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The thought of Hong Kong cinema brings to mind Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and lots of adrenalin-pumping Kung Fu scenes. While that may be the stereotype, Hong Kong's film industry is a lot more than just fist and knee action.
For starters, there are your kung fu/mafia films if you must have them, but with a large dose of humor or with a real meaty storyline with great screenplay and choreography. Then, there are the heartfelt or horror films that give you a glimpse of day-to-day living. And of course, artsy fartsy productions with lingering shots of gritty Hong Kong.
Want to get in the mood for Hong Kong and psyche yourself up to explore this addictive and vibrant city? Watch these films, and you’ll soon be packing your bags.
In The Mood For Love
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At the turn of the 21st century, this film captured the aching, longing hearts of men and women who know all too well the pain of love that could never begin.
Set in the 1960s, this Wong Kar Wai film is gloriously beautiful and melancholic. Starring Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, the undoubtedly charismatic pair is strangely relatable. A man, a woman, a cramped Hong Kong apartment with barely any sense of privacy, and the painful play between connection and loneliness. These elements make the film as universal as it can be. It also helps that the soundtrack is flawless and Maggie Cheung completely rocks the 21 Cheongsams that she spots in the film.
Kung Fu Hustle
It’s hard not to like Kung Fu Hustle. Stephen Chow, one of Hong Kong’s leading names in comedy, packs a punch with amazing special effects, hilarity, and is just so in-your-face epic that will leave you at the edge of your seat or falling off it for the entire movie.
There’s a little bit of Jackie Chan in the not-your-typical-hero archetype, and Tarantino’s style of violence accompanied with bizarre effects that somehow all work out to give the mass audience a great dose of entertainment. Even if you’ve never been a fan of Kung Fu, give this a shot.
A Simple Life
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The title says it as it is. This heartfelt is as real it gets. No special effects, no fantasy. In fact, it’s very much grounded in the realities of life-loss, love, growing old, care, and duty. A family servant has gotten on with age, and after a stroke, roles have reversed, and it was the man whom he raised that would be tending to her needs. You don’t need to have a family servant to relate to this.
This film is a simple, gentle portrayal about the goodness of humanity and kindness. It’s the sort of film that will make you want to phone your parents or anyone who has ever taken care of you in your life.
The scenes give you a realistic view of day-to-day life in Hong Kong, with shots of middle and working-class areas. It’s hard not to be moved by the storyline and characters. Afterall, it’s a reminder of our own mortality, and how life is liveable only with the kindness of others.
Three (Going Home)
If you haven’t already heard, Asian horror films take the cake (and the cherry on top) when it comes to spooking you out. In this collection of three horror films, each from an Asian director, Going Home is a multi-layered feature that more than delivers the spooks. It’s a mystery, thriller, horror movie, and a tragedy all rolled in one.
The film also beautifully captures the loneliness and emptiness of living in crowded Hong Kong, and though the genre is horror, it deals with the universal pain of unacceptable loss.
Infernal Affairs
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Infernal Affairs is probably the best gangster and cop movie to come out of Hong Kong, and there are many. In fact, it’s so good that there are sequels (of course) and Hollywood did an excellent remake of it.
In Infernal Affairs, a cop goes undercover with the mob, and a mob goes undercover with the cops. After a good decade or so, the turning point comes when each company suspects a traitor and the undercovers themselves are tasked with the impossible task of blowing the cover. The internal struggles of living a lie, the ingenuity, and the wit have all come together to make the story itself an irresistible one. Add on to that the action and stellar performances from Andy Lau and Tony Leung, and what you have is classic Hong Kong gangster film that’s quite unbeatable.