Director Taylor Wong gathers a great cast for this politically charged romantic thriller. Dodo Cheng is a conscience-stricken lawyer defending a rapist. Renowned leading man Alex Man Chi-leung is her cop boyfriend. The glorious Joey Wang Jo-yin, the beautiful star of A Chinese Ghost Story, plays the villain's first victim. It's all capped off by the surprise guest appearance of the majestic Shaw Studio perennial, Ti Lung, as the man brought in to make sure that justice is done. Lawyer Yip Wing-man (Dodo Cheng) and Senior Inspector Fong Wai (Alex Man Chi-leung) are a pair of steady lovers who often clash officially. Good-looking photographer Dick-man Tien (Wilson Lam Chun-yin) appears in Court for raping model Joey Ling (Joey Wang Jo-yin), but is acquitted through the artful defence of lawyer Yip. Knowing Tien is guilty, Fong sympathizes with Joey and rather despises his girlfriend for her lack of justice. Joey's sister Ling Shan-shan (Prudence Liew), a delinquent, has a chance meeting with Tien in a bar. Seized by a mad desire to avenge her sister, she puts LSD into his drink, but ends up being caught and raped by him as well. Tien appears in Court again and Wing-man acts as his defence counsel in spite of Fong's objections. Shan-shan's past misbehaviour coupled with Wing-man's crafty defence puts her in a rather unfavourable position. As the chance of testifying against Tien is getting slim, the Prosecutor seeks the help of his brother John Lung (Ti Lung) to take up the case. The case takes a dramatic twist, as the relationship of the two lovers is put to the test.
Carol Cheng, Alex Man, Joey Wang, Prudence Liew, Wilson Lam
Jet Lee stars in this action-packed martial arts drama where two officials were framed by Lord He Sue in the Qin Dynasty. Many years later, their sons sharpen their martial skill in the two Shaolin temples and seek revenge.
Critically acclaimed Shaolin-brotherhood, film director legend Chang Cheh brings martial mayhem beyond reality as he merges The Five Venoms with Alexander Fu Sheng and David Chiang to add new levels to Dante's already agonizing "Inferno." Heaven And Hell screams bloody madness because the violent fight sequences will make you wince in disbelief while the notion of hell goes beyond psychotic.
Two Con Men is a wonderfully twisted, pseudo-romantic comedy in the vein of "Robin Hood" meets "The Sting". Starring Liang Tien as Clever Chan and Chang Ying (who's done over 400 films) as Tricky Ching, it's the age-old competition between a rookie con artist versus the ultimate, experienced flimflam man. It's a game Chen cannot afford to lose, because people's lives - including his own, hang in the balance of good versus evil.
From its evocative title to its gritty filming to its gutsy plot, this sizzling crime thriller struck a chord with international audiences. The robberies, ambushes, double-crosses, and murders multiply as a hitman, a robber gang, and two obsessed cops clash with increasing deadliness and danger. The director really hit his stride with this film, leading to a unique filmography which includes such other cult classics as The Seventh Curse and Story Of Ricky.
One of director Chu Yuan's crowning achievements, THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN epitomizes the lone, virtuous, heroic swordsman with a twist. The film uses melodrama as a vehicle for swordplay and Chu bamboozled audiences by infusing the Oedipus complex. Swordsman Li Hsin-huan, magnificently played by the highly respected and popular Ti Lung, is also a hero with weaknesses; he drinks too much and believes in love and emotion. Shaw Brothers’ fiery yet worldly femme Ching Li plays Li's girlfriend given in the name of tricked honor. It's finally payback time. Yet it's Li's oneness with nature that wins the day. Chu's swordsman films created romantic worlds lavishly infused with flamboyant atmospheric settings as evident by the film receiving the Special Award for Best Cinematography at the 1978 Golden Horse Awards.
No list compiled of all the screen's comic geniuses would be complete without Michael Hui. He created a hilarious and lovable comic persona that was both uniquely Asian and universally beloved. The Warlord, his first film, not only showcased his incomparable sense of humour but also a revolutionized Hong Kong comedy. Evoking Chaplin, he plays a warlord in early 20th century China, but makes the role his own with comedy. Some of the sexiest ladies on the Shaw Brothers lot add on to the ingenuity of the movie.
“Let’s Make Laugh” is an award-winning 1980’s comedy starring Kenny Bee, Cecilia Yip, Chan Friend and Anita Mui. When a young housewife’s (Cecilia Yip) debt-ridden, philandering husband leaves her with a mountain of debt, a security guard (Kenny Bee) is hired by the government to guard the assets, but begins falling for her instead.
There are martial arts epics and "brotherhood hero" films but then there is nothing out there that comes even close to THE WATER MARGIN. Based on the classic novel and true legend, ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS about how 108 rebels bravely fought against the Sung Dynasty, just about every big Shaw Brothers’ star around at the time, David Chiang, Ti Lung and Chen Kuan-tai to name a few, were called in to do this film to make it one of the most dynamic films in the history of cinema. The film exhausts you with its wild and wooly, yet heroically primitive battle scenes that ultimately end in sharp and visually effective images of death, defeat and heroism. It won Honorable Mention for Dramatic Feature at the 1972 Golden Horse Awards.
David Chiang, Ti Lung, Lily Ho, Chin Feng, Yueh Hua
Veteran kung fu star Luk Kim-ming's directing career got off to a flying start with this merry tale. The film has not only won Luk Kim-ming and his writing partner Best Screenplay Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards, but also a Best Actress Award for Wang Hsiao-feng! Wang Hsiao-feng plays a pregnant student who marries a sympathetic, equally heartbroken passer-by on impulse. One thing after another occurs until the couple achieves an unexpected, yet completely satisfying and happy ending.
Cheng Chang-ho had already established his filmmaking fame in Korea when he was invited to join the Shaw Studio. He created new fame in Hong Kong by directing (and sometimes writing) such action epics as Valley Of The Fangs, The Swift Knight, and this tale of a decapitating swordswoman who will let nothing stand in her way when she falls in love with a bandit’s son. Chiao Chiao, made famous in One-Armed Swordsman, is the girl who won’t let such trifles as craniums keep her from freeing her man from jail. The one villain who manages to keep his head (in every definition of the phrase) is Fan Mei-sheng. The success of this film really helped the director get ahead in just two years he was to helm the very first internationally successful kung-fu film: King Boxer.
Chiao Chiao, Chen Liang, Wang Hsieh, Ching Miao, Chang Pei-shan
In one of the indomitable Ivy Ling Po's (Vermillion Door) first appearances in her trademark male roles, we are treated to a tale of love, fantasy and music! It took two directors, three assistant directors, and four cinematographers to capture this incredible epic about life in the Heavenly Palace. The Jade Emperor's seventh daughter (Fang Ying) is so naughty that she is banished from heaven and sent to live among humans. There, she meets and becomes enchanted by the young village lad Dong Yong (Ling Po) and asks the God of the Earth and her other fairy sisters to lend a hand. But her meddling among humans can only go so far before the will of heaven is disturbed. How long is it before she gets caught?
Shaolin firebrands Fang Shih-yu,Hung Hsi-kuan, and Hu Huei-chien are as famous in Asia as the Three Musketeers are in America and Europe. So when the "godfather of the kung-fu film," Chang Cheh decided to tell their stories with Alexander Fu Sheng, Chen Kuan-tai, and Chi Kuan-chiin the roles, it was cause for celebration. The resulting film is one of the most lauded and beloved in the director's filmography, and remains a highlight in all the stars' careers. Each hero is given his own story, but when they all come together in a final, day-long battle with hundreds of troops, the effect is unforgettable. Although known and loved by American fans as Disciples Of Death, that cropped, dubbed, edited version cannot compare to this magnificent original.
A captivating examination of human obsession and love, Woman Of The Night offers three stories in one film. In the first tale, a perverse young student with a voyeuristic habit spies on two of his female roommates. The second story follows an office manager who develops an infatuation for his secretary. The last part is a complex family drama about a debilitated father who forces his family to leave him, only to have a bittersweet reunion when his daughter's life is threatened.
Tien Ni , Chin Han , Margaret Hsing Hui , Li Hsiang
