As mentioned in my last post, I contributed content to a friend’s website in the early aughts. Ken specifically asked for a newcomer’s guide to Hong Kong cinema and split what I gave him into two parts. If you missed Part I, here it is. At some future date, I may revisit this topic. There are so many great HK movies I didn’t mention here.

A Newcomers Guide to HK Cinema, Part II

Posted on Saturday, October 12, 2002 by AriVael

More of Keeba’s top HK flicks:

The Bride With White Hair (1993) – If you liked Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you should like this one: a romance about two opposing warriors (Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung) who fall in love. Beautifully photographed by Peter Pau, the cinematographer on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I didn’t put it in the list above because there is a superior region 1 Tai Seng special edition (with director’s commentary) so you can buy it over here. The sequel is lame, don’t waste your time on it. [As of August 2024, this is streaming on Tubi and Cineverse.]

The Killer (1989) – No HK film list would be complete without some gun fu and The Killer is still my favorite, though Hard-Boiled is not bad either. Both are fairly bloody, if that is a problem for you. Both are available in region 1 from Fox Lorber/Winstar, one of the worst DVD distributors out there, but I think these are among their best releases and they include John Woo commentaries. [As of August 2024, this is not streaming anywhere. There is however a remake that just dropped on Peacock with the eponymous killer gender-swapped. I haven’t watched it yet but Nathalie Emmanuel plays the killer (previously Chow Yun-fat). It’s in English and like the original, directed by John Woo. Here is the Vulture review which draws the necessary comparisons to the 1989 version.]

Once Upon A Time In China (1991) – This is a great flick but I don’t recommend it for newbies. It’s a little hard to get into and there are multiple layers of plot. But once you are hooked, give it a try. It features some of Jet Li’s best kung fu sequences. I love the bit with the umbrella, and the ladder fight is amazing. Followed by 5(?) sequels, I’ve only seen the first two, which are both good. [As of August 2024, this is streaming on Max and the Criterion Channel.]

The God of Cookery (1996) – Stephen Chow is the God of Cookery, until he is publicly humiliated by his rivals. He winds up down and out on Temple Street where he meets the tough as nails Sister Turkey (Karen Mok) who helps him get back on top via her “Pissing Beef Balls”. This one features a lot of cruelty based humor, but parts of it are laugh out loud funny. An important film in the Chow canon. [As of August 2024, this is not streaming in the US.]

From Beijing With Love (1994) – Stephen Chow’s James Bond spoof is twice as funny as Austen Powers and tries half as hard. [As of August 2024, this is not streaming free but you can rent it for $4 on various platforms.]

King of Comedy (1999) – A more sedate Stephen Chow comedy, in which he plays a would-be actor working as an extra on Karen Mok’s latest movie. The film sequences are a dead-on parody of every John Woo action flick. There’s the usual gross bodily fluid humor that you get in all Stephen Chow comedies (though not quite as gross as the one I saw last night in The Magnificent Scoundrels, yuck!) [As of August 2024, this is not streaming in the US.]

A Chinese Odyssey 1&2 (1995) – My favorite of the Stephen Chow films I’ve seen, but not everybody’s cup of tea I guess. Chow plays both the Monkey King and a dumb-ass bandit named Joker. He falls in love with a demon woman (Karen Mok again), travels in time and gets his crotch stomped on repeatedly. The first hour is like a “3 Stooges” movie, but towards the end of Part 1, things get really interesting and Part 2 is fabulous. They are sold separately but don’t let that fool you. It is really one long film that was cut into two parts. Aka A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora’s Box and A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella. [As of August 2024, both parts are streaming on Netflix, Tubi, ShoutTV, and Plex.]

Tai Chi Master (1993) – Jet Li invents Tai Chi. There’s a very weird sequence in the middle where Jet loses his mind, but the kung fu in this one is pretty damn impressive, choreographed by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping, who did the fight sequences in The Matrix. Also available in a Disney dub version. [As of August 2024, this is not streaming in the US.]

Wing Chun (1994) – Another Yuen Woo-Ping directed film starring Michelle Yeoh, with impressive kung fu. Wing Chun beats up the bad guys and makes them call her mommy. Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey) plays the love interest but he doesn’t do much kung fu. [As of August 2024, this is streaming on Prime, Tubi, and Plex.]

My Father Is A Hero (1995) – My favorite of the modern era Jet Li’s, he plays a mainland cop who goes deep undercover while his family believes he has gone bad. The great Anita Mui is a Hong Kong cop on his trail. His son is played by the amazing kung fu kid prodigy from New Legend of Shaolin (where he also played Jet’s kid). Check out the yo-yo maneuver near the end. [As of August 2024, this is not streaming in the US.]

Saviour of the Soul (1991) – A weird action fantasy with Anita Mui and Andy Lau. awesome wire fu, strange moments of comic relief, groan-inducing romantic entanglements and Carina Lau as the Pet Lady (still not sure what that was all about). [As of August 2024, this is not streaming in the US.]

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