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Rich and Famous

Jul 222012
 

Rich and Famous (1987) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese –  行江湖情
Title in Pinyin – Jiang Hu Qing

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – Forced by gambling debts, a man drags his sister and step brother with him into employment by a triad boss.

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Hong Kong – 28 May 1987
Japan – 1 April 1994

Movie running time – 104 minutes

Director – Taylor Wong

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Li Ah-chai, triad boss
Andy Lau – Lam Ting-Kwok, step brother
Alex Man – Tang Kar-yun, brother
Carina Lau – Lau Po Yee
Alan Tam – Mak Ying Huang, cousin
Pauline Chan – Wai Chui, sister

Story
A family fleeing to Hong Kong from China adopt a young boy who is also a refuge after his father dies. Years later the family of four is struggling to make a living in Hong Kong. Yun is a compulsive gambler while Kwok is level headed and tries to keep his older step brother under control.

Kwok is forced to help Yun steal money from a triad gang to pay off his gambling debts. The robbery goes bad and Kwok, Yun and their sister Chui are forced to join a rival triad gang run by Ah-chai for protection. They are then drawn into a violent and bloody triad war.

Editor’s Review of Rich and Famous – Score 7/10
Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau perform well and have excellent on screen chemistry together that make Rich and Famous an enjoyable movie to watch.  Other supporting actors such as Alan Tam also perform very well. The fighting scenes are way over the top and typical of Chow Yun-fat

Rich and Famous Links

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IMDb Movie Database for Rich and Famous

Flaming Brothers

Jul 192012
 

Flaming Brothers (1987) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese –  江湖龙虎门
Title in Pinyin – Jiang Hu Long Hu Men

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – Two mafia brothers are double crossed and to war with a mafia boss

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong, China

Release date
Hong Kong – 30 July 1987

Movie running time – 99 minutes

Director – Joe Cheung

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Chang Ho-tien, brother
Alan Tang – Chen Wai-lun, brother
Pat Ha – Ka-His, mafia boss
Philip Chan – Chen

Story
Two young street kids Chang and Chen grow up as brothers in Macau and eventually become senior members in the triad. Their success put them at odds with mafia bos Ka. Chang leaves the triad to begin an honest life with the love of his life while his brother does a big job for Ka.

Ka double crosses Chen and threatens to destroy Chen and his family. In fear for Chang’s life, Chen distances himself and prepares to kill Ka to protectChang even at the cost of his life. Chang hears of Chen’s plan and races to his side to help him.

Editor’s Review of Flaming Brothers – Score 5/10
Chow Yun-fat is a legend so it hurts to say this but Flaming Brothers a little boring and one of his worst movies. The acting is flat with Chow Yun-fat given very little chance to shine, the story is horribly basic, typical and flat and the scenes so fake and cheesy they make you want to cry.

The only redeeming feature of Flaming Brothers was seeing Chow Yun-fat dressed in drag and wearing purple mascara.

Flaming Brothers Links

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IMDb Movie Database for Chongqing Blues

The Killer

May 202012
 

Red Cliff (2008) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese –喋血双雄
Title in Pinyin – Die Xue Shuang Xiong

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – An honourable assassin is double crossed by the triad after his last job

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong

Release date
Hong Kong – 6th July 1989
UK – 10th August 1989
USA – September 1990
Australia – 22nd October 1993

Movie runtime – 110 minutes

Director – John Woo

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Ah Jong, Assassin for the Hong Kong Triad
Chu Kong – Fung Sei, Ah Jong’s manager and close friend
Sally Yeh – Jennie, night club singer and Ah Jong’s girlfriend
Danny Lee – Detective Li Ying
Kenneth Tsang – Detective Li Ying’s partner

Story
During his last job for the Triad, assissin Ah Jong accidentally partially blinds a night club singer Jennie. Ah Jong is worried about Jennie and looks after her, gradually falling in love with her. He learns that Jennie will go blind with out a cornea transplant so he accepts one last job from the Triad to make money to pay for Jennie’s medical expenses.

Unknown to Ah Jong, the Triad want him dead because his identity was exposed to Jennie which is not allowed the triad. He is ambushed after his last job and his manager Fung Sei tries to kill him. Ah Jing only lets Feng Sei live because of the friendship and code of honour they both share. While Ah Jing is dealing with the triad, detective Li Ying is rapidly closing in on Ah Jing and has several encounters with him. Li Yang has a growing respect and admiration for Ah Jong that turns into a mutual friendship after they survive a triad ambush by helping each other.

Eventually Ah Jing, Jennie, Li Ying and Fung Su are drawn into a dramatic and deadly battle with the triad.

Editor’s Review of The Killer – Score 7/10
In the same style as Chow Yun-fat’s earlier movies with John Woo (A Better Tomorrow I & II), The Killer is an over the top guns blazing shoot up where the main characters live and die by an inflexible code of honour, friendship and loyalty. Chow Yun-fat is true to form as the well dressed trench coat wearing killer with a heart of gold who gun’s down his enemies with his trade mark twin pistols.

The action in The Killer is extreme with large body counts and vivid and brutal scenes of carnage that were so popular in earlier movies. The style of action in The Killer was influential on well known action movie directors such as the legendary Tarantino and Johnnie To. One of the trademarks of John Woo’s action scenes that he used in The Killers is why use one shot to kill a bad guy when you can use five or six. In most of the action scenes where Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee were mowing down bad guys, they riddled their targets full of holes with maximum over kill.

For lovers of over the top action movies or fans of Chow Yun-fat and John Woo, The Killer is an excellent movie to watch. Just be prepared for excessive violence and a bloody ending.

The Killers Links

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IMDb Movie Database for The Killers

A Better Tomorrow III : Love & Death in Saigon

May 162012
 

A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death In Saigon (1989) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 英雄本色 3 – 夕阳之歌
Title in Pinyin – Ying Xiong Ben Se 3 – Xi Yang Zhi Ge

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – A Hong Kong man goes to Saigon to rescue his family and a love triangle develops

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong

Release date
Hong Kong – 20th October 1989
Italy – November 1989
France 26th July 1999

Movie runtime – 105 minutes

Director – Tsui Hark

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Mark, Hong Kong mechanic
Anita Mui – Kit
Tony Leung Ka-fai – Cheng Chi-mun, Mark’s cousin
Shih Kien – Uncle Ten, Mark’s uncle
Saburo Tokito – Ho Cheung-ching/ Tanaka, Kit’s ex lover and boss

Story
Saigon is in chaos with the North Vietnamese army not far from the city so Mark goes to Saigon to take his uncle and cousin back to Hong Kong with him. While helping his cousin to illegally raise money to take back to Hong Kong, Mark and Mun meet a beautiful and deadly gun wielding business woman Kit. The three of them spend time together in Saigon as Kit helps the cousins and a love triangle develops. Kit and Mark fall in love with each other and Mun also falls for Kit. Kit helps the three of them leave Saigon and promises to meet them in Hong Kong.

Months later just after Mark, Mun and Uncle Tem have opened a garage, Kit appears late one night and embraces Mark. Mark rejects her to give Mun a chance to be with the woman he loves. The situation is complicated by the return of Kit’s ex boss Ho who kills Uncle Tem and threatens to kill Mark and Mun if they do not leave Hong Kong.  Kit spends one night with Mark who finally reciprocates her love then secretly returns to Saigon with Ho to protect the cousins. 

Feeling betrayed by Kit, Mark and Mun return to Saigon planning to kill Ho and revenge the murder of Uncle Tem. Once back in Saigon, the situation spirals out of control with tragic consequences.

Editor’s Review A Better Tomorrow III : Love & Death in Saigon – Score 7/10
A Better Tomorrow III is a prequel to the 1986 smash hit A Better Tomorrow but there is no direct link between the two films. Number III is also a different style of movie with less emphasis in wholesale slaughter and more on romance. The only characters from I and II that are in III is Mark played by Chow Yun-fat which is fortunate because Leslie Cheung who was blemish in I and II was not around to ruin III.

With out John Woo behind the wheel directing this movie, the action scenes are toned down and the bloodbaths you are used to seeing are missing. Chow Yun-fat is brilliant as normal and Ania Mui is stunning and great as the mysterious warrior business woman with a heart of gold and A  Better Tomorrow III is not in the same league as number I and II but still an excellent movie to watch with a several classic scenes.

The chaos of Saigon’s imminent fall and the encroaching lawlessness is well portrayed and the scene with the US army helicopter leaving Saigon airport as the north Vietnamese close in is poignant and a classic. The story behind Chow Yun-fat’s trademark trench coat and tinted sunglasses that became a fashion icon in Hong Kong are introduced. The Alain Delon suglasses where given to Mark by Kit in Saigon and Kit also gave the trench coat to Mark in Hong Kong on their first and last night together.

A Better Tomorrow III ; Love & Death in Saigon Links

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IMDb Movie Database for A Better Tomorrow III : Love & Death in Saigon

A Better Tomorrow II

May 152012
 

A Better Tomorrow II (1987) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 英雄本色 2
Title in Pinyin – Ying Xiong Ben Se 2

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – A group of friends team up to avenge the death of their friend’s daughter and fight for justice

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong

Release date
Hong Kong – 17th December 1987
Japan – 1st July 1989
France – 28th July 1993

Movie runtime – 105 minutes

Director – John Woo

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Ken, Mark’s twin brother
Ti Lung – Sung Tse Ho, ex triad member and friend of Mark
Ng Man-tat – Boss Wong
Leslie Chueng – Sung Tse Kit, police officer and brother of Ho
Emily Chu – Jackie, Kit’s wife
Dean Shek – Lung Si, retired triad member and businessman
Kenneth Tsang – Ken, taxi company manager

Story
Several years after the end of the original “A Better Tomorrow”, Ho is aspected to leave and spy on his ex boss Lung who is suspected of leading a counterfeiting ring. He refuses because to spy on his Lung would be dishonourable.  He later accepts when he learns that is brother Kit is working under cover on the same case. Kit’s wife Jacky was pregnant and due to give birth any day. Lung is set up by his own people and framed for murder.

Ho helps him escape to New York where he is put under the protection of Ken. Lung is involved in a shoot out and goes temporarily insane after watching the murder of his close friend and hearing of his daughter’s death in Hong Kong. Lung recovers and returns to Hong Kong with Ken to seek revenge. Once back in Hong Kong, Lung and Ken team up with Ho, Kit and Ken in a quest for justice and the down fall of the bad guys.

Editor’s Review A Better Tomorrow 2 – Score 8/10
After the 1986 classic A Better Tomorrow defined the future of action movies, smashed box office records and established John Woo as a world class action director, a sequel was inevitable. A Better Tomorrow 2 shamelessly ignores minor details such as Chow Yun-fat’s character dying at the end of the first movie and reintroduces him in A Better Tomorrow 2 as Mark’s twin brother 2. Normally this kind of move would kill a movie but John Woo does this so blatantly and Chow Yun-fat being effortlessly charismatic on screen that you don’t even care.

A Better Tomorrow 2 is excessive and over the top in so many ways that you can’t help enjoying it and wanting more. The final action scene where the main characters arm up with pistols, shotguns, grenades and bombs and storm a mansion full of bad guys is incredible.  John Woo went berserk in this scene and the main characters were full of bullet holes but still killed dozens of bad guys. At one stage during this carnage Ti Lung even used a samurai sword to kill a room full of bad guys.

In one scene John Woo makes fun of the original movie when Mark is working in a restaurant, he scolds his workers for wearing trench coats and dark glasses that were made so popular in the original movie. Another classic scene is when Chow Yun-fat forces a mafia bad guy who came to shake up his restaurant to eat fried rice. Over all, A Better Tomorrow 2 is an explosive action movie with a number of easily forgivable flaws that is great to watch.

A Better Tomorrow 2 Links

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IMDb Movie Database for A Better Tomorrow 2

A Better Tomorrow

May 142012
 

A Better Tomorrow (1986) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 英雄本色
Title in Pinyin – Ying Xiong Ben Se

Genre – Action

Subject/theme – Two honourable senior triad members struggle for survival after they are betrayed by their own people

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong

Release date
Hong Kong – 2nd August 1986
Germany – February 1987
France – 21 July 1993

Movie runtime – 95 minutes

Director – John Woo

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Mark, senior triad member
Ti Lung – Sung Tse-Ho, senior triad member and Mark’s friend
Leslie Cheung – Sung Tse-kit, a police officer and Ho’s younger brother
Emily Chu – Kit’s girlfriend
Waise Lee – Shing, new triad member
Sing Fui-On – Shing’s right hand man

Story
Mark and Ho are close friends and senior members of a triad gang that specializes in the production and distribution of fake money. Their boss arranges for Ho to go to Taiwan on a job with a new triad member Shing while Mark stay’s in Hong Kong. The job is a set up and Ho allows himself to be captured so Shing has time to escape. Mark learns of the set up and kills the Taiwanese triad boss and his body guards but is crippled in the process.

Three years later Ho is released from prison and returns to Hong Kong where he finds Mark working as a janitor for Shing who is now a triad boss and Ho’s brother, a police officer, has disowned him. Ho tries to turn his back on crime and lead an honest life but Shing keeps pressuring him to return to the triad and work for him.

Unsuccessful with persuasion, Shing resorts to brutally beating up Mark and trashing Ho’s place of work to force Ho to work for him. Police become involved and the situation rapidly escalates out of control, leading to an explosive and devastating end to the movie.

Editor’s Review A Better Tomorrow – Score 8/10
A Better Tomorrow is a cinema classic in Hong Kong that spawned cult following and a new genre of action movies. It was A Better Tomorrow that introduced the two pistol toting bad guy as the hero of action movies and the slow motion action scenes with the heroe’s guns blazing. Chow Yun-fat wears his trademark ankle length jacket in this movie that became his trade mark and caused a fashion trend in Hong Kong.

One of the key concepts that defined A Better Tomorrow was loyalty and honour among friends and brothers and this concept dominates the entire movie. The only disappointment in A Better Tomorrow is Leslie Cheung who was a pop star at the time but lacked the on screen charisma that Chow Yun-fat and Ti Lung had in abundance. Over all A Better Tomorrow is a must see movie for anyone interested in Chinese/Hong Kong cinema.

A Better Tomorrow Links

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IMDb Movie Database for A Better Tomorrow

God of Gamblers Returns

May 062012
 

God of Gamblers Returns (1994) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese – 赌神2
Title in Pinyin – Du Shen 2
Also known as – God of Gamblers 2

Genre – Action & comedy

Subject/theme – The god of gambling is out for revenge after his pregnant wife is murdered

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong Kong

Release date
Hong Kong – 24th December 1994

Movie runtime – 126 minutes

Director – Wong Jing

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Ko Chun, god of gamblers
Charles Heung – Dragon/Lung Wu, god of guns
Chau Siu-chee – Wu Hsing-kuo, god of gamblers evil rival
Tony Leung Ka-fai – Little Trumpet, small time hustler
Wu Chien-Lien – Yiu Yiu, Little Trumpet’s sister and fan of god of gamblers
Elvis Tsui – Mainland Chinese police captain
Sau Leung – Hoi On, Taiwanese crime boss
Chingmy Yau – Hoi Tong, Hoi On’s daughter and kung fu expert
Xie Miao – Hoi On’s young son and kung fu expert

Story
Five years after the end of “God of Gamblers” Ko Chun has retired from gambling and living in a secluded mansion in rural France with his pregnant wife. Wu Hsing-Kuo from Taiwan wants to win the title of the God of Gamblers and after repeated refusals from Ko who will not leave retirement, he goes to France and kills Ko’s wife. Ko promised his wife as she lay dying that he would not seek revenge or reveal his identity for a year.

During that one year Ko bides his time and travels trying to control his grief and anger. Just before the year ends he meets a Taiwanese crime boss Hoi On and his family and joins them on a return to Taiwan. Hoi On is murdered by his followers and Ko escapes with Hoi On’s son and sets off on a quest to reach Taiwan for revenge. During the journey Ko meets a small time hustler Little Trumpet and his sister Yiu Yiu as well as a Chinese mainland police officer who they kidnap.

Upon reaching Taiwan, Ko teams up with Hoi Tong and together they attempt the down fall of Wu amongst gunfights, betrayal and a number of plot twists.

Editor’s Review of God of Gamblers Returns – Score 7/10
God of Gamblers Returns is the long awaited sequel to the 1989 smash hit God of Gamblers. Compared to the first film, God of Gamblers Returns offers nothing new or novel and is cheesy with a polished and commercial feel. The jokes are worse, the obligatory gun battles less realistic and the characters wackier than the first movie but Chow Yun-fat is still brilliant and makes God of Gamblers Returns a must see Hong Kong gambling movie. A strong support with actors such as Kung Fu kid Xiao Miao and Tony Leung also make God of Gamblers Returns a very good movie to watch.

God of Gamblers Returns Links

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IMDb Movie Database for God of Gamblers Returns

God of Gamblers

Apr 302012
 

God of Gamblers (1989) Chinese Movie Information

Title in Chinese –赌神
Title in Pinyin – Du Shen

Genre – Action and comedy

Subject/theme – A legendary gambler is betrayed by his right hand man after he loses his memory and is befriended by a group of hustlers

Language – Cantonese

Region – Hong

Release date
14th December 1989 – Hong Kong

Movie runtime – 126  minutes

Director – Wong Jing

Cast & Role Played
Chow Yun-fat – Ko Chun, the god of gamblers
Andy Lau – knife, small time gambler and two bit hustler
Charles Heung – Dragon, Ko Chun’s bodyguard
Joey Wong – Jane, Knife’s girlfriend
Jimmy Lung Fong – Ko Ye, Ko Chun’s right hand man
Sharla Cheung – Janet, Ko Chun’s girlfriend
Ng Man-tat – Loanshark Shing

Story
Ko Chun is a famous gambler with an extraordinary almost god like skill in games of chance such as poker and mahjong. He defeats a leading Japanese gambler who then invites him to play for him against his enemy, the wanted criminal Chan Kamn-Sing. Before the match is scheduled on a ship in international waters, Ko Chun is injured by Knife who set a trap for his Indian neighbour.

Ko Chun’s injury cause him to lose his memory and revert to childhood. Knife, his girlfriend and his sidekick look after Ko Chun and use him to win money at gambling after realizing he is a gifted gambler. Ko Ye accidentally kills Jane after she refused his advances and sets out to kill Ko Chun and seize his fortune. Ko Ye discover Ko Chun’s hiding spot and attempts to kill him.

Ko Chu is injured again and recovers his memory and finds out that Jane is dead. The story then quickly builds up to a dynamic and startling conclusion.

Editor’s Review of God of Gamblers – Score 8/8
Hong Kong is obsessed with gambling and at the time it was produced in 1989, God of Gamblers was a hit movie with enormous audience appeal and an immediate classic. God of Gamblers did not rely on special effects, breathtaking scenery, beautiful women or stunning martial arts. It instead used class, style, flair, great acting and sophistication. Chow Yun-fat is brilliant and charismatic as Ko Chun, Andy Lau is excellent as the bumbling and somewhat cool Knife and the other actors in general were very good and instrumental in making God of Gamblers a hit.

For anyone interested in a classic Hong Kong movie that personified a generation, Good of Gamblers is a must see very enjoyable movie to watch.

God of Gamblers Links

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IMDb Movie Database for God of Gamblers