The story is simple(Shaolin vs. Manchu traitors), but the effect was anything but, as the screen’s most charismatic action team with a legendary and revered choreographers for scenes of unparalleled power.
David Chiang, Ti Lung, Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan-chun, Meng Fei
One of Shaw's darlings of the screen, Lily Ho (Casino, The Water Margin) gives a heart-warming performance as Chef-chi, in this Cinderella comedy and romance. At a party, Chef falls in love with the son (Lin Feng) of a rich man that her father (Cheng Chun-mien, Hong Kong's answer to Elvis Presley) works as a chauffeur for. Being from such a poor family, Chef can't reveal who she is or what her father does for a living. Her father is furious that she has fallen for the boss' boy; does she have no class conscience? Mayhem, drama and a run of hilarious circumstances ensue. This asks us, can love truly cross class boundaries?
A special place deserves a special epic, which is what this battle between a brave brand of Chinese boxers and literally thousands of Ching troops is – complete with betrayals, intrigues, and such novel fighting machines as 108 wooden robots.
This musical production showcases personable singer/actor George Lam, who tries to find love and success in the world of TV commercials along with his buddies Hamburger and Snoopy.
Hailed as “one of the most hilarious comedies among the Mandarin productions in recent years”, this smart action comedy has Tien Ni as a gorgeous pickpocket who attracts troubles as easily as men, and newcomer Liu Lu-hua in his screen debut. Filled with tongue-in-cheek humor in a zany plot where cops and robbers work together to make a better Hong Kong, you can ensure non-stop fun in this sexy and entertaining film.
In The Sword And The Lute, Kwei Wu (Jimmy Wang Yu) and his partner (Chin Ping) are on a mission to destroy the "Phoenix Lute", a deadly weapon that shoots poisonous needles up to 500 paces and which can only be destroyed by the Kan curved sword...
Pan Lei, winner the China Literary Award for three consecutive years, wrote and directed this film about the lives and loves of a fishing village. It starred the glorious Cheng Pei-pei in her first film as a woman (she had debuted in a man’s role), and her much-lauded performance won her the prestigious Golden Accolade Award from the International Association Of Independent Producers a first for any Asian woman.
This is one of writer/director Shen Chiang's last films, but it's an incredible action-packed adventure of a female Lone Ranger, decades before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon made feminist-empowerment kung-fu films an international phenomenon. The wonderful Shih Szu is the title character, with Shaw Brothers' first international star, Lo Lieh, joining her as an adoring associate. Together they track down the dirty deeds and duplicity of a raping and robbing masked bandit, before, literally, riding off toward their next adventure!
An amusing insider's look at the Hong Kong film industry; this is auteur Li Han-hsiang's version of Truffaut's Day for Night and Fellini's 8. It is a homage paid to Li, with a 30-year landmark in this business. Based on the director's highly popular newspaper column, this is a potboiler of some of his funniest and most surreal film gossips of the era. Filled with fictional plots and hardcore facts, this is definitely a must-see for any Hong Kong cinema aficionado!
The "godfather of the kung-fu film," Chang Cheh created this sweeping, all-action adventure of undercover, traveling patriots battling corrupt Mongol chieftains and their bloodthirsty henchmen. Choreographers Hsieh Hsing and Chen Hsin-yi guides a spectacular all-star kung-fu cast, led by international favorites Alexander Fu Sheng, David Chiang, Chi Kuan-chi and even Li Yi-min. With all of them fighting, plus more, there's hardly a moment to spare as stolen gold, hostage villagers, raging soldiers, corrupt courts, and an ammo dump complicate matters until both exceptional martial arts and explosions fill the screen.
Director Chow Sze-loke brings to you one of the most famous stories from the renowned Chinese novel, The Water Margin. The Amorous Lotus Pan tells the story of a poor but beautiful girl, Lotus Pan (the radiant Diana Chang Chung-wen). Cruelly labelled "a delight to all men", Pan is raped by her young master. Stained with a past such that she is unable to be wedded to a rich man, she is then married to a midget who treats her like an animal. Lost and alone, Pan falls for his brother, playboy Wu Song (Paul Chang Chung)... but beautiful women do not have things easy. Pan is also lusted after by the murderous Men Ching (Pai Yun) and unwittingly becomes a pawn in the game of lust, egoistic desires and cruelty as she becomes the unwilling conspirator and ultimately, the victim in a vicious game of macho bravado and murder!
Chang Chung-wen, Pai Yun, Paul Chang-chung, Hung Wei, Li Kun, Chin Jen-shu
Bloody thrills and superlative fight scenes buoy this exciting tale of revenge, which was choreographed and features cameos from the director's three most popular 'Venoms': Kuo Chue, Chiang Sheng, and Lu Feng.
Love and lust, passion and desire, and, man and woman make up Hong Kong Hong Kong. A critically acclaimed drama, Hong Kong Hong Kong sizzles with erotic tension in relating the destruction of three lives involved in a love triangle; a macho Thai-Chinese rogue (Alex Man), a prosperous, middle-aged carpenter (Kwan Hoi-shan), and the sultry, beautiful illegal immigrant whom they both love (Cherie Chung).
Director Chu Yuan has been hailed as the premiere screen interpreter of famed author Ku Lung's martial arts novels, and this is one of their best. This is an exciting tale of two rival swordsmen in imperial China vying with a power-hungry villain for possession of the dangerous "Peacock Dart"It showcases brilliantly choreographed fights, glorious settings, superb cinematography, exceptional scenes, and a strong cast. It all leads to a final showdown that stands out as a highpoint in kung-fu cinema.
