The ensemble cast from Wong Kar Wai's 1994 cult classic ASHES OF TIME (東邪西毒)
My final entry to the Hong Kong Cinema series. (Read here for Part 1, and here for Part 2)
If the 80s were dominated with Chow Yun Fatt and Jackie Chan flicks, the early 90s were led by Stephen Chow's mo lei tau (nonsensical) comedy movies and Jet Li's portrayal of legendary, virtuous and humble heroes.
If the 80s were dominated with Chow Yun Fatt and Jackie Chan flicks, the early 90s were led by Stephen Chow's mo lei tau (nonsensical) comedy movies and Jet Li's portrayal of legendary, virtuous and humble heroes.
There was a slowdown of output mid 90s onwards, probably due to the 1997 handover of HK back to China. That said, during that period, there was an emergence of very memorable romantic drama movies which relied more on the acting skills of its actors rather than the physicality aspects ie. martial arts, comedy or action.
(Speaking of mo lei tau, I found the entry in Wikipedia the most accurate in explaining this genre of comedy. In essence, it's is a type of "anything goes" slapstick humour associated with Hong Kong popular culture and it's usually layered with an interplay of cultural nuances. It can usually be found in the juxtaposition of the spoken dialogue and actions. For example the plain and normal catchphrase "Chor dai yum daam cha, sik gor bau" (坐低飲啖茶，食個包), meaning "Let's sit down, take a sip of tea, and have a bao", is used in irrelevant and inappropriate situations, usually in serious situations.)
So here's my list of Hong Kong films from the 1990s which were memorable to me.
THE SWORDSMAN (笑傲江湖), 1990
They released a sequel in 1992 but the lead (and almost the entire cast) was replaced by the then go-to actor Jet Li. It was so-so only.
BULLET IN THE HEAD (喋血街頭), 1990
In this movie, Tony Leung Chiu Wai perfected his "The Face" acting. He's one of the few actors I know who can act with just his face especially his eyebrows. Heck, his entire career is built around it. I don't know how to describe this acting method but whenever he is confronted with an emotional situation, he pulls out "The Face".
SAVIOUR OF THE SOUL (九一神鵰俠侶), 1991
And it has a memorable (albeit cartoon-y) performance by Aaron Kwok's turn as the villain, Silver Fox.
Click here to view the trailer + Andy Lau's song.
And without further ado, here are my top Stephen Chow movies from the 90s!
TRICKY BRAINS (整蠱專家), 1991. One of the most memorable scene for me was the "Kong tau Wong (Baldy Wong)!" trickery.
LEGEND OF THE DRAGON (龍的傳人), 1991. Stephen Chow's mo lei tau comedy + snooker + special appearance of Jimmy White the legendary snooker player = what's not to like??? And yes...that epic memorable ending.
FIST OF FURY (新精武門1991), 1991. Amusing homage to Bruce Lee's classic. Stephen's character possess a special ability - an extremely strong right arm. Interestingly, this movie exist in the same universe as All For the Winner, as Dou Seng and his uncle make a cameo appearance. Yesteryear Kenny B makes a comeback here as the good-natured Smart, giving a memorable comedic performance.
Homage to Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury include the dojo fight scene where the Japanese man is hilariously forced to eat the sign. And of course Stephen dawning the iconic yellow jumpsuit.
FLIRTING SCHOLAR (唐伯虎點秋香), 1993 featured the legendary Chinese actress Gong Li as the love interest. This film is packed with quotable amusing scenes including the BBQ chicken wings song and who's the most employable slave scene.
LOVE ON DELIVERY (破壞之王), 1994. Another iconic film packed with amusing scenes including the training from the "master" sequences and parody of Terminator, Garfield and Ultraman.
It also featured the sultry Christy Chung.
FROM BEIJING WITH LOVE (國產凌凌漆), 1994 featured the fresh face Anita Yuen, who went on to be one of the biggest stars in the mid 90s.
This James Bond spy parody featured many amusing scenes and it's one of those movies which I would keep going back to pick me up when I have a bad day. Here are some: the dramatic firing squad scene, the tricky pistol, the wrong hotel scene.
And it also featured Stephen at the piano (with the iconic cigarette stuck on his lips) singing Jacky Cheung's Lui Heung Lan.
OUT OF THE DARK (回魂夜), 1995 earned a reputation as Stephen's darkest film yet with horror element, blood and dark humour. Stephen's character is a parody of Leon from The Professional. I remembered clearly it wasn't released in Malaysian cinemas. Some of the scenes were genuinely creepy as it was set in the old Hong Kong flats.
In GOD OF COOKERY (食神), 1996 Stephen plays the God of Cookery, the most renowned and feared chef in the world but he soon loses this title because of his pompous attitude. He goes on a journey to rediscover himself with the help of Karen Mok's character.
Stephen's signature styled comedy is still evident here but he skillfully balanced it out with a heartfelt and dramatic performance. In this movie and the following movies to come, he would go on to play characters with more layers rather than mere caricatures and paraodies.
Also, there's this really funny scene in the Shaolin Monastery where Stephen would go on using this comedy technique (different approach to overcome the same challenge but always end up with the same disastrous outcome) in his future movies eg. Shaolin Soccer.
THE LUCKY GUY (行運一條龍), 1998 is your typical CNY ensemble cast movie. Scenes featuring Stephen and his first love played by Sammi Cheng, and the romance between Eric Kot and Kristy Yeung's characters were the most memorable.
There are some really LOL moments especially scenes demonstrating Stephen's character as a chick magnet and how he came to be like that (the missed slap was brutal, man).
I felt KING OF COMEDY (喜劇之王), 1999 had the perfect balance of comedy, drama and romance featuring the fresh face Cecilia Cheung. There was even a cameo from Jackie Chan.
The movie describes the trials and tribulation of an aspiring actor in a small town. Some commentators say the story is based on Stephen's early career, as he started off as a temporary actor. His performance here is more restrained, allowing his co-stars to shine. There are many funny and moving scenes in this film which capped off beautifully Stephen's body of work in the 90s.
Thank you Stephen Chow! You made such a big impact in my formative years as a movie buff.
NEW DRAGON GATE INN (新龍門客棧), 1992
The early 90s marked the comeback of Taiwanese actress Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (it started with Swordsman II) and she went on to star in many other notable martial epics including this film, The Bride with White Hair and Ashes of Time.
This start studded movie (Tony Leung Ka Fai, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen as the villain) is one of those wuxia movie where everyone dies at the end.
92 LEGENDARY LA ROSE NOIRE (92黑玫瑰對黑玫瑰), 1992
This wacky flick (a remake of sorts of the Black Rose film series from the late sixties) works because of one actor, and that's Tony Leung Ka Fai. Up till then, I've always seen him as a serious actor in drama and action movies but his turn here as a comedic actor with a high pitched voice was a very pleasant surprise.
This film is extremely watchable, funny and a homage to the 60s (the characters even break into songs midway!)
FUTURE COPS (超級學校霸王), 1993
A way out there action-comedy film based on the Street Fighter game. This Wong Jing directed movie was a good escape film as it's nice to see an ensemble cast just being silly and having fun. 3/4 of the Four Heavenly Kings is in the movie (minus Leon Lai). Also, it featured one of the most catchy romantic songs from Jacky Cheung.
Incidently, Jackie Chan's City Hunter also featured characters from the Street Fighter series in a fantasy action scene. This movie was also directed by Wong Jing and was released 6 months earlier. If you've not seen Jackie Chan dressed up as Chun Li, click the link and erm...enjoy.
THE EAGLE SHOOTING HEROES (射鵰英雄傳之東成西就), 1993 and
ASHES OF TIME (東邪西毒), 1994
Tony Leung Chiu Wai in The Eagle Shooting Heroes
The same Tony Leung Chiu Wai in Ashes of Time
Both this movie The Eagle Shooting Heroes and Ashes of Time will go down as one of the most fascinating case studies in the history of Hong Kong Cinema.
According to some industry rumours, Wong Kar Wai's ambitious and classic Ashes of Time (based on the source material of Louis Cha's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes) went over-budget and was taking forever to complete.
In order to cover up the cost of his yet unfinished film, Wong decided to produce a "quick-and-dirty" parody film of the same novel (!) to be released during the lucrative Chinese New Year period. So, he hired Jeffrey Lau to direct The Eagle Shooting Heroes and used the same whole cast from Ashes of Time for that movie!
The Eagle Shooting Heroes is a classic example of the mo lei tau comedy. It's wacky, LOL funny and colourful.
While the dramatic Ashes of Time is classic Wong Kar Wai; it's hypnotic, meditative and visually beautiful. The characters wore long hair (most of the time their hair would fall beautifully and oh-so-cool all over their face) and their wardrobe was simple and blend.
Besides Ashes of Time, I've not watched any of WKW's films because one needs to be in a certain mood to be able to appreciate his films. It really does test your patience. Ashes of Time was probably the most accessible Wong Kar Wai film for me.
And then...there's the legendary Jet Li!
Because he has such a recognizable face and fighting style, and he kept playing legendary folk heroes like Wong Fei Hung and Fong Sai Yuk, all his movies felt kinda same. That said, here are his more notable movies for me:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (黃飛鴻), 1991 and ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA II (黃飛鴻之二男兒當自強), 1992 were the most memorable in the Wong Fei Hung series.
I remembered watching the trailer to Once Upon a Time in China in a cinema and I was absolutely blown away. The graceful "wire fu", the calligraphy title font, the slow-mo, the ensemble cast (Jacky Cheung! Yuen Biao!) and THAT SOUNDTRACK by George Lam. And "Who the hell is this Jet Li??!"
Watch the original trailer here!
I also dug Part II as there was this unforgettable fight sequence between Wong Fei Hung and The White Lotus Sect. And let's not forget that fight sequence between Jet Li and a young Donnie Yen (!). Of course, there was a little bit more romantic development between Wong Fei Hung and Sap Sam Yee ie. 13th Aunt (played by Rosamund Kwan).
And my introduction to the historical figure Sun Yat Sen, father of modern China (who interestingly has some links in Malaysia - Taiping and Penang).
TAI CHI MASTER (太極張三豐), 1993 was memorable because it co-starred Michelle Yeoh (Yay! Malaysia represented!) and Jet's fighting technique here was very different from his Wong Fei Hung style. And there's this nail-biting action sequence between Jet's character and the main villain on a heap of wooden logs, with Michelle Yeoh's character tied at the top of it.
HIGH RISK (鼠膽龍威), 1995 was different from other Jet Li movies because he is in modern clothes here, carries a gun and is an action-comedy (although the comic relief is primarily contributed by Jacky Cheung's portrayal of Bruce Lee). Probably it's because it was directed by Wong Jing.
And it's not really a compliment as Wong Jing as a director has more misses than hits. I remembered High Risk as being not really good but it was loud, energetic and Jacky was entertaining.
HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY FATHER (新難兄難弟), 1993
The two "Tony Leungs" starring in the same movie! This Peter Chan directed film is a heartwarming nostalgia piece featuring the two Tonys plus an ensemble cast. The "Little Tony" goes back in time and meets his parents. What he found out about them changes him.
IRON MONKEY (少年黃飛鴻之鐵馬騮), 1993
Donnie Yen got my attention in this film as a lead to be reckoned with. Yu Rongguang was memorable here too. Who could forget that iconic movie poster of the masked man standing on one leg at a rooftop.
This Yuen Woo Ping directed film was an overall good martial arts film as it has good performances, action and plot. A cross between Robin Hood and Zorro set in ancient China.
ENDLESS LOVE, C’est La Vie, Mon Chéri (新不了情), 1993
This Derek Yee directed romantic tearjerker made me cry really hard. Both Sean Lau Ching Wan and Anita Yuen gave such an earnest performance they were extremely believable in their roles.
This movie won 6 awards in the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Anita Yuen), Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
HE'S A WOMAN, SHE'S A MAN (金枝玉葉), 1994
Peter Chan's movie worked on so many levels; the intricate (but easy to follow) plot, the performances, the comedy and of course, THAT SONG sung by the late Leslie Cheung. This film was both a commercial and critical success.
Anita Yuen won Best Actress for this film (back-to-back after winning it the year before for her performance in Endless Love, C’est La Vie, Mon Chéri).
DOCTOR MACK (流氓醫生), 1995
In my opinion, Tony Leung Chiu Wai gave one of his best performance here as the laid back charismatic as hell doctor working on the streets of Hong Kong, helping the everyday lower class folks.
There is this scene in the movie where Tony's character is all alone and he finally could let his guard down as a strong doctor. Just thinking of that scene now still moves me emotionally.
COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (甜蜜蜜), 1996
Maggie Cheung owns this movie about the story of two Chinese Mainlanders meeting and falling in love in Hong Kong. The straightforward and sincere performances by the leads and the supporting cast were genuinely affecting. And this film managed to successfully capture the "local-ness" of the neighbourhoods in Hong Kong, making this city one of the most romantic places to visit.
The ending :')
This Peter Chan directed movie won like 9 awards in the 16th HK Film Awards including best film, best director, best actress (Maggie), best supporting actor (Eric Tsang) and best cinematography (Jingle Ma).
THE STORM RIDERS (風雲雄霸天下), 1998
As I followed the comics, I remembered being excited but yet cautious to catch this wuxia fantasy film because of its heavy reliance on CGI (even up till today, this part of the world still can't get CGI right).
Well, it wasn't a great film with too many characters and CGI fights but nevertheless an important milestone for Hong Kong cinema.
YOUNG AND DANGEROUS series (古惑仔), 1996-2000
I don't remember sitting through the entirety of any of the movies from the series. Probably it was because I was studying abroad then and had no access to Eastern movies.
Nevertheless, I'm sure this series would have impacted many young men of that generation to consider becoming a bad boy and getting a tattoo. This series rocketed Ekin Cheng to stardom in his iconic portrayal of Chan Ho Nam (I can't imagine anyone else playing "Chan Ho Nam" just like how I can't imagine anyone else playing "Mark Gor" but Chow Yun Fat).
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And that ends part 3 of my tribute to Hong Kong cinema!
Thank you so much for reading and if you like what you have read, please leave a comment. I hope you enjoyed reading this (and clicking on the links to check out the clips) as much as I did in crafting this series.
If you missed any of the other entries in this series, click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.
And here's Mr Chow giving the thumbs up and "see you soon" look. Goodbye!
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