Hong Kong Action Cinema Movie Reviews

By David Eber

The following pages contain a number of reviews of Hong Kong action movies written specifically with the newcomer in mind. Each piece contains a brief synopsis, followed by my thoughts on the film. There are plenty of other HK movie sites, many of which have vastly more reviews than this page does. However, I tried to gear this page specifically for viewers who are just delving into the genre for the first time. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas on what to check out first.

The director, year, and cast information was taken from the Hong Kong Cinema Homepage, which was also very helpful when it came to looking up character's names or plot points that had slipped my mind. Additional information was supplied by the book Sex and Zen & a Bullet in the Head, which is a great source for anyone interested in HK cinema (when cast name information differed between Sex and Zen and the Hong Kong Movies Homepage, I usually went with the latter). When you're ready for something more, you can check out the Hong Kong Movies Homepage as well as other HK sites listed on my links page.

Keep a few things in mind when you check out these pages. First, I'm not a movie critic, nor do I claim to be one. I'm just a guy who likes Hong Kong action movies, and these pages were created to help out those of you who are just getting into these films and want some idea of what to check out. I've tried to provide justification for my opinions on each film, but in the end that's all they are: opinions. I can't give you “critical” reasons why a film is good or bad, and you certainly may not like all the films I do. I haven't particularly cared for some of the “classics,” and that's just as well. You'd be pretty hard pressed to find any two fans who could agree on every film. Hopefully these reviews will be helpful, but ultimately your tastes are your own. Another thing to bear in mind is that this is a site for Hong Kong action movies. There are a lot of other Hong Kong films out there, including comedies, dramas, and art films, but they aren't covered here. This site is dedicated to action films, so if you want a review of Summer Snow or Song of the Exile you'll have to look elsewhere. Finally, there are occasionally inconsistencies in the names and years of Hong Kong films, especially when those films are re-released in the U.S. In each listing I've used the name the film is best known by and listed additional titles where possible. Where the date of a film varies I went with the date provided by the Hong Kong Movies Homepage. In other words, all the information provided here may not be 100% accurate. I'm just doing my best.

These reviews were written with the Feng Shui player in mind. At the end of most reviews are notes for the Feng Shui RPG which will hopefully provide some inspiration for GMs and players alike. For those of you who haven't heard of it, Feng Shui is a role-playing game which takes its inspiration from Hong Kong action movies. You can find out more about it by checking out my Feng Shui page. Hong Kong cinema was also the inspiration for Shadowfist, a collectible card game with the same background as Feng Shui.

As you'll see, this page is still under construction, and it never really will be finished. As long as I keep watching HK flicks I'll keep adding more reviews (when I can get around to it, that is).

Warning!

The reviews which follow contain information which may spoil the movie for you. If you don't like knowing anything about the plot of a film before you watch it, proceed with caution!

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