Daniel Wu Movies

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

A 21st Century martial arts princess who steals from the rich in the name of love incurs the wrath of a powerful underworld boss in a romantic thriller starring Zhou Xun and Daniel Wu. Irresistible rogue D (Wu) has announced that he will run away with the first woman who can $5 million, and now the race is on to see which companionship-craving female with cough up the cash first. Ming Ming (Xun) is determined that she and D were meant to be together, and soon sets about robbing mob boss Cat (Jeff Chang) as a means of making that happen. Though she only stole Cat's curious looking box on a criminal whim while robbing him blind, Ming Ming never realized how much such a seemingly-simple looking trinket could mean so much to a man. Later, while fleeing Cat's henchmen, Ming Ming crosses paths with Nana (also Xun), whom she quickly sets up as the scapegoat for her crime. Little does Ming Ming realize, however, that Nana is one of D's girlfriends. Now, as D disappears from Shanghai and Ming Ming's secret admirer Tu mistakes Nana for the object of his affections, the race is on to locate the elusive D as he attempts to solve the mystery of his mother's strange and untimely death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

After moving from San Francisco's Bay Area to Hong Kong and launching a successful acting career in the late 1990s, first-time feature filmmaker Daniel Wu crafts a scathing satire of the exploding, multi-million dollar Hong Kong pop-music scene in this Spinal Tap-inspired expose of meticulously manufactured boy band "Alive." Despite the fact that none of them can actually sing, a group of friends from the Hong Kong entertainment industry make the decision to form a boy band that will storm the charts and win fans all across Asia. After a potentially profitable record deal goes sour and the band stealthily leaks a song to the internet, they attempt to manipulate the media by publicly claiming that the song has been illegally pirated and was never intended for distribution. As a result, the catchy pop tune becomes an instant hit and Alive is instantaneously heralded as an overnight sensation. Now, despite experiencing all of the perks that come with having a number one hit, the questionably talented members of Alive soon find that the road to success is filled with treacherous potholes that can send one careening down a self-destructive path on a moments notice. ~ 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

A deadly car accident threatens to cause a violent gang war on the crowded streets on Hong Kong's Mongkok district in writer/director Derek Yee's thriller One Night in Mongkok. Officer Milo (Alex Fong)'s task force is assigned to the case when a gangster's son is accidentally killed during a drunken dispute with a rival gang. He soon learns that a hitman has been hired to take out the rival gang leader. While Milo and his crew desperately try to find and stop the hired gun, fearing all-out war in the streets, Lai Fu (Daniel Wu), a smart but inexperienced killer from a small town in the mainland, arrives in Hong Kong to do his job. A decent sort, he intercedes when he sees a thug threatening a prostitute at his hotel. She turns out to be Dan Dan (Cecilia Cheung from Running on Karma), from a small town not far from his own. Dan Dan is a very practical young woman, and when she sees the wad of cash Lai Fu is carrying (half of his payment for the job), she pretty much latches onto him. Since she knows her way around town, this turns out to be a help to Lai Fu when he finds out that the contractor who hired him has ratted him out to the cops. As it turns out, Lai Fu isn't really that interested in killing for money, and has an ulterior, more benign motive for his trip into town. But the cops and assorted bad guys are closing in anyway. One Night in Mongkok, winner of the 2004 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay, had its New York premiere at the 2005 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

A sequel to the successful, 2003 action fantasy Twins Effect in name only, this stylized, special effects-heavy martial arts adventure finds a humble boy embarking on an epic journey to claim his rightful position on the throne of a vast kingdom. Enraged by tales of a young warrior who legend states will rise to end her diabolical reign over Huadu, the wicked Empress (Qu Ying) and her eunuch high priest (Daniel Wu) dispatch skilled assassin Blue Bird (Gillian Chung) to prevent the prophecy from coming to pass. Later, Blue Bird clashes swords with irritable slave trader 13th Young Master (Charlene Choi), but the two rivals decide to join forces after realizing they have a common goal. When Blue Bird and 13th Young Master cross paths with Blockhead (Wilson Chen) and Charcoal Head (Jaycee Chan, son of Jackie), they realize that one of the boys is the one prophesized to wield the mythical sword Excalibur, and defeat the evil Empress. Upon realizing that Charcoal Head is the legendary warrior in the flesh, Blue Bird and 13th Young Warrior join him on his treacherous quest to become the rightful ruler of Huadu. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Yip Wai Man's quirky comedy Beauty and the Breast concerns a man who works for a drug company that produces a pill designed to increase the size of a woman's breasts. He is romantically interested in a co-worker, but she refuses his advances. N order to get her sympathy, he pretends to have brain cancer. She falls for this, but soon discovers the truth about her attempted paramour. When she discovers that the company has been lying about the side-effects of their product, the woman attempts to make all of the men get their comeuppance. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

After witnessing the death of his brother at the hands of murderous secret agents, helpless Peter must summon the courage to clear his brother's name and save the world from a forthcoming catastrophe in director Gordan Chan's action-packed tale of high-tech espionage. Peter's brother Greg was one of the best computer programmers on the planet, but when Greg is killed in a horrific act of violence and Peter bears witness to his brother's death, the CIA, the Hong Kong Police, and a mysterious Singaporean special agent are hot on his trail. When a woman claiming to have been Greg's fiancée appears, Peter vows to elude his pursuers long enough to find out the truth behind his brother's untimely demise and being the men responsible to justice before the citizens of the world suffer the consequences. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi