Andy Lau Movies

A tough police inspector (Andy Lau) puts his own morality on the line in order to stop a ruthless gang of criminals in this Hong Kong action thriller that marks the feature directorial debut of prolific screenwriter Alan Yuen (New Police Story, Shaolin). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Filmmakers Huang Jianxin and Han Sanping offer a crash course on the Chinese Revolution in this companion piece to Han's 2009 film The Founding of a Republic. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An arrogant army leader is forced to take refuge with the Shaolin masters he once sought to conquer in order to defeat the ruthless warlords who are threatening to plunge the entire of country of China into chaos in this martial arts epic from director Benny Chan. As rival warlords battle for supremacy in the young republic of China, ruthless General Hou Jie (Andy Lau) and his loyal brother Hou Lung use unrelenting force to subjugate the peaceful township of Dengfeng. With thousands of wounded and dead to tend to, the Shaolin temple gracefully offers sanctuary to the injured masses. Meanwhile, each night when darkness falls, loyal disciples Jing Kong, Jing Neng, and Jing Hai don masks and venture out to fight for the weak and impoverished. Upon discovering this transgression, Hou Jie challenges the temple abbot to a duel. But the general's arrogance only grows when the abbot secretly throws the fight and allows him to win. Later when Hou Lung kills Hou Jie's entire family, the repentant leader recognizes the error of his ways, and convinces Wu Dao to teach him the secrets of Shaolin. The situation turns volatile when Hou Jie's vengeful wife, Yan Xi, vows to make Hou Lung pay for killing their daughter at the same time the three masked avengers decide to strike back against the merciless military leader. Later, when Huo Lung launches an all-out attack on the Shaolin temple, the real fight begins. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two aging martial arts experts get back in the game after a three decade layoff in this mixture of action and comedy from the writing and directing team of Derek Kwok and Clement Cheng. Dragon (Chen Kuan-tai) and Tiger (Bruce Leung) were once kung fu masters who could defeat any opponent and were eager to serve their master (Teddy Robin), helping out as the school he founded. However, that was before the master fell into a coma; thirty years later, he's still lingering and Dragon and Tiger are still waiting for him to regain consciousness and tell them what to do, while they've turned the school into a tea house to make a living while he's out of commission. A less-than-scrupulous real estate agent is eager to buy out the shop, and they dispatch young but timid Cheung (Wong You-nam) to negotiate. However, Cheung ends up siding with the elderly kung fu champions when the master is accidentally roused from his coma by a blow to the head and insists on taking on Master Pong (Chan Wai-man), the devious proprietor of another martial arts academy. Da Lui Toi (aka Gallants) received its North American premiere at the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This sweeping martial arts epic - a co-production of Hong Kong and Korea - stars Asian screen idol Andy Lau as Zhao, a layman caught up in a rising tide of chaotic violence as his country is ripped in half by the blight of civil war. In desperation, Zhao draws from his inner resources and "rises up" against the evil warlord who has caught the nation under his thumb. The young warrior vows to liberate and unify the land, and leads a sizeable army to accomplish this goal. Unfortunately, while his heroism succeeds in itself, it fails to reunify the nation, but a new and peace-seeking king occupies the throne and appoints Zhao to set out once and for all and bring the warlord toppling down. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

One Night in Mongkok director Derek Yee takes a trip into the underworld with this crime drama starring Andy Lau, Lewis Koo, Daniel Wu, and Anita Yuen. An undercover cop infiltrates a major heroin ring, skillfully ascending the ranks from low-level dealer to middle management. After falling for a beautiful addict, the policeman is hand picked by the ailing crime boss to take over the entire syndicate once he's gone. His priorities blurred by an infernal combination of money, power, and seven years undercover, the cop chosen to clean up the streets finds his true identity gradually slipping away as a malevolent new persona begins to take hold. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A lone hero comes to the rescue of a village about to be overrun by a marauding army in this historical epic from Hong Kong. In the year 370 B.C., China has been torn apart by a handful of warring factions, and the Zhao State has set out on a long march to invade and conquer the Yan State. En route, the ten thousand-strong Zhao army will pass through the town of Liang City, home to four thousand souls. Led by Lord Liang (Wang Zhiwen), an ineffectual and alcoholic leader, the people of Liang City fear the worse, and beg the warriors of the Mozi clan to come to their aid in protecting the city. As Zhao general Xiang Yanzhong (Ahn Sung-ki) and his men loom on the horizon, a single Mozi fighter, Ge Li (Andy Lau), arrives in Liang City; while the townspeople are certain the battle is already lost, Li is a brilliant strategist, and convinces the handful of Liang soldiers that they can indeed fend off the Zhao invaders. With the help of Liang cavalry woman Yi Yue (Fan Bingbing) and Zi Tuan (Nicky Wu), a master of the bow and arrow, Li is able to fight the Zhao soldiers to a standstill; however, Lord Liang is humiliated by the success of the interloper, and his right-hand man (Wu Ma) plants seeds of doubt in the villagers' minds about their new champion. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Wait Til You're Older concerns a twelve year old boy having a difficult time in his life. The boy has a severely strained relationship with his father, who he suspects might have had something to do with mother's death. The boy has a rich and detailed fantasy life in which he imagines himself as an adult. One day he meets a scientist who provides a secret elixir that grants the boy's wish. The catch is that he grows ten years every day. The grown boy learns important lessons about life during his time as an adult. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Mrs. Do (Sammi Cheng) is sure that that her millionaire ex-husband is behind the theft of her new fiancé's family jewels. She is determined not to let him control her anymore, so she goes on a quest to get him to confess. What follows is a complex web of jealousy and sabotage. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Infernal Affairs III picks up where the first film left off. Ming (Andy Lau) is cleared of any charges involving Yan's (Tony Leung) death, and is eventually assigned to the Internal Affairs division. He discovers that another cop, Yeung (Leon Lai of Fallen Angels), quickly rising through the ranks of the police department, has a mysterious link to Shen (Chen Daoming of Hero), who was apparently Sam's (Eric Tsang) connection to the mainland. Ming strongly suspects that Yeung is another one of Sam's moles, and is determined to expose him, while keeping his own connection to Sam a secret. It's a tricky proposition because Yeung also seems to suspect Ming, and appears to have the same goal in mind. With the help of Dr. Lee (Kelly Chen), Yan's psychiatrist, Ming looks deeper into Yan's final days, and flashbacks explore the undercover cop's dealings with both Yeung and Shen. Eventually, Ming finds an incriminating tape of Sam conversing with his mole, and has a climactic confrontation with Yeung. Anthony Wong and Chapman To also reprise their roles from the first two films in flashbacks. Infernal Affairs III was shown, along with the rest of the trilogy, at the 2004 New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

"Big" (Andy Lau of Infernal Affairs, wearing a gargantuan prosthetic muscle suit) is a competition weight lifter and part-time male stripper. One night while dancing at a strip club, Big responds to the frantic exhortations of a comely patron (Cecilia Cheung) and strips completely naked. Unfortunately for Big, she turns out to be Detective Li, and she promptly busts him for indecent exposure. Worse yet, a murder has just taken place in the office above the club, and when Big tries to escape his minor charge, he's caught by the cops and questioned in connection with the murder. Detective Li helps him get out of the jam, and he, in turn, helps her track down the elusive killer. Li develops a romantic interest in Big, but he seems to want to avoid her. Pressed to explain himself, he eventually reveals his bizarre and tragic past. Big was a kung fu monk until a woman friend of his was murdered years ago, sending him into an uncontrollable rage, during which he inadvertently killed a sparrow. After meditating over the bird's corpse for a long time, Big developed the ability to "see karma." He can look at any animal (including people) and see what they did in their past lives. When he looks at Detective Li, he sees that in a former life she was a brutal Japanese soldier who murdered many. Even though she's a good person, she still carries that soldier's karma, and Big believes she'll eventually have to die for his crimes. Despite his misgivings, he finds himself increasingly drawn to the persistent young cop. Running on Karma was directed by the team of Johnny To and Wai Ka-fai (PTU). The film was shown at the 2004 edition of Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

As Infernal Affairs opens, Ming (Andy Lau of Full-time Killer) is being initiated into the criminal underworld by triad boss Sam (Eric Tsang of The Accidental Spy), who ends his speech to his young charges by wishing them success in the police department. Ming enters the police academy, where he excels, but sees his classmate, Yan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai of In the Mood for Love), expelled for "breaking the rules." It turns out that Yan wasn't actually drummed out of the force, but recruited by Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong of Hard-Boiled) as an undercover operative. Just as Ming is achieving success in the police department while secretly working for Sam, Ming is gaining Sam's trust as a triad member, while reporting to Wong. Ten years later, both men, still undercover, have grown confused about their true identities, while their bosses, Sam and Wong, wage a battle of wits against each other. Each boss learns that the other has a mole working for him, and unwittingly entrusts the mole himself to ferret out the culprit. Ming and Yan scramble to expose one another's identity in an effort to save their own skins. Infernal Affairs was co-directed by Andrew Lau (who worked as a cinematographer on several of Wong Kar-Wai's films) and Alan Mak. Renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle served as "Visual Consultant." The film was shown at New Directors/New Films in 2003. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi