth watching.

23) Knockabout (1979: Sammo Hung): Sammo Hung always had a knack for finding and using talent. This movie features a few underrated HK actors and martial artists. Most notably Leung Kar-yan (known affectionately as beardy to many fans), Lau Kar-wing (always under his much more famous brother’s shadow unfortunately) and Yuen Biao who never really rose in popularity as much as his opera brothers Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan though his athletic talent is better and he has a charm that is not always talked about. This would be Yuen’s first starring role and is an excellent example of old-school kung fu film full of sifus (kung fu masters), excellent martial arts, comedy and even a professional wrestling move that inspired The Rock.

24) Happy Together (1997: Wong Kar-wai): This is probably the most difficult to watch of Wong’s films because of the amount of bickering, anger, depression and longing felt at the end of the relationship between Lai Yiu-Fai (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Ho Po-wing (Leslie Cheung). The pain can be felt as these two who are destined not to be together, stay together much longer than they should. This film is a cathartic experience with two excellent performances as the leads. If you are sad and depressed individual than this is the film for you to watch so you can state at least I’m not stuck in a foreign country with no money and a withheld passport. Unless, of course, you are stuck in a foreign country with no money and no passport then watch the next movie instead.

25) Shaolin Soccer (2001: Stephen Chow): Stephen Chow is one of the most unique filmmakers in Hong Kong where he works at a snails pace compared to the ludicrous speed of most other directors. His works is silly, but well made silly comedy. Here is takes a concept of soccer throws in his normal mixture of down-and-out character, redemption, Bruce Lee references, mo lei tau (nonsense humor) and outputs a hilarious film about a Shaolin Temple graduate who is trying to spread his doctrine, gets a Shaolin soccer team together and dharmic football is the result, but not with some much needed training and obligatory setbacks before that can happen. Now what’s with Vicky Zhao’s makeup?

[masterofoneinchpunch]

26) Iron Monkey (1993: Yuen Wo-ping): Wong Fei-hung rears himself again (though played by a girl in this film) as a very young kid with his dad Wong Kei-ying (Donnie Yen) and a Chinese Robin Hood type named Dr. Yang (Yu Rong-guang). While some of the under-cranking is overdone there are still many impressive fight scenes including a brilliant one choreographed on wooden poles where a conflagration of fire is burning beneath. Some purists dismiss the wire-laden fight scenes but I find aesthetic pleasure in the way these were done (though I never forgive under-cranking). This film also has the deadly Buddha's palm which is another great reason to watch this movie.

27) Sparrow (2008: Johnnie To): I love this French Influenced Johnnie To film which is a mixture of Jean-Pierre Melville, Francis Truffaut, Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Bresson's Pickpocket. This is quite a bit different than most of To's films (though it does have some resemblance to Yesterday Once More (2004)), but it still contains many of his auteur themes such as team work and redemption. The climax duel of the pickpockets is one of the best directed scenes I have seen in quite a long time and the team's bicycle ride is quite unique as well. Sparrow has beautiful use of location as well and was partially made to be a time capsule to show the splendor of older Hong Kong.

28) The Magic Blade (1976: Chor Yuen): One of my favorite wuxia films from Shaw Brothers with the consummate chivalrous hero Fu Hung-hsueh (Ti Lung). Chor Yuen is an underrated director (though his later films can sometimes suffer from trying to put too much plots twists in) but he was very prolific and had a great eye for visuals. His films such as this one put more emphasis on character and situations, but the fights still look good helped by action director Tong Gai. Look out for the "dead" tavern as one of the more unique and haunting visuals. A fun movie and well worth watching with many facets from ingenious weaponry to spotting the influence from chambara and western movies.

29) Fist of Fury (1972: Lo Wei): This is probably higher than it should be because of the stereotyping of Japanese and Lo Wei's direction (though you wonder how much did Bruce Lee direct), but every fan of martial arts and Hong Kong cinema should have seen this because of the magnetism of its most famous martial artist Bruce Lee and its importance in HK cinema. For those who do not know Jackie Chan does stunts in this film including playing the Japanese boss getting kicked very hard (he was actually yanked by a wire to make him fly far). The American release was title The Chinese Connection. This is not Fists of Fury though, that was originally released as HK as The Big Boss.

30) Warriors Two (1978: Sammo Hung): Hung was in top form in the late 1970s and early 1980s, not only as a performer but as a director as well. This is his first in the unofficial Leung Jan (played by Leung Kar-yan in this film) Wing Chun series and while I would put it a little below the second film The Prodigal Son but not by much. Cassanova Wong physical presence and ability is awesome as Cashier Wah who would later teach Yip Man who would later teach Bruce Lee. There is a jump kick over a table that has to be seen to be believed and it certainly is Wong doing that jump. For me this is the ultimate cinematic treatise on Wing Chun

31) Mr. Canton and Lady Rose (1989: Jackie Chan): For me this is Jackie Chan's most underrated film. It is not full of wall-to-wall action and I think that is the main reason why it is not as heralded as his other film. It is a beautiful looking genre mix inspired by Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (1961) (this being a remake of Capra's own Lady for a Day (1933)) and it is full of vigor, comedy, beautiful sets and costumes since the film takes place in the 1930s, and a multitude of HK actor cameos. This has been released with a variety of titles including Black Dragon and Miracles. Stay away from the dubbed and/or shortened versions.

32) Fist of Legend (1994: Gordon Chan): Another classic martial art film based on Chen Zhen but this one is less racist, has a better plot and is more restrained then the elder Fist of Fury (1972). It also has one of Jet Li's best performances as the almost mythical Chen Zhen and when Li is less reliant on wires he can truly do some awesome fight scenes in front of the camera. Fist of Legend also has some of the best action scenes in 1990s HK cinema including one that is inspired by a similar action scene in Kurosawa's Red Beard (joint dislocating fun) and excellent battles with Yasuaki Kurata and Billy Chow thanks to the choreography from Yuen Wo-ping.

33) In The Mood For Love (2000: Wong Kar-wai): While often fans of artistic cinema will be familiar with Wong Kar-wai and not as familiar with as much else from HK and action fans will not be as familiar with the arthouse cinema of HK most of these two groups are familiar with Wong. I find this to be his most divisive film amongst those two groups. However, I feel it is a brilliant, beautiful and exquisite work on unrequited love. Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung act superbly as two individuals who find that their respective spouses are having an affair with the other in 1960s HK. William Chang's work as costume designer, production designer and editor (and Wong's most values collaborator with respects to Christopher Doyle) helps helm one of my favorite “romances” to come out of HK.

34) Running Out of Time (1999: Johnnie To): I must admit I am a Johnnie To fan. I was not always though. I disliked some of the 1990 films and I did not think much of him until I noticed he was getting more and more press several years back. After watching this and PTU I was hooked on films he directed, co-directed or even associated with (even going back to many of his 1980 films, those will not be on this list). This is a superb cat and mouse chase between a dying crook (Andy Lau) and Lau Ching-wan in the cop role. A mixture of Jean Pierre Melville and John Woo this is a film I am really looking forward to revisiting and could even jump up a few notches on this list.

35) A Better Tomorrow II (1987: John Woo): The flat out best film that ever involves bringing back a dead character from a previous movie by introducing his twin brother. While the movie starts off with that hackneyed plot approach, it soon becomes much more. John Woo was not happy with the interference he got from producer Tsui Hark, he certainly left his stamp on this movie with the heroic bloodshed theme and iconic slow motion. Chow Yun-fat gives a great performance as Ken Gor (the twin brother of the previous character) and for his troubles gets injured on the set and lost part of his hearing (which you can see on the film) when Woo decides to explode things real good too close to Woo.

36) PTU (2003: Johnnie To): Another Johnnie To inspired by Kurosawa (in this case a bit from Stray Dog) and another To on my list. Some of you might find this a bit slow paced, but I was fascinated by the characters and situations of this perpetual night in Hong Kong. Simon Yam's acting performances put him on the top of my favorite HK actors. To's personal projects have often been my favorite films from him. This movie took three years to make with everyone involved doing this as a side project. The cinematography from Cheng Siu-keung is excellent and the score reminds me a bit of Dead Man.

37) The Way of the Dragon (1972: Bruce Lee): Released in the US as Return of the Dragon this would be Bruce Lee's sole completed directorial effort and most personal film. While this is not as accomplished as Laughton's Night of the Hunter in the one-and-only director output, this is a fine release for Bruce Lee. It might not have aged as well as I would have liked but it is one film I have seen too many times not to put in a top list. The most known fight scene from this is between Chuck Norris and Bruce in the coliseum in which they duel to the death. However, as I have learned from The Chuck Norris Facts is that if that they really fought it would be the end of the universe as we know it.

38) Dirty Ho (1979: Liu Chia-liang): One of the greatest English titles in all of the Shaw Brothers films. The directly translated title of "Rotten Head Ho" is not that much better. This was the first martial arts film I remember seeing growing up and for years I could not find it. It is not officially out in a R1 (there is a good R3) and stay away from the many boots (the only copy I currently have is a boot), but it is such a fun martial arts film directed by the stalwart Liu Chia-liang and starring his “brother” Gordon Liu (basically blood brother, not adopted as some sources state and he was not an orphan) in this kung fu comedy. You will have to forgive the all too common abrupt ending though.

39) Shanghai Express (1986: Sammo Hung): aka The Millionaire's Express. This is a HK version of It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) where almost all the popular actors of HK are either starring or have cameos in this wild and crazy film from Sammo Hung though Jackie Chan is missing. I think fans of HK cinema will find it more of interest than novices, but it still is a good combination of action, comedy (broad very broad), stunts, cowboys, ninjas, prostitutes, (I don't remember any ninja prostitutes though or is there) and much more. Check out the awesome jump stunt by Yuen Biao risking his life for our entertainment.

40) Fong Sai Yuk (1993: Corey Yuen): Jet Li stars as Fong Sai-yuk another Cantonese folk hero whom he plays with his normal aplomb but with an added dash of panache that he has not always had a chance to perform. If fact it is one of his favorite roles and we can see why when he gets to show off his humoristic side. However, he is almost overshadowed by an excellent performance from long-time HK actor Josephine Siao Fong-Fong who plays his protective mother who eventually gets caught in the age old cinematic tradition of woman pretending to be man having another woman fall for that woman and causing higgledy-piggledy.

41) Election (2005: Johnnie To): Johnnie To's very candid look at pre-HK handover triad life on the verge of an election for a triad boss (symbolic of both the triad's change of power and HK's). This movie contains another great performance from Simon Yam as the calm and calculated family man Lam Lok who is up for election in the Wo Sing Society running against the brash, somewhat psychotic Big D (Tony Leung Ka-fai). But be careful of what you say when you go fishing with Lam. Followed by a worth sequel that you will enjoy if you liked this one.

42) Heroes of the East (1978: Liu Chia-liang): aka Shaolin Challenges Ninja. Here you have a rare combination of romantic comedy, positive Japanese-Chinese relationships (rare enough itself; though, of course, the Chinese always win in this movie) and martial arts. A brilliant and excellent fusion of not only genres but martial art styles (Japanese versus Chinese) that you find this movie on many martial art aficionados top lists. Gordon Liu as the main hero is this film is excellent as always except for his wig (he kept his head shaved at that point in career since he was doing many Shaolin films) as Ah To who is having problems with his Japanese wife Kung Zi (Mizuno Yuko) who considers herself and her culture better martial artists.

43) July Rhapsody (2002: Ann Hui): My first and currently only Ann Hui film I have seen. I certainly need to improve my knowledge of Cantonese social dramas and she is often considered on the most important. While the film starts slowly dealing with a laborious and languid aspect of relationship malaise it eventually becomes an emotionally fascinating tale of interpersonal problems. This film is a mix of Bresson-influenced acting style (this is one scene at the end of the film which is analogous to the end of Pickpocket) with a camera style that is less austere and more Wong Kar-wai. It would be Anita Mui's last performance before her death from cervical cancer.

44) SPL (2005: Wilson Yip): aka Kill Zone. It is a toss up on whether I prefer this film over Yip's other important collaboration with Donnie Yen (they have done more films together though) Flash Point. While Flash Point has one of the greatest endings I have seen in MA, this has the better story. This is an important film in MA choreography because Yen has started to incorporate MMA elements into his fight plan with spectacular results. This makes a kinesthetic pleasing and quite unique viewing experience. The use of multidimensional characters helps in getting you interested in the story, but it is the action with such highlights as Wu Jing fighting Donnie Yen in one of the best weapon scenes in quite a long time that makes one adore this film.

45) Project A II (1987: Jackie Chan): A quite engaging sequel to one of the most important films in HK history. While this film is not quite as well made as the original it has all the important elements of comedy, martial art action, death defying stunts and chase scenes that made this one of the excellent releases from the golden age of HK cinema. As usual with the higher budgets that Chan had during this era it looks quite good with much money spent on sets, costumes and set-ups for stunts. You can also look at the hidden allegory about the upcoming handover to China, but do not over think it. This was an absolute smash hit in HK and I feel that this is another must watch for fans of HK action films.

46) The Delightful Forest (1972: Pao Hsueh-li, Chang Cheh): Another film like The Magic Blade that I had not heard much on and currently cannot find much on the history of it. When it finally came out on R1 I was not expecting much and got a beautifully brutal ode to chambara from Chang Cheh and Pao Hsueh-li. The ending is so over-the-top you think it must have been influenced by Sword of Doom (1966). Ti Lung reprises his role as Wu Sung he previously played in The Water Margin (1972) about a powerful Kung Fu artist who killed a tiger with a single punch. He is one of HK's better actors from this time and he has a bad-ass panache that tends to be quite believable. This movie has quite a good chance of being higher on this list after another viewing.

47) The Longest Nite (1998: Patrick Yau Tai-chi): While Patrick Yau is credited as director, guess who did most of the direction? Yes, Johnnie To. This was a pattern for awhile with To where he would assign a director to a project and then take over not being satisfied with the work. This is one of the best examples of Hong Kong film noir with a nihilistic and bleak outlook that it is not recommended for feel-good filmgoers. The penultimate ending, which is influenced by Lady From Shanghai (1947) as well as Enter the Dragon (1973), is later redone in To's Mad Detective (2007; Lau Ching-wan also stars in this movie), but I feel it is more effective here.

48) Full Contact (1992: Ringo Lam): Speaking of dark and nihilistic work -- Full Contact is one of those films where you can easily see the faults of, but still commands a good amount of interest and repeated viewings for myself and I actually prefer this over Lam's City on Fire (1987). It is enjoyable to see Chow Yun-fat's somewhat morally ambivalent character (I believe at the time his least good guy role; his emperor character in Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) is a more evil man). An unbelievably flamboyant performance from Simon Yam and that is saying quite a bit. This film is well known for its bullet cam shot (not the first as often misquoted) used to a magnificent affect in this film.

49) From Beijing With Love (1994: Stephen Chow, Lee Lik-chi): Stephen Chow's first co-directorial work is a completely uneven, sometimes even brutal, but quite funny spy spoof film. There is also an undercurrent theme that is a harsh on Mainland police, which is quite brave of Chow at that particular time. This mo lei tau (nonsense) comedy is best when Chow uses gags such as a solar flashlight invention and a gun that shots reverse one time and straight the next. Now why is he talking to the toilet and what does porn have to do with gunshot wounds? To answer these questions you will have to watch this movie.

50) Flash Point (2007: Wilson Yip): One of the greatest action endings and absolutely fabulously entertaining fight scenes of all time. Yes, you have to get through a basic plot in the first half, but once past that the last half is all you remember. Donnie Yen has shown that MMA elements can easily be mixed in with stunt choreography before in SPL, but here he surpasses himself with an all out brawl in the finale with Collin Chou (yes they got hurt during the production of this) and an excellent one earlier with Yu Xing and Donnie with so many different styles thrown in it amazes me every time I see it. Was Louis Koo in this film?

[masterofoneinchpunch]

Here's a few more that may or may not be on my next list (not sure when I'll get to reordering so I'll keep some duplicate info here) aka I saw these originally after I wrote the list with a few exceptions:

??) Center Stage (1992: Stanley Kwan): AKA Actress. Jonathan Rosenbaum considers this the best movie he has seen out of Hong Kong. It is my favorite film from Stanley Kwan even over Rouge (1988). Maggie Cheung is extraordinary as she portrays Ruan Ling-yu , the most famous Chinese silent movie actress (partially because of this film) whose life was consistently under pressure from the newspapers and her relationships. Beautiful cinematography from Poon Hang-sang and the multilayered cinematic and docu-dramatic approach makes this one of the best biographies ever made. This is a film to have someone watch who thinks Hong Kong cinema is only Wong Kar-wai and action films.

??) Police Story Part II (1988, Jackie Chan): In my mind the most underrated of the series. Yes, the first film is my favorite Hong Kong movie, but Supercop (aka Police Story III) seems to get more fans than this one most likely due to some of the melodramatic overtones (I do like Supercop). Benny Lai as the explosive expert who happens to be deaf is quite good in this and makes an excellent baddie. The playground fight scene is one of Jackie’s finest. And the amount of explosives used would make John Woo take notice. Jackie would continue to hurt himself (jumping through real glass) and his costars (Maggie having her head hit by a falling metal object causing her to have to be doubled in some of the last scenes; several burn wounds to many of the stunt personal) and what more do we want to see with our favorite stars.

??) The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms (1978: Chang Cheh): AKA Crippled Avengers. Not a sequel to the 5 Deadly Venoms, but uses the mentioned Venom actors (a great explanation on what a Venom’s film is mentioned here: http://changcheh.0catch.com/ven-film.htm). This film is gory, a bit exploitative, but completely fun in its mayhem. The plot is a variation of the standard revenge theme. A local lord who went loco after his son lost his hands and he lost his wife becomes so vengeful that anyone who says a word against them gets maimed often in a unique way. Several of these handi-capable people bandy together and learn to use their disabilities to their advantage to, of course, exact revenge. This is a must watch for any martial arts fan.

??) The Odd One Dies (1997: Patrick Yau Tat-chi): Johnnie To also did a lot of direction on this film on this film as well. I love misanthropic loners and add a bit of good luck to the mix and you get a quirky black comedy that sometimes feels like a Wong Kar-wai film (especially in Takeshi Kaneshiro’s character Mo), sometimes feels like a Johnnie To film but ultimately it is just a strange fun film. It is easy to see it as an allegory for the upcoming handover to China, but you can see it as a parable of Hong Kong youth as well. But the biggest lesson learned from this movie is what not to do when someone tries to stab you.

??) Police Story Part III: Supercop (1992: Stanley Tong Gwai-lai): The first three Police Story films are must watches for action fans. Here we have Michele Yeoh join Jackie as a PRC officer whose skills as a consummate action star are shown quite well. She gets to show off not only her fighting skills but also her stunts where in one scene she jumps a motorcycle onto a moving train. But don't forget Jackie. He has an awesome scene where he hangs onto a helicopter, though he also gets knocked out by a helicopter as well. With explosions, dangerous stunts, great fighting, what more can you want? OK Maggie Cheung should have had a bigger role.

??) God of Gamblers (1989: Wong Jing): A Wong Jing film on a top HK movie list – blasphemy. Well with the plentiful output by this director there is bound to be one or two films that will be liked by even the most ardent critic (that might be pushing it). This very popular film helped promote (with Casino Raiders which came earlier in 1989) several years of gambling genre films, a multitude of related and unrelated sequels and many knockoffs. Chow Yun-fat is excellent as Ko Chun a chocolate addicted gambling God who is accidently rendered childlike by a blow to the head though his gambling gifts are intact and are to be exploited by Andy Lau’s Knife. This is a must watch for fans of HK cinema.

??) Mad Detective (2007: Johnnie To, Wai Kai-fai): I mean seriously how many Johnnie To films can I put on a HK list? As long as he keeps making films like this for Hong Kong (I was a little disappointed with his later Vengeance) I will consider Hong Kong one of the best centers of cinematic crime dramas. Lau Ching-wan’s as Bun the multiple-personality seeing and possibly insane detective is excellent and one of the best HK performances I have seen. The cinematography and direction are just as good with influences from past To films like The Longest Nite as well as Orson Welles The Lady From Shanghai.

??) The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (1984: Lau Kar-leung) aka Invincible Pole Fighter : While the film is associated with the death of Alexander Fu Sheng, who died in a car crash while this was being made, that lead to a more melancholic atmosphere, this movie is still one of the premiere “old school” martial art films. There is unevenness in tone and plot because of this and Lau’s doleful mood is prevalent in the latter part of the movie, but from a martial arts standpoint this movie is awesome and among the best from the Shaw Brothers. The staff work by Gordon Liu is exquisite, teeth rattling and somewhat disturbing.

??) C’est La View, Mon Cheri (1993: Derek Yee Tung-sing): A moving tale of a curmudgeon musician (Lau Ching-wan in one of his first break-out roles) whose difficult nature him often gets the best of him and has caused him to be ostracized in his field and pushed his girlfriend (Carina Lau) to break-up with him. This is until he is won over by a perky street performer Min (Anita Yuen in one of the most charming roles I have seen; up there with Faye Wong’s role in Chungking Express) who inhabits the tenement building he has rented. Her pert nature has been helmed by previous bouts with leukemia in her youth. While the last act of the film is predictable, the performances are brilliant, funny and touching. This was a winner of several HK Film Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress.

for some strange reason I left this out of my top 50.

??) Mr. Vampire (1985: Ricky Lau Koon-wai): Not only is this the film that would typecast Lam Ching-ying as a mono-brow Taoist priest (fat-si) master of sticky rice and remover of evil things, it is a film that would spawn more sequels than any other film in the kyonsi (jiangshi aka hopping vampire) horror subgenre -- though none of them really compare to the first one. This movie is one of the high points in the horror/comedy/action genre from Hong Kong alongside Spooky Encounters. Easily recommended to those who are new to Hong Kong horror, that is unless they have a fondness for chickens or snakes. Ricky Hui, who recently passed away, is superb in his supporting role as a bumbling assistant.

??) Rumble in the Bronx (1995: Stanley Tong): It is a toss-up between this or Police Story which started me on my way to being a Jackie Chan fan. However, I saw this in the theater and it had a huge influence on me watching and studying Hong Kong action films. I was mesmerized by what I saw. Yes the plot is rather silly and uneven, Anita Mui is underused, much of the acting is inept and it most of it was not filmed in the Bronx (Vancouver was used), but I had such fun with the film and Jackie was still in great physical condition and it shows in the various fight scenes and stunts. Yes, the film is flawed, but I have seen this film so many times. Jackie is such a showman and he follows the creed “the show must go on” that even when he broke his ankle after jumping onto a hovercraft (this is shown at the end credits); he just put an extra large shoe over the cast and continued on with filming. Now that is dedication to your craft.

??) A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora’s Box (1995: Jeffrey Lau), A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella (1995: Jeffrey Lau): I tend to think of these as one film especially since the two Hong Kong releases overlapped each other in 1995 and were filmed back-to-back. This is a crazy experience as an “adaptation” of the classic novel Journey to the West, but ultimately it is a showcase for Stephen Chow and action director Ching Siu-tung. The movie can be hard to follow (and the subtitles on the current DVDs do not help), but Chow as the sarcastic Monkey King is an unstoppable force with his mannerisms, quite-witted verbal style and just plain silliness. In this film you will see crotch stomping, crotches on fire, crotches on fire being stomped, attacking demons, a spider woman, time travel, true love, flatulence, needless deaths, reincarnation, body switching, a giant bull-man, lots of wire wuxia action and Buddhist monks. I had you at crotch stomping didn’t I?

??) Pedicab Driver (1989: Sammo Hung): This is often called Sammo’s masterpiece which is a bit strange since until its youtube appearance it is one of the harder of his films to find to watch. There is no legitimate DVD release of it and the VHS and laserdisc are hard to find. The fighting in the movie is excellent and among Sammo’s best. Where I differ quite a bit from some reviewers is that the melodrama is so excessive and the social commentary so didactic that it makes a Douglas Sirk film feel emotionally austere in comparison. Since there are large stretches of non-action if you do not fall for the two parallel romantic storylines then you too will be perturbed. But if you are an action film then you will love the martial arts especially the showdown with Lau Kar-leung and Sammo which has almost nothing to do with the storyline but you easily forgive it as it is one of the best fight scenes of all-time. If you think I am speaking hyperbole -- watch it. As a film though, I am quite conflicted on how to rate it.

??) The Story of Wong Fei Hung: Part one (1949: Hu Peng) aka Whip Extinguishes the Candles. The Wong Fei-hung films starring Cantonese opera star and martial artist Kwan Tak-hing was one of the most successful and long running movie series of all-time -- written accounts vary the amount from 76 to 99 entries. Hung Gar practitioner Wong Fei-hung is the most well-known and revered Cantonese real-life folk hero. Post-World War II had seen many newspaper serials written by Chu Yu-chai and radio broadcasts with him as a hero of fictionalized stories. Director Wu Pang used a story from Chu to show off a Southern style of martial arts. The film would not only have interludes where the martial art consultants such as Chan Hon-chung would show off their skills, it starts off with a lion dance and even later has a dragon boat song (Southern style song with drum or gong) performed by Chao Fei-fei. The film would help make the venerable Kwan a star and typecast him as the Confucian and stalwart sifu. It would also bring in authentic martial arts onto the screen and showcase master and student relationships. This just might be the most influential Hong Kong movie on the martial arts genre.

??) A Chinese Ghost Story (1987: Ching Sui-tung): For a film that many consider a must-watch in Hong Kong cinema I do wonder why there is no US release of it (a R0 NTSC release is OOP; I bought a R3 to watch this.) A true hyphenate of styles in which there is action, comedy, music, romance, ghosts and more in a well-blended film from director Ching Siu-tung and producer Tsui Hark. Leslie Cheung is in one of his most famous roles as the milquetoast tax collector who is completely out of his depth for his job and even more out of his depth when he finds himself having to find shelter in an abandoned temple populated by a surly Taoist fighter (Wu Ma in one of my favorite roles of his.) He falls in love, while gaining nerve, with Lip Siu-sin (Joey Wong) a ghost who is enslaved by a 1000 year-old tree demon. Can ghosts and humans mix? This movie, based on a previous Shaw Brothers film The Enchanting Shadow (1960) which was based off of 17^th and 18^th century writer Pu Songling’s Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi), was a critical and popular success in Hong Kong that beget two sequels, a remake, an animated film and influenced countless others (including some Cat. III films.) A fun film if you get to see it.

??) Love on Delivery (1994: Stephen Chow, Lee Lik-chi): It is a shame that not more of Stephen Chow’s earlier films are available in North American releases. I tend to like most of his films and this one is certainly in the top third. I do not think I have laughed so much in a while then with the indelible Garfield (I would need much more space to describe this scene.) It also has one of the more unique, if not preposterous, martial art moves the “Invincible Wind and Fire Wheel.” Chow in his earlier career was often painted as a verbal moleitau (nonsense) humanist, but he does have a penchant for pop references from several countries including Hong Kong and the United States (Leon Lai, The Karate Kid, The Terminator, a great cameo from Jacky Cheung Hok-Yau) and his visual humor is often underrated. I look forward to seeing this again.

??) Ninja in the Dragon’s Den (1982: Corey Yuen): It is also a shame that this martial art extravaganza does not have a proper North American release. This is the debut of both director Corey Yuen and buff martial artist Conan Lee (who only had a small career unfortunately) in this period martial art film. The choreography, which included a fight on stilts, lots of ninja traps, Hwang Jang-lee with his awesome kicking prowess and much more. Surprisingly the film’s cinematography looks exquisite. The lighting and composition are sometimes surprisingly charismatic and have been thought out well. This also portrays several good Japanese characters which is quite rare in Hong Kong cinema including the lone ninja Sanada Hiroyuki (who I have seen recently in 2013 films 47 Ronin and The Wolverine and his performance in The Twilight Samurai is one of my favorites.) If I had a martial arts label, I would put this film out.

??) Dragons Forever (1988: Sammo Hung): This was fun. It is a shame that this is not readily available here in the States as it is (so far) the last time that Yuen Biao, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan would work together. The plot is so-so with Yuen actually outshining everyone here as a semi-psychotic paranoid friend of the three while Jackie plays the womanizer who will be redeemed by one love and Sammo as the lovelorn glue that holds the three together (he is also the director.) As you might expect it is the action sequences that outshine everything else in the film. They are awesome. For the second time you get to see Benny The Jet Urquidez (an undefeated kickboxer -- there is some controversy over one muay thai bout) spar off against Jackie Chan. One may wonder about Urquidez's eyeliner though. It does fit the 80s if he was a singing in a new wave band. Jackie liked it so much he considers it one of the best fight scenes Sammo has ever done. There are great stunts to be seen here too. Check out the straight kick in this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n5HWtLNvxE.

[Writ]

Loving your list. I've seen 33/50 films you've mentioned as your top 50. The other 17 are going straight to my watchlist! From your list, I'd definitely have stuff like PTU and The Killer on my top list, though I doubt I've seen enough to say I can make a top 50 of HK films I absolutely love just yet though.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

33 minutes ago, Writ said:

Loving your list. I've seen 33/50 films you've mentioned as your top 50. The other 17 are going straight to my watchlist! From your list, I'd definitely have stuff like PTU and The Killer on my top list, though I doubt I've seen enough to say I can make a top 50 of HK films I absolutely love just yet though.

Thank you.  Write when you get too the next film on the list.  Always curious.

Both great films there.  I've appreciated The Killer more and more over the years.  Both, John Woo and Johnnie To, are among my top directors regardless of country. 

I just do not get tired of HK films, though I really do not get tired of film in general.  There is always more to watch.  Finally saw the first Michael Hui acted film The Warlord, first Lau Kar-leung directed film The Spiritual Boxer this month.  I probably should work on my top 100 list sometime (I have the list made, just only 60 or so capsule reviews and have to go over what I have seen new for the first time over the past several months.)

Added my full length review links to The Private Eyes and The Longest Nite.

[Writ]

On 2/22/2017 at 11:37 AM, masterofoneinchpunch said:

Thank you.  Write when you get too the next film on the list.  Always curious.

Both great films there.  I've appreciated The Killer more and more over the years.  Both, John Woo and Johnnie To, are among my top directors regardless of country. 

I just do not get tired of HK films, though I really do not get tired of film in general.  There is always more to watch.  Finally saw the first Michael Hui acted film The Warlord, first Lau Kar-leung directed film The Spiritual Boxer this month.  I probably should work on my top 100 list sometime (I have the list made, just only 60 or so capsule reviews and have to go over what I have seen new for the first time over the past several months.)

Added my full length review links to The Private Eyes and The Longest Nite.

Oh I totally agree. Having grown up watching plenty of HK films and still watching them to this day, there's always something new to enjoy. Thing is, lots of my favourites from when I was young might not hold up if I was to watch them under the critical eye I have today, so I leave a lot of the stuff alone. Johnnie To was actually a relatively recent discovery of mine sometime early last year and I've absolutely fallen in love with his style. I've only seen about 8 films out of his massive filmography, and the only one that didn't work for me was Tomorrow Once More. 7/8 is a pretty good ratio if you ask me from someone who cranks out films like fruit smoothies.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

10 minutes ago, Writ said:

Oh I totally agree. Having grown up watching plenty of HK films and still watching them to this day, there's always something new to enjoy. Thing is, lots of my favourites from when I was young might not hold up if I was to watch them under the critical eye I have today, so I leave a lot of the stuff alone. Johnnie To was actually a relatively recent discovery of mine sometime early last year and I've absolutely fallen in love with his style. I've only seen about 8 films out of his massive filmography, and the only one that didn't work for me was Tomorrow Once More. 7/8 is a pretty good ratio if you ask me from someone who cranks out films like fruit smoothies.

I've seen about 40 (I think that is the number, maybe 41; includes a couple of uncredited ones) of Johnnie To's films.  I have to catch up on some, especially the newer ones.  Now he does have some bad films.  I mean atrocious like Lucky Encounter (1992) and Wu Yen (2001; probably not fair to lump this with Lucky Encounter). I am not the biggest fan of Executioners either, but I do plan on rewatching that sometime. I had originally seen it when I had only watched one or two Johnnie To films before.

Yesterday Once More is not a bad film, it just could/should have been better.  Found my mini-review of it:

Quote

Yesterday Once More (2004: Hong Kong: **½/****):
The third in a series of romantic comedies staring Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng was the least successful at the box office in Hong Kong following Needing You (2000) and Love on a Diet (2001). The previous two were co-directed with Wai Ka-fai and while I have only seen Love on a Diet there is definitely a stylist difference one that fits in more of the To's auteur direction and themes. This film is more languid, more nuanced, less commercial, but is much more uneven then Love on a Diet (that film feels mostly like an American romantic comedy with the help of the special effects team from The Nutty Professor and I rate that film slightly higher ***/****).

The story centers around two professional thieves Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng who divorce at the beginning of the film for an unknown reason only to find themselves still in love as the years go by. Sammi is engaged to a rich momma's boy, but only because she is interested in his jewelry. Andy's character (they are never named) is jealous and decides to steal the very jewel she is interested in (causing the breakup of Sammi and her beau). The rest of the movie deals with their relationship until a tragic fact about one of their fates is learned.

The movie is quite beautiful to look as the locations vary from Hong Kong to Italy and the characters intrigued me (and often irritated me); however, the biggest fault was with the most unsatisfying ending since well Running On Karma.

While ultimately this movie fails as an aesthetic cohesive whole it has many interesting elements that would later be used in Sparrow to better effect. While Sparrow had references to French Cinema, this movie had several quite obvious homages to the original The Thomas Crown Affair from the introductory scenes reminiscent of the multi-splitscreen style used in that film to the relationship and the characters to one specific interview technique used in original film.     

 

[Writ]

7 hours ago, masterofoneinchpunch said:

I've seen about 40 (I think that is the number, maybe 41; includes a couple of uncredited ones) of Johnnie To's films.  I have to catch up on some, especially the newer ones.  Now he does have some bad films.  I mean atrocious like Lucky Encounter (1992) and Wu Yen (2001; probably not fair to lump this with Lucky Encounter). I am not the biggest fan of Executioners either, but I do plan on rewatching that sometime. I had originally seen it when I had only watched one or two Johnnie To films before.

Yesterday Once More is not a bad film, it just could/should have been better.  Found my mini-review of it:

 

I also agree, Yesterday Once More is not a bad film, it just felt very unsatisfying. I did read a study on Johnnie To that mentions that he didn't really get into his own rhythm until about 1996 when he started his own production company and made films that he wanted to make. Even then, he still makes more "commercialised" comedies and whatnot to fund his passion projects which tend to be his more Jean Pierre-Melville inspired stuff, so that might explain the weaker films after 1996.

That said, I just watched Running Out of Time and once again I am absolutely amazed. The way he uses his camera and cuts to focus on small movements between actors to convey feelings, his manipulation of non-diegetic sound and movements within a frame, his absolute mastery of tonal shifts - he's not only one of my favourite directors, I'm convinced he's one of the best living directors still working today.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

11 hours ago, Writ said:

I also agree, Yesterday Once More is not a bad film, it just felt very unsatisfying. I did read a study on Johnnie To that mentions that he didn't really get into his own rhythm until about 1996 when he started his own production company and made films that he wanted to make. Even then, he still makes more "commercialised" comedies and whatnot to fund his passion projects which tend to be his more Jean Pierre-Melville inspired stuff, so that might explain the weaker films after 1996.

That said, I just watched Running Out of Time and once again I am absolutely amazed. The way he uses his camera and cuts to focus on small movements between actors to convey feelings, his manipulation of non-diegetic sound and movements within a frame, his absolute mastery of tonal shifts - he's not only one of my favourite directors, I'm convinced he's one of the best living directors still working today.

Yeah To mentions that [here in an interview with Stephen Teo]: "Yes, my own breakthrough.  I can say that with Loving You, I didn't think about the box-office or whether I had a famous star ... There were no considerations of the audience reaction or anything like that, but rather what was good for the film ... I was determined while making it that the film would follow a creative path and that there would be no other factors that would lead me to compromise its direction.  and so this is the first film that was made with my own thinking."

I have a thread dedicated to Johnnie To.  It is a little moldy (since no one is on the site anymore), but there is a lot of information. Here it is.  I should probably more it here (and update it of course).

I highly recommend getting the book Director in Action: Johnnie To and the Hong Kong Action Film (2007) by Stephen Teo

Which To films have you seen besides Yesterday Once More, Running Out of Time, PTU ... ?  What Jean Pierre-Melville have you seen?

 

[Writ]

16 hours ago, masterofoneinchpunch said:

Yeah To mentions that [here in an interview with Stephen Teo]: "Yes, my own breakthrough.  I can say that with Loving You, I didn't think about the box-office or whether I had a famous star ... There were no considerations of the audience reaction or anything like that, but rather what was good for the film ... I was determined while making it that the film would follow a creative path and that there would be no other factors that would lead me to compromise its direction.  and so this is the first film that was made with my own thinking."

I have a thread dedicated to Johnnie To.  It is a little moldy (since no one is on the site anymore), but there is a lot of information. Here it is.  I should probably more it here (and update it of course).

I highly recommend getting the book Director in Action: Johnnie To and the Hong Kong Action Film (2007) by Stephen Teo

Which To films have you seen besides Yesterday Once More, Running Out of Time, PTU ... ?  What Jean Pierre-Melville have you seen?

 

Oh I will be definitely tracking down that book. The study I read referenced it at least a dozen times. Unfortunate that the forum isn't as active as it used to be considering I'm a relatively new user here, but the small little community that has developed is still really nice, and I'd say most here are much more knowledgeable than I am with regards to films - I'm just learning so much by reading the posts. I feel like my opinions on the films are so amateurish in comparison! But everyone on this forum is so supportive of opinions, even dissenting ones.

I also have the unfortunate position of not having seen much of Pierre-Melville's work. Over here in New Zealand, it is extremely difficult to get a hold of foreign films (as in non-English) in general, but especially European films. People here just aren't really into films! I've only seen Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge, both of which I consider amongst my absolute favourite films of all time.

But in terms of Johnnie To films, I've also seen Exiled, Throw Down, The Mission, Blind Detective, Mad Detective, and Three. The first three would also make my list of top HK films if I ever get around to compiling a list. I've still got a few more waiting for me and I'm definitely excited to go through his filmography. I do have at least half a dozen of his other films lined up for me as well which I'll be going through in the next few weeks hopefully. I just happen to be going through his films at the same time as I am a few other directors like Takashi Miike and Alfred Hitchcock just to name a couple. And I'm hoping I can get a hold of more Jean Pierre-Melville stuff as well.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

10 hours ago, Writ said:

... but the small little community that has developed is still really nice, and I'd say most here are much more knowledgeable than I am with regards to films - I'm just learning so much by reading the posts. I feel like my opinions on the films are so amateurish in comparison! But everyone on this forum is so supportive of opinions, even dissenting ones.

I also have the unfortunate position of not having seen much of Pierre-Melville's work. Over here in New Zealand, it is extremely difficult to get a hold of foreign films (as in non-English) in general, but especially European films. People here just aren't really into films! I've only seen Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge, both of which I consider amongst my absolute favourite films of all time.

But in terms of Johnnie To films, I've also seen Exiled, Throw Down, The Mission, Blind Detective, Mad Detective, and Three. The first three would also make my list of top HK films if I ever get around to compiling a list. I've still got a few more waiting for me and I'm definitely excited to go through his filmography. I do have at least half a dozen of his other films lined up for me as well which I'll be going through in the next few weeks hopefully. I just happen to be going through his films at the same time as I am a few other directors like Takashi Miike and Alfred Hitchcock just to name a couple. And I'm hoping I can get a hold of more Jean Pierre-Melville stuff as well.

It certainly is a fun community here.  I've been here for awhile :).

Both great Melville films.  His filmography is unfortunately smaller then it should be.  Died too young (55).  I'm not complete with his ouerve, but every film I have seen from his I have at least liked.  Les Enfants Terribles may be the strangest because it feels so much like a Jean Cocteau (who wrote it) film.  If you can, get the Criterion releases of Bob le flambeur, Army of Shadows or Léon Morin, Priest.  He is a big influence on John Woo as well (so many similiarities as well; all three directors Woo, To and Melville have stated that have difficulty dealing with female directors, all are heavy on honor, crime films and much more.)   Funny you can even see a Melville reference in John Wick.

One of the fun aspects of studying film is that it never really ends.  For example you take the mirror scene in Mad Detective.  He did this earlier in The Longest Nite (his name is not credited, but he took over direction).  One might think the origin of this is Enter the Dragon, but instead it is The Lady from Shanghai from Orson Welles.  There are so many influences in film that it truly is multi-national.

Alfred Hitchcock is another of my favorites and I still have not seen everything of his (at 39 seen though some films I have seen many times; seen all the American releases though.)  His movies are so influential on so many directors regardless of country.  I'm not that into Takashi Miike.  Once in a while I will watch a film of his though. 

If you have not started I highly recommend Akira Kurosawa (I have all of his existing films) because of the influence on both Johnnie To and John Woo (and so much of HK/US film in general).  Especially since you saw Throw Down which was dedicated to Akira Kurosawa (his first film was on Judo -- Sanshiro Sugata.) 

[sym8]

Great list(there's some here that I'm going to have to checkout,I've heard of them but never seen).For me Police story was the one that got myself interested in the Kung fu movie again.I started watching Kung fu movies when I was about 12 years old(I'm now 49)vhs video were just getting started in England and video rental stores were popping up everywhere with hundreds of Kung fu movies for hire,but for every good Kung fu movie there where 20 that were awful and after many years of this I became disillusioned with them,we just weren't getting the good stuff.but then I saw Police story and I was blown away and hooked again.To this day this is my go to movie when I want to showcase Jackie Chan and Hong Kong cinema(that and Hard Boiled for the heroic bloodshed)Great article??

[Writ]

On 2/25/2017 at 0:15 PM, masterofoneinchpunch said:

One of the fun aspects of studying film is that it never really ends.  For example you take the mirror scene in Mad Detective.  He did this earlier in The Longest Nite (his name is not credited, but he took over direction).  One might think the origin of this is Enter the Dragon, but instead it is The Lady from Shanghai from Orson Welles.  There are so many influences in film that it truly is multi-national.

Alfred Hitchcock is another of my favorites and I still have not seen everything of his (at 39 seen though some films I have seen many times; seen all the American releases though.)  His movies are so influential on so many directors regardless of country.  I'm not that into Takashi Miike.  Once in a while I will watch a film of his though. 

If you have not started I highly recommend Akira Kurosawa (I have all of his existing films) because of the influence on both Johnnie To and John Woo (and so much of HK/US film in general).  Especially since you saw Throw Down which was dedicated to Akira Kurosawa (his first film was on Judo -- Sanshiro Sugata.) 

Interestingly, I had actually watched Sanjuro before you had posted this! Ran is one of my favourites full stop. I do need to rewatch Seven Samurai at some point as I watched it sometime in my teens (which isn't all that long ago for me). Other than that though, I've only just started with his filmography properly, so as you can see, plenty of good stuff to catch up on for me.

With regards to Alfred Hitchcock, I tend to watch his films with a break in between each one so I am going through his filmography much slower than I normally would other directors. Rope is my personal favourite of his with Rear Window not too far behind. And I know it's almost blasphemous to say, but I have yet to watch Vertigo! I feel it's just held in too high esteem - I'd much rather ease my way into it, so I probably have a few more Hitchcock films to go before I check out Vertigo.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 8:11 PM, Writ said:

Interestingly, I had actually watched Sanjuro before you had posted this! Ran is one of my favourites full stop. I do need to rewatch Seven Samurai at some point as I watched it sometime in my teens (which isn't all that long ago for me). Other than that though, I've only just started with his filmography properly, so as you can see, plenty of good stuff to catch up on for me.

With regards to Alfred Hitchcock, I tend to watch his films with a break in between each one so I am going through his filmography much slower than I normally would other directors. Rope is my personal favourite of his with Rear Window not too far behind. And I know it's almost blasphemous to say, but I have yet to watch Vertigo! I feel it's just held in too high esteem - I'd much rather ease my way into it, so I probably have a few more Hitchcock films to go before I check out Vertigo.

Ran was the first Akira Kurosawa film I saw.  I originally saw it because Roger Ebert (and Siskel I believe) raved about it.  Since then he has been one of my favorite directors.  Make sure you get Seven Samurai on Criterion -- soooooo many extras, commentary, good quality.  You see so much Kurosawa in other directors -- not just Hong Kong directors but like Spielberg (who has a scene in Saving Private Ryan directly from Ran) George Lucas (The Hidden Fortress which you can see much in Star Wars -- of course Lucas did help with financing for Kagemusha) and others.

Watch Vertigo sooner than later. I find when you hold a film too high in esteem sometimes one is let down by the first viewing.  But it is a film worth watching more than once so if you are let down you might enjoy the rewatch better (or you just might love it the first time.)  Of course it is the film that upset Citizen Kane (a film I love as well) on the last Sight and Sound list/poll.  I've had people tell me that James Stewart was too one note as an actor.  Vertigo (and his films with Anthony Mann -- I love those westerns; if you haven't watch Winchester '73) really do upset that.  I think he is one of the better actors of his long industrious career.

@sym8 Police Story (short version) was the first Jackie Chan film I saw on VHS.  That movie led me to look at modern martial art actioneers.  I have lent this movie out countless times.  It has also been my goto film for JC newbies. I love John Woo films but I've had a harder time lending them.  Sometimes too operatic for some.  I've started keeping track of what I've lent because for years I always wondered how much I lent, who liked what etc...

[masterofoneinchpunch]

This article above got published here: https://theedblog.com/2019/08/19/masterofoneinchpunchs-top-50-hong-kong-films-a-primer/

And with pictures.

[ShawAngela]

I just read the whole article.

It's very interesting, thanks for sharing.