William Ho Movies
- 1993
This mean-spirited category III thriller from Hong Kong filmmaker Ivan Lai was a smash-hit at the box office and spawned two sequels, despite (or perhaps because of) its offbeat mixture of bathroom comedy and brutal sexual violence. Lily Chung stars as Mak Wei-fong, the sole survivor of the Mak family's vicious murder. Gruff police Captain Lui (Anthony Wong) believes that Wei-fong's boyfriend Kin (Hugo Ng) is responsible for the crimes, but Wei-fong insistently claims culpability herself. It doesn't take Lui long to rule out Kin and accept Wei-fong's version of events, which is borne out in an extended and gruesome flashback detailing the violent sexual abuse she underwent at the hands of her insane stepfather (William Ho), and the silent complicity of her other relatives. The distasteful events are exacerbated rather than leavened by Lui's crass attempts at humor, and the entire thing has the air of one of the more extreme Japanese Nikkatsu "roughies" transplanted to Hong Kong. Nevertheless, it was quite successful with audiences, leading most of the surviving cast to return for Brother of Darkness, which in turn led to Daughter of Darkness II. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- 1992
This third installment of the popular softcore Category III Hong Kong exploitation series is a great deal less outrageous than Erotic Ghost Story II under the more controlled direction of veteran helmer Ivan Lai. Set in the Tang Dynasty, the plot concerns an engaged couple, Chu Chung and Liu Su-su, who encounter numerous fantastical adventures after meeting Reverend Wick (Shing Fui-on), a cleric who can shrink himself to the size of an atom. Exploring an abandoned shack, Chu Chung finds a painting which is a gateway to another world, where he meets three beautiful maidens. One of them, Yun I-meng (Pauline Chan), seduces him as part of an evil plot to overthrow the god Chia Yuan (William Ho). Chu is told that Chia Yuan is a rapist and had kidnapped I-meng -- lies which lead him to believe that the god is evil and murder him. The whole thing is being engineered by a female demon called Vixen, who wants to cannibalize Chia Yuan to obtain his powerful source of Yang energy. The repentant I-meng sees the error of her ways and helps Chu get back home to his world, but his beloved Su-su gets trapped in the other dimension, leading Chu and Reverend Wick to attempt a daring rescue mission. Chik King-man and Cheung Ching-wah co-star. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
Character actor Kent Cheng takes a turn behind the camera with this gritty crime melodrama. Wayne (Kenny Ho) is a spoiled rich kid whose churlishness lands him with a brief stint in jail. There he befriends Henry (Andy Lau), a working-class kid spending four years in the clink for manslaughter. When Wayne is released, he goes to Britain to study law. Yet Henry, once in the real world, has fewer options. He tries to make a go at teaching school, but his past soon catches up with him. Vicious gangster Charlie (William Ho) demands that Henry fork over 100,000 dollars as compensation for killing one of his men. Once Charlie starts attacking Henry's family, Henry joins Charlie's gang hoping to ameliorate the situation. Soon Henry becomes not only a feared criminal himself, but a serious smack addict. Wayne returns from Britain and tries to straighten out his friend. When Henry gets framed for murder, Wayne is forced to defend him in court. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
Prolific Hong Kong filmmaker Lau Kar-wing directed this gangster-themed crime-drama about the internecine struggles within a powerful triad family. Lung Ying (Ko Chun Hsiung) is the patriarch of the clan, and -- in a setup used in many such films since The Godfather -- is attempting to slowly move the family away from criminal enterprises and into legitimate business, although his sons and employees make it nearly impossible. Allan (Alan Tam) is a ruthless killer who later has to seek refuge in Taiwan. Kar-wai (Miu Kiu-wai) is the fiery tempered Sonny Corleone character, Hua (Andy Lau) is the calm, rational one, and Chung (Max Mok) is the dedicated student whose learning is unable to prepare him for what is to occur. Yip (Kenneth Tong) is the most dangerous to Lung Ying's plans, as he is a compulsive gambler whose addiction to the activity will lead the family to irreparable harm. Eventually, two thugs from another family, Ko (William Ho) and Keung (Norman Tsui), have Lung Ying killed and ambush the Lung family at his funeral. That's when Allan, Chung, and Hua get together to bring down Keung, who followed his deadly strike on the Lungs by murdering his own employer, Ho E (Ku Feng), and taking control of his organization. This leads to the inevitable bloody shootouts, reprisals, and dire consequences for many of those involved. The film is bolstered by a supporting cast familiar to any Hong Kong film buff, including Kent Cheng, Shing Fui-on, Phillip Ko, and Kara Hui. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
