Hong Kong action cinema

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doctordonkey

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Alright, so I watched the Rush Hour trilogy for the first time last weekend, and this somehow lead me to spark an intense interest in Hong Kong action movies. I know I need to watch Hard Boiled and The Killer, but what are some others? I'm trying to gather up a bunch and watch them this weekend, and would like some recommendations.

So, what are some of your favourite Hong Kong action flicks, duders?

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sub_o

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Infernal Affairs trilogy comes to mind. Ip Man 1 and 2 are good kung fu movies.

When I was a kid, I really like Once Upon A Time in China series. I also really like God of Gambler series.

If you're looking for more recent movies, I enjoyed Firestorm and Overheard.

There are probably tons of others that I forgot the names of. There was one where the main character who fights the enemy that uses scorpion stance. Some of the Stephen Chow movies have good action scenes too.

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TournamentOfHate

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#3  Edited By TournamentOfHate

Gamespot producer Andy Bauman made this video of recommendations after Sleeping Dogs came out.

Edit: Also I remember seeing this list from Kotaku around the time Sleeping Dogs came out aswell. Few different movies but Infernal Affairs is mentioned in both.

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Zomgfruitbunnies

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#4  Edited By Zomgfruitbunnies

So basically every Bruce Lee and early Jackie Chan movie?

And don't forget dat Chow Yun-Fat and John Woo combo.

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stonyman65

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High Risk AKA Meltdown is amazing. It's 90 minutes of Jet Li beating the shit out of dudes with a horrible voice-over that kind of sounds like Jean-Claude Van Damme. The whole movie is a rip on Hong Kong action films. Both versions are good, but the US versions is better because all of the voice overs are SOOOOO bad! (the full movie is on YouTube somewhere.)

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Armor of God - specifically Armor of God 2 AKA Operation Condor - is a great series. Try to catch the HK versions if you can.

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sgtsphynx

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#6 sgtsphynx  Moderator
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Hamst3r

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Alright, let's do this.

  1. Ip Man
  2. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
  3. Kung Fu Hustle
  4. Police Story
  5. Police Story 2
  6. Police Story 3: Super Cop
  7. True Legend
  8. Little Big Soldier
  9. Armour of God
  10. Armour of God 2: Operation Condor
  11. Infernal Affairs
  12. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
  13. Jet Li's Fearless
  14. Project A
  15. Project A 2
  16. Shinjuku Incident
  17. Iron Monkey
  18. Master of the Flying Guillotine
  19. Infra-Man
  20. Taoism Drunkard

And as you already said, Hard Boiled and The Killer.

All sorts of Hong Kong up in here. Lots of Jackie Chan.

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GunstarRed

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@stonyman65: Man, The Armour of God movies are so dumb. God damn I miss Jackie Chan being awesome. The Project A movies are great too. Oh, and Supercop

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damodar

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#10  Edited By damodar

Um, it's a weird one, has some of the most bizarre tonal shifts I've ever seen in a movie, but Chow Yun Fat was in a film that I've seen titled as both Tiger On The Beat and also just as Tiger On Beat. I don't know how easy it would actually be to get a hold of it, but some of the action scenes, particularly at the climax of the film, are soooooooo good.

Other than that, Jackie Chan has your back. Police Story, Wheels On Meals, etc.

Are you interested in a more modern setting with guns etc, in the vein of Rush Hour, Hard Boiled etc, or are you also looking for martial arts stuff with a more historical setting?

If so, Jackie Chan also has your back with a lot of great stuff. Legend Of The Drunken Master is absolutely one of the best kung-fu movies ever. Other than that, there's also the stuff that the Shaw Brothers were putting out, like 5 Deadly Venoms, 8 Diagram Pole Fighter etc. They had a whole bunch of movies around the late 70s onward directed by Chang Cheh with largely the same cast (including Philip Kwok, who has a pretty great part in Hard Boiled) and there's some really great stuff there if you're into that. Crippled Avengers is maybe my favourite of that lot, (the movie is even better than the super amazing title) but there is lots of good stuff. The Kid With The Golden Arm and the others I mentioned. Also, check out Gordon Liu. You're probably already familiar with him in some capacity, he played two characters in the Kill Bill movies. The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin is probably my favourite Kung Fu film.

I don't think too many of his movies are actually particularly good, but Donnie Yen is always pretty incredible to watch in fight scenes etc.

Either way, enjoy Hard Boiled! It's incredible!

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doctordonkey

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Thanks a ton for all the suggestions so far! As a few of you have asked, I generally favor the 'run in with two pistols, slide over tables and jump around corners, guns blazing' kind of flicks for this stuff, but I'm always down for some good old fashioned fisticuffs. I'm definitely doing all I can to get a hold of this stuff and watch as many as possible.

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crithon

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I always adore Snake in Eagle's Shadow as an under rated Jackie Chan performance.

Man, Rush Hour is so pedestrian when it comes to Hong Kong cinema. Like it's nothing compared to Kill Zone, like even Matrix was at least a good gate way into Hong Kong cinema

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Retromancy

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#13  Edited By Retromancy

There are a ton of great movies not only from Honk Kong but all over Asian peninsula.

The Raid: Redemption
The Raid: Berendal
Drug War
The Man from Nowhere
Flashpoint
Special I.D.
Merantau

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shinjin977

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Lots of good recommendations here. If you want to go a bit hardcore and watch some of the classic series here are some.

Legend of the condor heroes series - 1998 This is probably the best chinese kungfu drama ever made

Drunken Master - probably Jackie chan best movie.

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VierasTalo

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No one has yet mentioned one of the greatest films of all time, Black Panther Warriors, so there you go.

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CashBailey

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#16  Edited By CashBailey

The greatest Hong Kong movie ever made is Wong Kar Wai's CHUNGKING EXPRESS.

It's not an action movie, more an arthouse romantic drama. But it's still gloriously fun, witty and unforgettable.

What's even more amazing is that Wong made this movie while on hiatus during production of his difficult, abstract swordplay epic ASHES OF TIME.

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Gaff

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#17  Edited By Gaff

I can't believe no one has mentioned The A Better Tomorrow series: probably the movies that put John Woo and Chow Yun Fat in the spotlight and, one could say, the start of the whole heroic bloodshed trend. The first one is the best, the second one is stupendously over the top and melodramatic, but still an enjoyable romp.

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IzunaDrop

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Love this one.

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verysexypotato

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@hamst3r said:

Alright, let's do this.

  1. Ip Man
  2. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
  3. Kung Fu Hustle
  4. Police Story
  5. Police Story 2
  6. Police Story 3: Super Cop
  7. True Legend
  8. Little Big Soldier
  9. Armour of God
  10. Armour of God 2: Operation Condor
  11. Infernal Affairs
  12. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
  13. Jet Li's Fearless
  14. Project A
  15. Project A 2
  16. Shinjuku Incident
  17. Iron Monkey
  18. Master of the Flying Guillotine
  19. Infra-Man
  20. Taoism Drunkard

And as you already said, Hard Boiled and The Killer.

All sorts of Hong Kong up in here. Lots of Jackie Chan.

Hamst3r knows what's up.

But realtalk, Jackie chan defined and redefined Hong Kong action cinema and really action films as a whole. Virtually any Jackie Chan film from the late 70s to the mid 90s are phenomenal. But here are a few keepers that aren't on the list (in no particular order.)

  • Miracles - Mr. Canton and Lady Rose (which I think is Jackie chan's best movie.)

  • City Hunter (The incredibly campy Chan film in which he dresses as Chun Li)
  • Wheels on Meals
  • Island of Fire
  • Both "Drunken Master" and "Legend of Drunken Master"
  • And though they're already on the list, any Project A or Police Story movie NEEDS to be seen.

Even without subtitles, this scene from Project A is incredible in its' slapstick choreography. Charlie Chaplin was a big influence on him and it shows.

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Other than Jackie Chan, I know it's not technically Hong Kong film, but Tony Jaa is fantastic. He's a muay-thai fighter who starred in both Ong-Bak and The Protector. Watch those both.

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helvetica

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Going to second the Once Upon a Time in China series, so fucking good.

Going to third this! So, so good.

My favorite is Duel to the Death. Ninja randomly show up and just cause hell. It's so great. For example, the kite ninja scene. A guy is out for a midnight scroll along the beach, and then - ninja!

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veektarius

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Netflix used to have a pretty good Hong Kong selection, but I think they've fallen off. Either way, you're on a magical journey.

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Broomhitches

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You also need some Jet Li and Donnie Yen in your life.

Fist of Legend

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Flash Point

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"Fist of Legend"

"Flash Point"

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CashBailey

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\

@hamst3r said:

Alright, let's do this.

  1. Ip Man
  2. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
  3. Kung Fu Hustle
  4. Police Story
  5. Police Story 2
  6. Police Story 3: Super Cop
  7. True Legend
  8. Little Big Soldier
  9. Armour of God
  10. Armour of God 2: Operation Condor
  11. Infernal Affairs
  12. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
  13. Jet Li's Fearless
  14. Project A
  15. Project A 2
  16. Shinjuku Incident
  17. Iron Monkey
  18. Master of the Flying Guillotine
  19. Infra-Man
  20. Taoism Drunkard

And as you already said, Hard Boiled and The Killer.

All sorts of Hong Kong up in here. Lots of Jackie Chan.

Hamst3r knows what's up.

But realtalk, Jackie chan defined and redefined Hong Kong action cinema and really action films as a whole. Virtually any Jackie Chan film from the late 70s to the mid 90s are phenomenal. But here are a few keepers that aren't on the list (in no particular order.)

  • Miracles - Mr. Canton and Lady Rose (which I think is Jackie chan's best movie.)

  • City Hunter (The incredibly campy Chan film in which he dresses as Chun Li)
  • Wheels on Meals
  • Island of Fire
  • Both "Drunken Master" and "Legend of Drunken Master"
  • And though they're already on the list, any Project A or Police Story movie NEEDS to be seen.

Even without subtitles, this scene from Project A is incredible in its' slapstick choreography. Charlie Chaplin was a big influence on him and it shows.

Loading Video...

Other than Jackie Chan, I know it's not technically Hong Kong film, but Tony Jaa is fantastic. He's a muay-thai fighter who starred in both Ong-Bak and The Protector. Watch those both.

MR CANTON AND LADY ROSE is definitley Jackie's best directed film. He really went to town on that one.

It's so lush and full of elaborate camerawork. And any chance to see him with the magnificent Anita Mui is worth treasuring.

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deactivated-5a0917a2494ce

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The legend of drunken master is a great place to start. There are very few good Chinese martial arts films today, they've gotten really bad.

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CashBailey

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#25  Edited By CashBailey

@horseman6 said:

The legend of drunken master is a great place to start. There are very few good Chinese martial arts films today, they've gotten really bad.

I don't think they've gotten bad, I just think that there's really nothing new being done in Hong Kong or China. The Golden Age stars are now too old and the newer stars don't have the charisma.

That movie (aka: DRUNKEN MASTER 2) is probably the greatest pure martial arts movie I've ever seen. The fight scenes are unmatched.

The original HK cut of DM2 is kind of hard to find, which is preferable due to the original language track. Never, EVER watch a dubbed movie unless you have no other choice. Sadly an uncut, Cantonese language, original aspect ratio DVD does not exist.

And there are so many HK masterpieces that still don't have decent home video releases. The Fortune Star blu-rays are a scam; just upscaled DVDs instead of proper HD masters, and some of them so heavily DNR-ed as to look like wax. The ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA release is especially egregious.

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TyrellOCP

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@gaff: Glad somebody suggested Better Tomorrow 1 & 2.

The cinematography in 1 is fantastic and the action scenes in 2 are incredible.

I want to suggest Once a Theif. It's the movie that bankrolled Hard Boiled after disappointing takings for the dour Bullet in the Head (also worth watching, it's like a Cantonese Deer Hunter).

Once a Thief is a weird action/comedy mix, but it's John Woo so you're in safe hands. The wheelchair tango sequence is beautifully choreographed and shot. It's fun spotting actors from other Woo movies in it as well.

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CashBailey

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#27  Edited By CashBailey

@tyrellocp said:

@gaff: Glad somebody suggested Better Tomorrow 1 & 2.

The cinematography in 1 is fantastic and the action scenes in 2 are incredible.

I want to suggest Once a Theif. It's the movie that bankrolled Hard Boiled after disappointing takings for the dour Bullet in the Head (also worth watching, it's like a Cantonese Deer Hunter).

Once a Thief is a weird action/comedy mix, but it's John Woo so you're in safe hands. The wheelchair tango sequence is beautifully choreographed and shot. It's fun spotting actors from other Woo movies in it as well.

Yeah, ONCE A THIEF was John Woo taking penance and just doing a big, fun, light caper comedy with (at the time) the three biggest, most beautiful stars in HK.

Actually, I heard a while ago that Cherie Chung was supposed to be making a comeback, but nothing seems to have come of it.

I would love to have seen her and Chow Yun-Fat in one last movie together.

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Zomgfruitbunnies

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#28  Edited By Zomgfruitbunnies

@cashbailey said:

@horseman6 said:

The legend of drunken master is a great place to start. There are very few good Chinese martial arts films today, they've gotten really bad.

I don't think they've gotten bad, I just think that there's really nothing new being done in Hong Kong or China. The Golden Age stars are now too old and the newer stars don't have the charisma.

It's more like they're being designed increasingly for mass appeal because of the huge mainland market, which might be resulting in more "watered-down" content. Furthermore, the PRC has some pretty strict regulations regarding what can be and how certain things should be portrayed in movies. Not every production has a budge like Infernal Affairs that allows them to make two cuts, one for the PRC and one for HK and other regions, and even then the changes aren't huge. A lot of period pieces that involve topics like the Japanese occupation during WWII effectively become propaganda films in some weird ways (Ip Man says hi).

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fetchfox

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@doctordonkey: There's already been mentioned so much good stuff in topic, I don't really know what I might add. Just be sure to check out John Woos, Jackie Chans and The Shaw Brothers (production studio) movies. For actors, go for Donnie Yen, Andy Lau, Simon Yam and Tony Chiu Wai Leung. They cover everything from Hong Kong shooting action to smart crime like Infernal Affairs and Election. In another post you said you like the run-in-and-gun movies, so John Woo is right up your alley (with Hardboiled, A Better Tomorrow 1&2, The Killer and more).

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CashBailey

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The modern master of HK thrillers is Johnnie To.

He has directed (and ghost-directed) dozens of movies in every genre, but he really made his international reputation for his slick, stylish crime thrillers. He's known more for his characters and the cool precision of his directing than for the kind of pyrotechnics and OTT melodrama that John Woo is so good at.

Pick any he has made in the last decade and you can't go far wrong. A personal faourite is THE MISSION.

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stonyman65

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Oh, I forgot Rumble in the Bronx. Don't know what the original HK name is.

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CashBailey

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Oh, I forgot Rumble in the Bronx. Don't know what the original HK name is.

RUMBLE IN THE BRONX. :-D

Not a great movie but Anita Mui is a delight, as usual.

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ninnanuam

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OK I might be wrong but I think HK cinema went to shit when they started to use BAD CG (and I could make an argument that there hasn't been an amazing HK action film since reunification) and Asian cinema went to shit in general when they started casting models/bad actors in their fucking action movies so I'm not necessarily down with the newest stuff. I'll limit myself to 10 films not necessarily HK but good Asian action; In no particular order.

Drunken Master 2.

Hard Boiled

Once upon a time in china 2

Ong Bak (replace with Ong Bak 2 if you want more production values)

The Raid 2 (the raid 1 is also good but holy shit is the raid 2 balls awesome)

Fist of legend

Kung Fu cult master (that movie is batshit)

God of Gamblers

Wheels on Meals

Fong Sai Yuk

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michaelsuen

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I'd definitely recommend the "Fight Back to School" series starring Stephen Chow.