Liam Routt's Top Ten Hong Kong Movies
Interestingly (to me, at least), my top ten favorite Hong Kong films could
bee seen to fall into four easily identified sections, having to do with the stars they
feature: Chow Yun-Fat (or John Woo as director), Lau Ching-Wan, Jet Lee, and Jackie Chan.
And while that it one way of looking at them, there are some other groupings that are
important.
POLICE STORY
A BETTER TOMORROW 2
These two films were my introduction, along with Zu, Warriors of Magic
Mountain, to Hong Kong cinema. We screened them at the University of Chicago as part
of a surprisingly early focus on the cinema of Hong Kong. As an advisor to the film group,
David Kay realized that something interesting was going on over in Hong Kong, and drew
together a superb overview. No one else was talking about Hong Kong at the time, as far as
I was aware, so it seemed more like another in the series of foreign retrospectives
(Japan, China, France, etc.) to me initially. But these films were different. They were
powerful and dazzling in a way that really made an impact on me. Scenes from all of the
films we saw (there was a hopping vampire film as well, but I can never recall which one)
stay with me to this day as formative images. I saw all of them from the projection booth,
which adds an additional kind of magic for me - all the films I projected are more
important in my mind as a result.
Why do I list these two films, and not the others? Well, the climactic
shootout in A Better Tomorrow 2 was probably the single thing that really set me
going in the whole set of films. It was unlike other stuff I had seen. It was bold, it was
brutal, it was heroic. It was the stuff of legends. And Police Story still stands
as one of the strongest of that sub-genre of action police films for me, with all the
stunts and the idle romance. It was my debut with the flashy stunts and charm of Jackie
Chan, and what I first think of every time I hear his name. While Zu and the
hopping vampires pics made a big impression, I don't feel as strongly about them. The
somewhat light-hearted hopping vampires film was fun and memorable, but not distinct
enough (I still don't recall which it was), and Zu actually disappointed me with
its "almost there" special effects; perhaps it was the print, which I recall as
blurry, with each frame too crowded with color and motion, but lacking clarity. Perhaps it
was the curse of having to pay too much attention to the projectors.
DR. WAI IN 'THE SCRIPTURE WITH NO WORDS'
I don't know whether this is right chronologically, but Dr. Wai was
an important turning point for me. It was instrumental in reawakening a personal interest
in Hong Kong cinema after my return to Melbourne.
We saw it moderately badly projected, with bad focus and a less than
perfect print. But it managed to transcend all of that, with its story within a story
device, and the various set pieces that were created. The sequences were sufficiently
different in tone that it was like watching a whole bunch of different movies in one one
compressed time. And the action was excellent.
It was also perhaps my first conscious introduction to Jet Li, whom I
instantly came to appreciate as a martial artist over my traditional favorite, Jackie
Chan. Li was cool beyond cool, using some of the quiet confidence that Chow Yun-Fat had
exhibited to me, rather than the boyish charm of Chan.
But overall, this film reawakened me to Hong Kong cinema; it told me that
they were still doing cool stuff, and it wasn't all to a formula (or if it was, sometimes
it was overtly conscious of the formula, and that was cool).
HARD BOILED
DRUNKEN MASTER 2
I suspect that I saw these two, in a double-bill, before Dr. Wai,
but I am not certain. Regardless of when I saw them, these two films acted as a spark to
remind me of the films I'd seen in college. The gun-toting action of Hard Boiled,
and especially the sequence in the hospital, was superb, and the stunt-antics of Chan were
astounding.
I came away feeling that Hard Boiled was masterful, and with a
renewed sense of John Woo as a director. As a point of crystallization, thus, the film was
very important for me.
And Drunken Master 2 taught me a lot about movement and action. I
didn't like its pacing at the time, as a story, but the action sequences were all about
the body, and what it could do, and serve as a wonderful exploration of movement.
Unforgettable, and oddly beautiful.
FULL ALERT
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
I didn't see these films all at the same time (one might be convinced I
only see Hong Kong Films during odd multiple-bills, from much of what I have written
above), but they come together for me.
Crime films are interesting. And both of these films are excellent crime
films, or police films. But they do not feature quite the same action and overt stunt
quotient as so many of the other Hong Kong films of the police genre that I had seen. Nor
were they as steeped in the legendary gunslinger ethos. These seemed to me films about
cops and crime.
Of the two, I'd have to say that Expect the Unexpected ranks
higher with me. Indeed it is probably the only film in this set I'd be willing to set
apart as my overall favorite. Its such a complete film, with an astonishingly good script,
cinematography, and excellent performances and pacing. Its a film I'd want to have made.
Full Alert I recall less clearly. But I recall the car chase
through the city clearly, and its frustrating end. As well as the images from the opening
few moments. And I distinctly recall my impressions as I left the theater, that we had
seen a really cool film. And that it was different, or represented something different to
me, for Hong Kong films.
So together these films characterize a change in Hong Kong films for me,
and thus are part of another important milestone in my Hong Kong film experience.
THE KILLER
FIST OF LEGEND
RUNNING OUT OF TIME
These last three I saw at very different times. But each of them was
instrumental in cementing a strong sense of a particular actor.
Heaven knows when I first saw The Killer, or where, but the
images from it are the ones I summon up most often when I think of Chow Yun-Fat. While I
recall him from other films, these are the pictures that define him for me, and this is
the film that perhaps summarizes the ur-character that he has often played for me. Its a
great film in its own right, and simply adds to my respect for Woo, but I remember it
(here) for Chow Yun-Fat.
Fist of Legend was a film I only saw recently. It was a wonderful
look back at an earlier Jet Li. Over and above the other Jet films I have seen, I find
this one to have the strongest impact on me for him as an actor. The fights here seem
strong and significant, and his development through them, and the film, perhaps more
convincing than many other films. The fight with the Samurai master is an important
martial arts clash for me, as it brings head to head my love of the legendary Japanese
warrior, and the unarmed martial artist of Hong Kong and Chinese stories.
It's fair to say that Running Out of Time is here largely because
it is really recent. It'd have to be my favorite of the last crop of Hong Kong films, not
the least because of Lau Ching-Wan, and actor who places right up on the top of my list of
great performers. But it is also an intriguing story, and quite attractive in its
presentation. And while it is important for my impressions of Lau Ching-Wan, it is perhaps
as important to me as a sign to what Johnnie To may be responsible for as a producer - his
name was on Expect the Unexpected as well...
I find it interesting what I have left out. While I liked both Storm
Riders and A Man Called Hero (and earlier, Zu Warriors of Magic Mountain),
none of these special effects masterpieces place in this list. And I don't have anything
which is here because of the performances by women, despite being impressed with a number
of women, both as action and dramatic stars.
But I am proud that this list of ten films says at least as much about me
as it does about the films. It is rewarding to be able to look back and discern a logical
imprint in my selections. "Best" is so irrelevant, after all, and only personal
subjective opinions really matter in the end...
28 Jan 2000 © Liam Routt
LIAM ROUTT is a computer
programmer and small-time publisher releasing RPG books under the imprint of Darcsyde
Productions . He fills his restless free time with music, films, computer and roleplaying
games. He awaits the Absolute Destiny Apocalypse.
Favorite ice-cream combo: chocolate and coffee.
