The bite size guide for those of you who loved Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but were too afraid to ask where to go next… these are the ten Hong Kong movies you MUST see!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon captured a wider audience than anyone previously thought possible of an Asian movie, or indeed a ‘foreign’ film. The misconception still pervades that it was an exception though. That it’s romantic themes and kinetic action were in some way unusual. Hell, if you thought Asian movies were all about kung fu, then have I got news for you…
True enough, Hong Kong movies are the purist form of entertainment. The expectations of it’s audience set by the traditions of Chinese Operas and their schools, where until recently many of it’s actors and filmmakers learnt their trade. Taking them into the 21st century, Hong Kong has led the world on how to make action movies.
We’ll look at those traditions in more detail in the months to come, but in the meantime enjoy this brief guide to the ten best Hong Kong movies (in my opinion), with plenty more recommendations to keep you going…
Update – 27-03-09: It’s been several years since I put this list together, and boy have I learned a lot in that time! And for that matter, hasn’t the Hong Kong filmmaking industry changed? This was written years before the release of Infernal Affairs, for instance, and there’s no mention of Shaw Brothers! So if you’re looking for an up-to-the-minute or ‘definitive’ list of Hong Kong films, this isn’t it. Think of it more as a primer to get you started…
