You Mean I Can Only Pick Ten?
by Richard Simental

Posed with the task of picking my Top Ten HK films, I thought it would be easy. I would just rattle the first ten off the top of my head. Thirty-five movies later, I reminded myself just HOW MUCH I love these films! I was then faced with the task of looking at some of the movies and deciding which were great, but not the valedictorians of HK cinema. To complicate matters, what in fact makes a Top Ten list useful to the reader? There are the movies which I would happily watch once a week for a month, or three times in one week, and there are the movies which I would most strongly recommend to a friend who is on the verge of getting hooked on HK films. There are also the films I would recommend to those who had their feet wet and wanted a good overview.

What I finally decided to do was to pick the most thoroughly enjoyable, world-class movies I could think of. Movies with enough polish that they would play well in any theater in Hong Kong or the US, but with enough Asian identity that you can tell it would never be made by a Hollywood dream factory. To confound Nova Express' current Editor-in-Chief, I have provided the rest of my short list after the top ten.

In no particular order, here are the ten most thoroughly enjoyable Hong Kong films I have ever seen (except the one which I will curse myself for the rest of the year for having forgotten):

1. The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk (aka Fong Sai Yuk)
   Starring Jet Li and Josephine Siao, this is the very high mark by which I gauge all other HK films by. It is, to the HK film novice, the most approachable of the genre of films I call "Long-Haired Martial Arts Schools Fighting Each Other in Ancient China". Keep an eye out for Mom in this one. This is the movie I dragged my first victims to, and the first movie that I decided I must have on laserdisc.
2. A Chinese Ghost Story II
   Starring Leslie Cheung and the exquisite Joey Wang, this is probably the first HK film I ever saw, and it tops my list for sappy romance, which I just wilt for. The one thing that makes it ANY better than the first or third films in the Ghost Story series is the presence of Jacky Cheung as a Taoist magician.
3. Police Story III-SuperCop
   American audiences got their chance to see this 1992 Jackie Chan and Michelle Khan film in July. This is the best and most modern of the Police Story films, though I would recommend seeing Police Story I first because watching a Great Film turns all the Really Good Films into lesser fare. Michelle Khan is showcased magnificently in this film, which is chock full of action.
4. God of Gamblers' Return
   The sequel to God of Gamblers does one of the things that ONLY Hong Kong film can do, elevate Gambling to the legendary status of martial art. Chow Yun-Fat exudes charisma as the Gambling God. Naturally, there is serious gunplay to be had, and it's provided by the impressive God of Gun as well as Chow Yun-Fat himself. And to rivet me to the screen, we've got the beautiful Wu Chien-Lien and the luscious Chingmy Yau providing more names to an already star-studded cast.
5. Hu Du Men (The Stage Door)
   You won't get to see this just yet, as it was only released this past July, but this is a great story of a Beijing Opera actress' "last hurrah." Josephine Siao turns in a stunning performance as the actress who chooses to retire from the work she loves and the crowds who adore her. Anita Yuen is the teenage actress-to-be who Siao grooms as the new torch-bearer. Entertaining and incredibly touching, I can't wait to see it again.
6. From Beijing With Love
   Stephen Chow, the Hong Kong slapstick king has teamed up with Anita Yuen for a spoof of James Bond films, and it's hilarious. Chow focuses on his comedy and his rapid-fire-mumble delivery instead of high-school humor and that's what makes it for me. Anita Yuen is the competent traitor who fails due to Chow's dumb luck.
7. A Chinese Odyssey I, Pandora's Box
   They say it's a Chinese version of the myths, and they're right! Stephen Chow is a surprise perfect-pick for the Monkey King in this gonzo romp through Chinese mythos and Journey to the West (I've never heard of JttW but that's what they all say it is). Do watch, and leave your brain in your left shoe.
8. Fist of Legend
   Although any Jet Li film is a sure bet (even Shaolin Temple in dubbed English!), this one is a masterpiece. Jet's character Chen is the adopted second-senior of a Chinese martial arts school, and is studying in Japan at the time of the Japanese occupation of China in the 20s. Chen returns to discover the plot of the Japanese to destroy his school and MUCH butt-kicking ensues. Both the Japanese and the Chinese are shown to have their strengths and failures - although I originally thought this to contain strong slaps against Japanese bigotry, the Chinese are shown to be just as prone to prejudge. I bought the laserdisc for this at great expense because it is so good. But you'd better watch it on the big screen, it's even better!
9. The Chinese Feast
   What God of Gamblers does for gambling, this movie does for gourmet cooking. Leslie Cheung is a triad loan shark, trying to go legit as, of all things, a cook. He goes to work for one of the premier restaurants in HK. Anita Yuen is the sparkly punk daughter of the owner, and is doing her darndest to cause him a coronary. Add in Cheung's fellow gang members (quite entertaining as puppy-dog like followers of their big brother), and a challenge by a gourmet cook who wants to take over the entire HK restaurant industry, and you have a cooking battle that simply cannot be described. Plan to eat dim sum soon after watching this film!
10. New Legend of Shaolin
    Jet Li's a master martial artist once again. When his character Hung's village is viciously attacked by government forces, he returns to find only his son alive. They become fugitives, much like the Lone Wolf and Cub scenario. They meet a pair of lady thieves, one of who poses as a dead woman and the other, Chingmy Yau, as the daughter who will sell herself into marriage to pay for the funeral. They all eventually become involved in the struggle to defeat those responsible for the destruction of Hung's village, one of whom has become a Toxic Man and seems to have a metal Batmobile-like conveyance. Watch for the youth who plays Hung's seven-year-old son. He is PURE attitude, and he is COOL.

And now, the rest of my films, in no particular order: Treasure Hunt (my fave romance after CGS, Chow Yun-Fat and Wu Chien-Lien), Wing Chun (with my Most Favored Actress Michelle Khan), Chungking Express, Bride With White Hair (Bridgette Lin gets to be WAY cool), High Risk (Jet Li and Jacky Cheung spoof a certain actor who does all his own stunts), Armor of God (Jackie Chan as the Eastern equivalent of 007 and the A-Team), Love on Delivery (Stephen Chow in a very fun and wacked-out love story), Heroic Trio (Anita Mui, Michelle Khan and Maggie Cheung as the three chicks you want on YOUR side), He's a Woman She's a Man (Leslie Cheung and Anita Yuen in a romantic comedy), City Hunter (Jackie Chan as the character from Japanese manga and anime), Hail to the Judge (Stephen Chow is a wacky official in ancient China), Full Throttle (Andy Lau as a pro bike racer involved in illegal street racing - excellent), Chinese Ghost Story I, Chinese Ghost Story III, Police Story I, Twin Dragons (double-dose of Jackie Chan will shut you' brain DOWN!), Green Snake, Dragons Forever (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung AND Yuen Biao), Once Upon a Time in China V (also recommend I-III though I never saw those), Ashes of Time (warning: arty film that requires thought), Iron Monkey, My Father is a Hero (Jet Li, Anita Mui, and the bad-ass kid from New Legend of Shaolin), He Ain't Heavy He's My Father (both Tony Leungs in a touching time travel story), Bodyguard from Beijing (Jet Li kicks modern ass), Rumble in the Bronx (the HK version has more scenes but both are great), Fong Sai Yuk II, Armor of God II-Operation Condor, and Legendary Couple (Simon Yam and Chingmy Yau are born to be bad). There you have it, probably more than you need to know to fill a whole year with excitement. Have fun tracking all these down.