Eason Chan Movies

Writer and director Pang Ho-cheung presents seven short sketches of small but emotionally telling moments in this omnibus collection. Isabel Chan and Eason Chan play a young couple who are living together but, to his despair, she doesn't want to sleep with him until they get married. When she consents to have sex to celebrate Christmas, he begins looking for holidays that will put her into a festive mood. An actor (Chapman To) visiting Hong Kong on business is struck with loneliness, and hires a prostitute (Zhang Zheng) to spend some time with him. Kei (Stephy Tang) and Ah Wai (Gillian Chung) are two close friends from school who haven't seen each other for nearly ten years, and discover they no longer have much in common beyond a lingering infatuation with the same aging pop star. A lovelorn guy (Kenny Kwan) tries to impress the girl he loves in high school (Angela Baby) by naming a heavenly body after her, which has unexpected consequences. A hired killer (Shawn Yue) who takes a casual but businesslike approach to his work decides to relax and smoke a joint with his target (Conroy Chan) before pulling the trigger. A college professor (Chan Fai Hung) whose relationship with his wife (Kristal Tin) is faltering turns to one of his students (January Lamb) for advice on putting his marriage back on track. And a would-be ladies' man (Edison Chen) reveals he has a very peculiar way of impressing women. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Innocent eyes mask mysterious intentions in this drama about an introverted criminal tasked with kidnapping the son of his gang leader's reviled nemesis. As a young orphan, Dui resorted to gadgetry and improvised self-defense mechanisms in order to defend himself from his bullying peers. The closest thing Dui ever had to a father was a shady, mid-level crook who taught him how to use his skills for nefarious means, in the process providing the awkward adolescent with all the tools needed to grow into a career criminal. Years later, Dui has learned to hide his spark behind a stony face and glassy eyes. Provided with a name and photograph by his mentor, Dui takes a job as an elementary school teacher in order to get closer to his target: the twelve year old son of a powerful gangster. For what it's worth, Wang too may as well be an orphan; his father has vanished without a trace and his mother committed suicide, leaving the mute schoolboy to live alone with his elderly grandmother. At first Dui doesn't realize that Wang is his target, and begins to form a strong bond with the boy as his feelings are stirred by the affections of shy teacher Miss Cheung. Just as exciting new possibilities begin to unfold for all three, however, dark plans begin to unfold and unexpected twists arise. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Gen-X Cops star Stephen Fung makes his directorial debut with this action-comedy hybrid from Hong Kong. Frequent Jackie Chan collaborator Daniel Wu plays Georgie, the gay son of a triad king who has been chosen to take his father's place when he dies. However, the crime boss's man thinks that Georgie's roommate Sam (Eason Chan) is his leader's son, and Georgie is all too happy to play along. Being the top dog isn't easy, and soon Sam finds himself in danger. ~ Kimber Myers, Rovi

Kam (veteran Hong Kong comic actress Sandra Ng) is making a withdrawal from an ATM on New Year's Eve when she's held up at knifepoint by the desperate Bong (Eric Tsang), who is distressed to learn that Kam doesn't even have enough money in her account to make a withdrawal. The two agree to leave and go their separate ways, when a power outage traps them in the kiosk. Kam tries to cheer Bong up with an amusing story about her life as a prostitute. This leads to a conversation that lasts through the night, and flashbacks depict Kam's evolution, from underage "fishball girl" to popular showgirl (who wins over clients doing a deft impression of Jackie Chan circa Drunken Master) to masseuse to long-in-the-tooth hooker. Outside historical events converge with Kum's story as she weaves her tale, detailing everything from her encounter with a celebrity (Andy Lau as himself) to her unrequited love for a mysterious gangster, Yeh (Wu Kwan of Stanley Kwan's Lan Yu), to her longtime friendship with a former client, Professor Chan (Tony Leung). There's also an unplanned pregnancy, which leads to an opportunistic romance with Richard (Felix Wong), a wealthy businessman. This 2002 comedy Golden Chicken, directed by Samson Chiu, spawned a 2003 sequel, Golden Chicken 2. The first film was shown at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's survey Recent Films from Hong Kong in 2004. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

A largely unrelated follow-up to director Ann Hui's 2001 effort Visible Secret, this sequel finds director Abe Kwong stepping behind the camera (Hui remains on board as a producer) to offer a frightful tale of love and the supernatural. Their newlywed bliss short lived after husband Jack (Eason Chan Yik-shun) is hospitalized with serious injuries following a hit-and-run incident, both the doctors and his new bride, Ching (Jo Kuk Tso-lam), are pleasantly surprised by his unusually speedy recovery. Though he is soon on his feet again, Jack is subsequently plagued by terrifying visions of a female suicide victim every time he sneezes. Soon believing their new apartment haunted, Jack's fears are compounded by Ching's increasingly disturbing behavior. Suspecting that his new bride may be possessed, Jack seeks out the aid of old friend September (Cherrie Ying Choi-yi); the duo's investigation soon reveals that a relationship from Ching's mysterious past may hold the key to resolving the frightful supernatural occurrences. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A young girl witnesses a horrific street accident. A man (Anthony Wong in a pivotal cameo) is hit by a trolley and decapitated. Fifteen years later, June (Shu Qi) is all grown up, and doesn't even remember the accident. One night at a club, Peter (Eason Chan), an unhappy young man, sees June dancing, wearing an eye patch, and approaches her. She quickly uses him to get away from another man, and drags him to a karaoke bar. Just as abruptly, they leave the karaoke bar, and she has him take her to his place. The next morning, he awakens to find his apartment splattered with red paint, and fifty dollars missing from his wallet. He and his roommate, Simon (Sam Lee), then discover Peter's father (James Wong) lying in the bathtub, jabbering about how he doesn't have Alzheimer's, but he's possessed. Eventually, Peter runs into the elusive June again, and they seem to be developing a relationship. But despite his romance with this mysterious woman, things continue to go badly for Peter. He loses his job as a hairdresser, and his father commits suicide. Soon, he discovers June's secret. Ever since she was a little girl, she's seen ghosts. She wears dark glasses or an eye patch sometimes, so she won't have to see them. Soon, it becomes clear that one ghost in particular is haunting June--the ghost of a man demanding his head back. As Peter gets closer to June, he begins to unravel the mystery, and discovers a connection to his own family's past. Visible Secret was written by Abe Kwong and directed by Ann Hui (Ordinary Heroes). Kwong would later direct the sequel. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

In this action-comedy, which pokes fun at the conventions of Hong Kong crime movies while following them at the same time, Tony Leung Kar-Fai plays Jim Yam, an underworld kingpin whose days in the Mob appear to be numbered after he narrowly escapes an attempt on his life. Deciding he'd rather be the hunter than the prey, Jim sets out to wipe out his enemies before they can wipe out him, though it turns out to be more complicated than he imagined. Gongwu Gogap also stars Sandra Ng as Jim's wife, with their sometimes-stormy relationship providing a subplot. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi