A Chinese Ghost Story III - 倩女幽魂Ⅲ:道道道

A Chinese Ghost Story III (倩女幽魂Ⅲ:道道道) is a 1991 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Tony Leung, Joey Wong, Nina Li Chi , and Jacky Cheung. This is the second sequel to the very successful "A Chinese Ghost Story" and "A Chinese Ghost Story II". Directed by Ching Siu Tung and produced Tsui Hark.

The Cast
Tony Leung as Monk Shi Fang
Joey Wong as Lotus
Jacky Cheung as Yin
Nina Li Chi as Butterfly

The Story
Set 100 years after the first film, the tree demon is back in action and up to no good. A pair of monks are on a mission to deliver a golden buddha statue. They end up trapped in the village and do battle with the Tree Demon. But Fang is pretty inept and need the help of Yin to rescue his master. Oh, forgot to mention that the ghost Lotus looks like Nie. Fang and Lotus grow fond of each other.

My Thoughts
You take the formula that did the first movie well and repeat it. But through in some popular guys and see if it sticks. I remember watching this back in 1991 when it came out. Tony Leung was my favorite TVB actor of the 80s and I hadn't seen him in many things. Right around 1991, he started showing up in lots and lots of movies. This was one of them and the character was played pretty well. However, the storyline seems rehashed. Prolly why this was the last in the series.

A Chinese Ghost Story II - 倩女幽魂 II: 人間道

A Chinese Ghost Story II (倩女幽魂 II: 人間道) is a 1990 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, Michelle Reis, and Jacky Cheung. This a sequel to the very successful "A Chinese Ghost Story". Directed by Ching Siu Tung and produced Tsui Hark.

The Cast
Leslie Cheung as Ning Caichen - Mail Protagonist
Joey Wong as Windy - Female Protagonist
Michelle Reis - Moon
Jacky Cheung - Autumn - Taoist Monk
Waise Lee - Fu - General
Wu Ma as Yan Chixia - Taoist Priest

The Story
We leave off almost immediately from the first movie. Ning is leaving for home and is mistakenly thrown into jail. Ning's cellmate is a famous writer. The writer saves Ning and give him a plaque. Once out, he takes a horse nearby thinking it has no owner. But it is the horse of Autumn. Autumn gives chase and finds them in a abandon house. They are ambushed by fake ghost. Among these fake ghost are Windy and Moon. Windy is a look alike of Nie and Ning instantly takes note and wants to find out. Windy and Moon are trying to free their father. Autumn finds ghost in the area and wants to take them out. Ning gets caught up in it all.

My Thoughts
Not as good as the first one, but still very entertaining. Ning starts to get on my nerves in this film. Ning's lack of skill is hard to watch, but when Autumn comes in, it makes up for it. Joey does a good job of playing a strong character in this film, but doesn't really have to do much more. Michelle Reis was quite stunning back in the day. If you liked the first one, you'll prolly also like this one.

A Chinese Ghost Story - 倩女幽魂

A Chinese Ghost Story (倩女幽魂) is a 1987 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, and Wu Ma. Directed by Ching Siu Tung and produced Tsui Hark.

The Cast
Leslie Cheung as Ning Caichen - Mail Protagonist
Joey Wong as Nie Xiaoqian - Female Protagonist
Wu Ma as Yan Chixia - Taoist priest

The Story
Ning is a tax collector and travels to a far away town. Ning take shelter in a abondon village. There Ning meets Nie who is a ghost working for a tree demon. However, Ning doesn't know this and falls in love with Nie. Yan is on a search to destory demons and gets on the trail of Nie. Will Ning let Yan destroy Nie. Will Ning and Nie's love have a happy ending?

My Thoughts
If you've seen enough 80s HK movies, you'll know that a sense of tragedy is part of most successful Hk movies. This movie follows a similar formula. I first saw this film in the late 80s while visiting my grandparents. I have since seen it a couple of times, including most recently. The kung fu in this film was pretty cutting edge at the time. Having grown up on 70s style shaw bros, this style was a blast in the face. The flying and the quick editing was something completely new. I was instantly drawn in. This style would serve Tsui Hark in the Once Upon a Time In China film series. I sort of mess this style. It still seems fresh and very dynamic even 20+ years later. In essence, it stands the test of time and should go down as a HK classic.

I wasn't able to find a trailer so this MV will have to do.