The Four II - 四大名捕2

The Four II (四大名捕2) is an 2013 film out of Hong Kong with Mainland Zhong Guo investment. The same cast from the first movie make their return, starring Anthony Wong, Collin Chou, Crystal Liu, Deng Chao, Jiang Yiyan, Liu Yi Fei, Liu Yifei, and Ronald Cheng. Ada Liu joins the cast to add some drama as a villain.



We're not left with the Four in good graces, but they discover a building with a lot of dead bodies. They lead them on a goose hunt that dives into the history of Zhuge Zhengwo and Emotionless. As they dig deeper, we see the extent of the corruption. But that's handle by a badly with Mystique like qualities to shape change into other people. When the leads and history are dug up, we see that Zhuge was holding back on Emotionless. As the four, they must figure out the mystery and clear their name.

This movie was much more on the action of back story. A very confusing back story too. As the explanation went, I was scratching my head going, "what?!" And these mysterious figures that control others are also lifted from the shadows. I think the addition of Ada Liu will give this a little more of a international audience as she's bring some major sex appeal you won't get from Crystal Liu.

If you enjoyed the first movie, this isn't more of the same. Its more confusion. But still watchable.

The Four - 四大名捕

The Four 四大名捕) is an 2012 film out of Hong Kong with mainland Zhong Guo investment. The movie stars Anthony Wong, Collin Chou, Crystal Liu, Deng Chao, Jiang Yiyan, Liu Yi Fei, Liu Yifei, and Ronald Cheng. The cast is pretty big. With a successful launch, 2 sequels were approved.



A team of misfits are put together to investigate more "abnormal" stuff than the regular detectives. The leader is a experienced detective with lies to the governor of the region. The four have their special abilities. Deng Chao as Cold Blood, who is good with the sword and has a monster within, literally. Liu Yifei as Emotionless who is crippled to her super powered wheelchair. Ronald Cheng as Life Snatcher, an expert with his feet. Collin Chou as Iron Hands, an strong brute with hands of steel. These four are up against a mysterious person putting out counterfeit coins. When they dig deep, they uncover a sinister plan that goes to the top of the government.



This movie is the Zhong Guo version of a comic book super team. They have special powers much like a mutant would. They are put together by an even more powerful man that's been around the block a few times. Which make for an interesting watch. It's an entertaining movie, but not a very good one. Many plot holes and way too many characters to keep track of. However, I enjoyed my watch and have recommended out to friends and co-workers as the "Chines X-Men" or "Chinese Avengers". Let it be known it is true. But just don't get your hopes up for an excellent movie.

Motorway - 車手

Motorway (車手) is an 2012 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Shawn Yue and Anthony Wong. The supporting cast includes Barbie Hsu, Josie Ho, Gordon Lam, and Michelle Ye.

Shawn Yue plays Cheung, a young cop that likes to drive fast with a vengeance. Anthony Wong plays Lo, a cop that's about to retire. Lo and Cheung make the most unlikely pair, but they both like to drive and know cars. A diamond makes its way to HK and two bad guys go after it. But one of the guys is in jail. The other guy, who's an expert driver, bust the guy out of jail and kills some cops along the way. A citywide manhunt starts and the cops chase and chase these two men. Cheung seems to have luck and tails the the get away driver, but doesn't have luck. On a mountain top range not unlike something out of an Initial D comic, a deadly chase happens. The driver always seems to be a step ahead and take a bunch of cops out. Lo decides to pursue after so many cars are left disabled. Will Cheung and Lo be able to stop these two maniacs from getting the diamond?



This movie was sort of a throw back to the late 90s and early 00s HK films. Very gritty, matter of fact, and straight to the story. Character development is left to a minimum. You figure it out along the way. A chase/heist all put into one, you have tension, suspense, and you feel for the cops. Barbie Hsu's turn as an doctor was just to get some eye candy into the film. It's too bad Michelle Ye is transitioning into more "older" women roles. Ye plays Lo's wife and has short hair. I am sad since Ye is one of my favorite HK actresses and is still quite stunning!

I would highly recommend this film for HK enthusiast. If you're not familiar with HK style, you might not like the lack of character development and purpose of the film.

BTW - the English translation of the title is a bit off. The Zhong Wen version translates to "driver".

Full Contact - 俠盜高飛

Full Contact (俠盜高飛) is an 1992 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Ann Bridgewater, Simon Yam, and Anthony Wong. This was one of Chow's last movies before heading out to the US in the 1990s. I watched this back in the 1990s in Mandarin dubbed, but recently in English dubbed. Directed by that era superstar, Ringo Lam.



Chow plays the a bouncer at local club in Malaysia. When his friend gets in trouble with a loan shark, Chow comes to the rescue but makes enemies with all of the underground. On the run, they hook up for a armed car robbery heist that goes wrong. Betrayed by one of his friends, he loses a couple of fingers and the love of his life. On the mend, Chow learns to do everything with his left hand and gets back into the game. However, his former best friend is now number two and with his girl. In the shadows, he starts to set in motion his revenge. The final showdown is pretty graphic and very much what made HK films so great from that era.

Chow plays a really really really bad ass. Someone that can fight and shoot a gun. So good, even when he loses fingers from his right hand, he learns with his left. The pace of the movie is hectic and character development is at a minimum, but its one of those guilty pleasure films. Every character here is over the top and you love it. I love it. Cheezy to the max and it makes no apologies. A must watch for fans of HK's silver era of films, the 1980s and early 1990s. A Ringo Lam film for the ages.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen - 精武風雲:陳真

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (精武風雲:陳真) is a 2010 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Donnie Yen, Shu Qi, Huang Bo, and Anthony Wong. The movie is directed by famed director Andrew Lau. Donnie Yen pulls double duty as the action director. The supporting cast includes Shawn Yue and Huo Si Yan. The story is based in Shanghai and France.

The movie is based on the Chen Zhen character of the Bruce Lee Fist of Fury movie. This movie is a continuation of the wuxia series that starred Donnie back in the 90s. The movie starts in France as Chen Zhen and his troupe are trying to make it out of the battle zone to go home. Chen Zhen gives his "dog tag" to a fellow solider for good luck. However, that solider is the one that bites the dust. Chen Zhen does some crazy stuff to end the battle. Back in Shanghai, Chen Zhen is looking for support from notable Chinese businessmen and scholars. Chen Zhen doubles as a night club socialite. By night, he's out fighting the Japanese who have a list of 100 people that they've targeted to kill. Will Chen Zhen win like in the previous Fist of Fury?

If you've seen the recent Donnie movies, this is along the same lines. A storyline that contains that Chinese people are not worthless if they stick together. That theme is strong in this movie again. I wonder if this trend will continue or we'll look back on this era with fondness and cheesiness. In anycase, was the movie any good? Yes, it was well made and presented a passionate story. But the formula seemed played out to me. Still an enjoyable film if you haven't seen a Donnie film recently, since you won't know the formula. You'll also really need to know the Bruce Lee version well.

The Chen Zhen character has become a "super-hero" character and Donnie plays that up in this film. Started by Bruce Lee, honed by Jet Lee, expanded upon by Donnie. Chen Zhen lives on!

Vengeance - 復仇

Vengeance (復仇) is 2009 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Gordon Lam, Lam Suet and Simon Yam. The movie also features a supporting cast of Michelle Ye, Felix Wong and Maggie Siu. A large portion of the film was in English due to scenes with Hallyday.

A family of four is gunned down by hitmen as the movie starts. The wife is of French decent and her father comes to Hong Kong from Paris. The daughter asked her father, Francis, to take revenge. Francis start looking around Macau but doesn't get anywhere. Dejected, Francis head back to his hotel. On his way back, he bumps into 3 hitmen right after a job. Francis than looks for these 3 to help him find his killers. The three hitmen than methodically located the hitmen that gunned down the family. But there a twist to the story. Hitmen hold no grudge against their victims. Someone hired them and Francis is no after the one who hired the hitmen.

The movie plays at a very similiar pace a Exiled. However, due to Hallyday in the lead, the movie doesn't flow so well. Hallyday seemed very one dimensional and didn't express his feelings through his face. If you watch enough Hk films, the face is 90% of the acting most time. In this case, it was like 1% of the acting. The hitmen however were the interesting part of the film. You knew they were bad to the bone and could take on any comers. I would have rather seen a film focused on the hitmen than the father out for revenge.

Exiled - 放逐

Exiled (放逐) is a 2006 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Anthony Wong, Nick Cheung, Francis Ng, Roy Cheung, and Lam Suet. The supporting cast include Simon Yam, Josie Ho, and Richie Ren. The film was written and produced by Johnny To. Exiled has a limited relation the 1999 Johnny To film, The Mission.

The movie is primarily based in Macau. 5 childhood friends who grow up into gangsters congregate at the house of one that's left the triads. 2 are there to save the guy and 2 are there to take him out. But emotions run thick as the 5 are very close. In the end, the former gangster dies and the 4 remaining guys set out for revenge in the most unique of ways.

The final gun fight is one for the ages and the ones scattered throughout the film are very nice too. It reminds me of the gun play movies of John Woo when he was a HK movie machine.

A very slow movie when the action is on pause, but very intense. If you're a Johnny To fan, this is a must see.

The Mission - 鎗火

The Mission (鎗火) is a 1999 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Jackie Lui, Lam Suet, Roy Cheung, and Simon Yam. The film was produced and directed by Johnny To.

5 of these guys are the guards for a triad boss. They take their jobs very seriously. You see a lot of different scenarios where they protect their boss and work as a fluid team. Stylist gun play and unique scenarios make the action amped up and never a let down.

The movie has been very highly regarded by many HK cinema enthusiast. However, I didn't like the film that much in 1999 and when I re-watched it a few weeks ago. The cats are totally too cool for their suits, but I didn't get the "wow" feeling after it ended. In fact, I was wondering when the movie would end.

But the movie is still very good. Johnny To goes on to make a lot more movies that are even more stylish than this.

Turning Point - Laughing Gor之變節

Turning Point (Laughing Gor之變節) is a 2009 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Felix Wong, Anthony Wong, Michael Tse, Francis Ng, and Fala Chen. The movie also has cameoes from Eric Tseng and Yuen Biao.

The film follows the life of Michael Tse as Laughing Gor during what seems like a 1 week period. Laughing Gor is an undercover cop. But Laughing was first sent to the police academy to be an undercover cop by the triad. But while at the police academy, Laughing is picked out to go undercover. What the?! Did you get all that. So, now, in a routine tip to the cops, Laughing is busted and caught. The bosses think he'll rat them out. So, there's a hit put out for him. Laughing can't go to the cops because the only cop that knows he's also a cop was injured and hasn't woken up yet. So, Laughing ends up running from both the cops and the triad guys.

The movie was a Michael Tse sighting for me. Tse seemed like he would also be a star in many HK movies after his Young and Dangerous years and his Storm Rider role. But he went MIA for me until now. Much older now and without the soul patch, Tse did what he could to make the role look young. But its a 40 year old making a movie about his early 20s. I had to close my eyes and believe. Fala Chen, the girlfriend look like she could have been his daughter.

But the movie was entertaining and a spin on a spin of the whole undercover cop and triad formula. Connected to a TVB drama that I'll never watch, the movie was enough.

Plastic City - 蕩寇

Plastic City (蕩寇) is a 2008 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Odagiri Joe, Anthony Wong, and Crystal Huang. The whole movie is based in Brazil.

The movie starts in the past where Yuda, played by Anthony Wong, rescues Kirin, played by Joe Odagiri. Fast forward 20-30 years to the present. Yuda is now the king of piracy in San Paulo and runs the whole market of Brazil and surrounding regions. Kirin has been brought up by Yuda and has joined the family business. Someone with a new idea enters the turf. A turf war starts.

The movie was quite gritty and had very few asian people. Much of the film was in either Mandarin or Portuguese. As I was watching, City of Gods seems to flash through my thoughts over and over. A HK film with triad themes based in Brazil. Refreshing and depressing at the same time.

I Corrupt All Cops - 金錢帝國

I Corrupt All Cops (金錢帝國) is a 2009 film out of Hong Kong. The main stars are Anthony Wong, Tony Leung, Alex Fong and Eason Chan. Supporting cast include Wong Jing, Liu Yang, Kate Tsui, and Bowie Lam.

The movie is about the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s corrupt Hong Kong police force. Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is the play on the acronym. Being transformed to "I Corrupt All Cops". My translation for the title is the emperor of the gold country.

The movie follows the Tony Leung as Lak, Eason Chan as Gale, Alex Fong as Bong, and Anthony Wong as Unicorn. Lak is the head of the police force and with Gold, played by Wong Jing, established a bribe system for local gangs and police. Gale runs in Lak's inner circle and is presented as an all around good guy. Unicorn is a hot headed police officer that gets on the wrong side of Lak and is demoted to patrol the water bank. The first half of the movie is to present the current situation of bribes for police and system of corruption. The second half is the formation of ICAC and how it brings down Lak's circle and tries to weed out corruption in the police force.

The movie was pretty intense and I loved the subject matter. It brought back memories of Andy Lau's Lee Rock film series. But the story telling was very unfocused and the character development seem forced. In the end, I didn't care for these guys much. Liu Yang had a breakout performance as Rose and hope to see more of her.

On the Edge - 黑白道

On the Edge (黑白道) is a 2006 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Nick Cheung, Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Rain Li, and Derek Tsang.

Nick Cheung plays Harry. Harry was an undercover cop for 8 years. After Harry helped bust his triad boss, Harry is not back in the police force. But those 8 years as an undercover triad member are causing Harry some extreme internal and workplace conflicts. Anthony Wong plays Lung, Harry's new partner. Lung doesn't go easy on the triad members he come in contact with. Many times, Harry is at odds with Lung because of this. Back at home, Harry's girlfriend and best friend are from his triad days. They don't like that he's a cop and conflicts are ever present.

The movie was pretty entertaining for the most part. The undercover cop story gets another unique turn with this rendition. Worth a watch.

Mr. Cinema - 老港正傳

Mr. Cinema (老港正傳) is a 2007 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Anthony Wong, Ronald Cheng, Teresa Mo, and Karen Mok.

The movie spans most of the adult life of Kong, played by Anthony Wong. Kong is a very patriotic fellow who loves China. Hoping one day to visit Tiananmen Square. Ronald Cheng plays Chong, Kong's son who grows up to be a very dedicated man. Chong is dedicated to getting rich.

The name Mr. Cinema comes from Kong's profession in a cinema, for which he is the projector man.

I thought it was a pretty nice slice of how life is for current residents of Hong Kong. The constant need to succeed and with China in its midst.

Give it go as the acting is pretty good and moves the movie along. Even when the movie starts to drag.

Bullet and Brain - 神槍手與智多星

Bullet and Brain (神槍手與智多星) is a 2007 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Alex Fong, Eric Tsang, Andrew Wu, Tiffany Tang Yan, Liu Yang, and Liu Yuan-Yuan.

A triad boss makes a deal but has no money. The triad betrays his mentor to get his money. The mentor leaves the password code for the account in his granddaughters care. The boss kills the mentor and goes after the granddaughter. But the grandfather had 2 loyal assassins that have left the country. But at the request of the granddaughter, they come back to protect her. The police get in out the action as they find that the granddaughter is in danger.

This movie went beyond my expectations. I actually thought it was going to suck. As it turns out, the movie was very entertaining and surprising. Other than Alex Fong, all the doods are old. And the lovely ladies, all in their mid 20s.



Tiffany Tang Yu's acting may not get her an award, but she's a sight for sore eyes in this movie. I am looking forward to seeing her in more things. Liu Yang and Liu Yuan Yuan are the other 2 gals. But I was always waiting for the movie to shift focus back to Tang Yu.

The movie includes a lot of cheezy dialogue, action, and plot twist. You may not need a notepad to follow, but just remember that a gazillion people are in the movie.

Hard Boiled - 槍神 (辣手神探)

Hard Boiled (槍神/辣手神探) is a 1992 film out of Hong Kong. Directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung. This would be John Woo's last Hong Kong film until he returned to Asia for Red Cliff.

This movie changed my life. Back in the summer of 1992, I was working full time and carrying a full load of courses at a local community college. I was just starting to re-acquaint myself with my Chinese Taiwanese background. I wasn't too sure about Chinese movies and series. But when I watched Hard Boiled, I was blown away and wanted to dive into Chinese entertainment. Which lead me to Faye Wong and 4 Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王) of hk in the 90s.



Chow plays a "break all the rules" kind of cop thats out to take down any bad guy. Tony plays a undercover cop that's in too deep. The two eventually meet eye to eye to take down a triad boss. The bullets fly everywhere but on Chow and Tony. The body count is high and some HK humor is thrown in with a peeing baby Chow is trying to save.



There is no possible reason for you not to watch this. Yes, it is extremely violent. It is in a sense like a video game as bodies fall left and right. But this is HK cinema at its epitome and 2 of the best HK actors in their prime. With Woo at his best.

Since I am watching this 18 years after its release, there are lots of people in "extra" roles that are still in the HK film industry. The music is a bit outdated, but that's what happens to movies as they age. I watched the mandarin dubbed version. I need to rent the Dragon Dynasty release one to see the extras.

I had originally watched the Taiwan version with the title, 槍神. For many years after that, I tried to buy it via VHS, VCD, or DVD with no luck. I couldn't find it. Once I found out that the HK name was 辣手神探, people started to know what I was talking about. Names do matter.

This is the first review of a film I've listed in my favorite movies post.

The Storm Riders - 風雲之雄霸天下

The Storm Riders (風雲之雄霸天下) is a 1998 film out of Hong Kong starring Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng. Consider the first of a martial arts movie trilogy from Andrew Lau.

Based off a Hong Kong comic book called Wind Cloud (風雲), it follows Aaron Kwok as Cloud and Ekin Cheng as Wind. Cloud's special martial arts is to leverage water and Wind's is his kicking. Both obtain legendary weapons.

The movie's been around for a long time. Back in 1998 when it came out, it was considered amazing as it was a HK movie with heavy CGI. Before this, no HK movie had used this much CGI in a film. In a sense, it was a pioneer for HK films, back in 1998. Fast forward to 2009! CGI all over the place. But still not to the extent of The Storm Riders.

I had a chance to re-watch the Taiwan DVD recently while washing dishes and it was pretty good. I am a big fan of Aaron Kwok and thought he presented Cloud the way his character is. Emotionless until those dear to him are in danger. That emotion turns to rage.

But don't come here looking for classic HK martial arts. The CGI is heavy and the fights are fantasy based.

The Painted Veil - 面紗 (猜心)

The Painted Veil - (面紗/猜心) is a 2006 film starring Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and Anthony Wong.

A British couple played by Edward Norton and Naomi Watts lands in Shanghai, China and eventually to a countryside outside of Shanghai. The majority of the movie is based in China, but its just a backdrop to the main story, the relationship between Edward Norton and Naomi Watts.

It does present the common white man saves the asians storyline in a slightly different way. This time, its through medicine.

Anthony Wong plays KMT general that gives Edward Norton's character a hand.

You can buy it on Amazon or rent it via Netflix.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (The Mummy 3) - 神鬼傳奇3

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon (The Mummy 3 - 神鬼傳奇3) was released to world in the summer of 2008 and is now on DVD. If you've seen the first 2 of this trilogy, you can expect some of the same but its mostly a departure from the first 2 Mummy films. Brandon Fraser reprises his role as Rick O'Connell as well as John Hannah as Johnathan Carnahan. The rest of the crew are new to the franchise. Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Isabella Leong, Anthony Wong, Jacky Wu, Jessey Meng, and Russell Wong (李連杰,楊紫瓊,梁洛施,黃秋生,吳京,孟廣美,王盛德).

The movie is the same formula of the first two. A mummy is resurrected and its up to the hero and friends to take care of it. In this installment, the main mummy is Jet Li. Jet Li has to get to the eye of Shangri-la to find the fountain of youth. Once there, the fountain gives him powers, including the ability to raise his mummified terracotta army. The heroes try to prevent this and you know the rest.

There are varying degrees of Mandarin Chinese spoken in the film. However, of the main Chinese cast, only Jet Li and Jessey Meng are fluent in Mandarin. Michelle Yeoh, Isabella Leong, Anthony Wong and Russell Wong would not call Mandarin Chinese their first tongue, and you can tell. Its weird to hear and see this unfold in an Hollywood film.  And this is only the Chinese actors.  Imagine when you hear Luke Ford and friends speak Chinese.  I can imagine, I took Chinese 1 and 2 in college.  Its like that.

I selected this off Netflix because I liked Mummy 1 and 2. I also wanted to see if the movie was as bad its been made out to be. It was that and much more. I won't ever want to watch this again.

Having scored $400 million plus worldwide. You can bet another sequel is coming. The epilogue points to Peru. Will Isabella Leong reprise her roll now that she's an love interest and mortal?